From 169th St North to 179th St North one comes into contact with some of the most recent immigration waves which are Hispanics, especially Dominicans. Aside from a Hispanic country-like atmosphere, Washington Heights seems to be a separate entity from the city due to the wide streets and much lower building compared to the rest of NYC. It is a great place for walking and enjoying one’s day. There is at least a Hispanic restaurant, deli, and drug store on each block, which is convenient for the thousands of people who dwell in this area of town. Just like the rest of New York City, these streets are filled with people but they aren’t rushing to a destination; they stand and talk to their neighbors or people passing by the street. It is a friendly area and is greatly influenced by Hispanic culture. The subway map seen above clearly depicts the expanse of Washington Heights.
On the sidewalks, there were a few stands for groceries, books, juices, dogtags, and ready-to-eat foods. One of the characteristics of this part of the city is that the sidewalks tend to be wider than most parts of Manhattan. With the extra space more people tend to bring out there business to the streets, which can be connected to a cultural act to hispanics who tend to have street business in their native countries.
In front of what used to be a store, a group of men are playing dominoes. It is a surprising scene within Manhattan and it makes the streets yet more intimate to those who live there. It is a great example on how immigrants have taken New York as their own place and made themselves comfortable in it.
This is the Shell gas station in Washington Heights and it covers a whole block. It is rare to see gas stations throughout New York City, even rarer one that covers a street block, but this makes it even more unique. The gas station fits quite perfectly in its spot and the area around it, is more open to have more cars around.
This is the front facade of a restaurant. The architecture is Latin American inspired and transforms the small area it covers into a place in any Latin country. The small touches and the building itself make a strong statement of the settlement of hispanics in this area and permanence, at least for now.
From 178 St and Broadway, you can see a glimpse of George Washington Bridge. Between 178 St and 179 St, there are signs saying that retail space will be available in Fall 2012. The stores and landscape reveal extension and the every growing areas of New York.
“It felt great walking through these streets of Washington Heights for the first time. Being hispanic I felt right at home with the Spanish signs and people speaking in Spanish all around me. I was surprised to find such an open area in Manhattan with very low buildings. I believe it makes a nice contrast with the rest of the city and blends well with the culture being lived in this area. The abundance of deli’s and restaurants astonished me, I did not expect most of the things in this area, but I sure enjoyed walking through it.” -Katherine
Colloquially, Staten Islanders refer to Manhattan as “the city.” I was really surprised at how Washington Heights does not reflect the rest of the city. I was not expecting to see a gas station or stores taking up big portions of a block. Seeing all this space and noticing that there were closed down stores makes me wonder why this part of the city isn’t as developed with high sky scrapers or a lot of mainstream businesses. Though I’m glad to see that New York, even as a place, has many personalities.” – Christine
“Walking on the sidewalks of Broadway was an engrossing experience indeed, especially because I’ve never been in Washington Heights before. This part of New York looks nothing the like NYC, one imagines. The starting, the middle and ending of the ten blocks journey into Washington Heights were the most interesting to me, as they were the only architecturally attractive areas through our journey. The beginning was compelling because of a building that had 169th and Broadway embossed on it such that it emphasized and reminded us of the fact that Broadway is diagonally across the city. As we walked through, I noticed there were many stores that were nearly closed down or open for sale. Most of them were grocery stores and it seemed like there was a lot of competition among them. The middle was captivating because of the United Palace Cathedral on the 175th Street, which was magnificent. Sadly we weren’t allowed inside; nevertheless, the building was really beautiful. The end of our journey was very smooth, marked by the George Washington Bridge. Though very crowded, the water and the structure of the bridge made it seem pleasant. Also, towards the end we spot the a food place which was newly opening, which was noteworthy, especially as we saw so many other stores closing down. Overall, it was a nice experience to see a lifestyle of New York City that was not exactly like the ‘City’ one thinks of.” – Samhita
“When I walked out of the subway station at 168th street, it was like a whole new world. It was very different from what I was used to seeing downtown. For a while, I even wondered if we were still in Manhattan! It was a nice surprise, though, to see so much open space. I felt like I could actually breathe. The walk was nice and relaxing and we were lucky enough to be blessed with amazing, sunny weather. I found it really how grocery stores, delis, and salons lined these blocks instead of the usual Starbucks, McDonald’s, and other fast food chains. Although the area is not as developed as downtown New York, I kind of like it that way. It’s nice to have a place that’s not dominated by skyscrapers, office buildings, and fast food restaurants. And it’s also refreshing to see an actual gas station!” – Koren
