On October 29, 2014 Professor Elizabeth Nix took students in the honors learning community “Urban Solutions: Contemporary Issues in Historical Context,” on a field trip to the streets of New York.  Students walked from UB’s campus to the train station and took an early morning Amtrak into the city. We walked to the base of the Empire State Building and then through urban parks to the Flatiron district, then explored Union Square farmer’s market and tasted New York pizza.  Professor Carey Miller guided the group through his old neighborhood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where Professor Jeff LaNoue discussed gentrification. Back in Manhattan, the group experienced different types of markets and streetscapes in Little Italy, Chinatown, and SoHo.  We were privileged to see the 9-11 Memorial and the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere at Ground Zero.  A quick subway ride took us to the newly completed High Line with more evidence of gentrification.  We tried to beat the rain in order to see Central Park, but the drizzle caused us to break up for dinner, and then stroll through Times Square after dark.  We all reunited at Penn Station and were back in Baltimore by midnight.  The Helen P. Denit Honors Program provided the funds for the train tickets.

In an effort to document the ways that our contemporary cities are influenced by the past, students in Dr. Nix’s class will produce photo essays discussing the echoes of historical building styles they encountered.