Each piece of Broadway tells the story of the surrounding neighborhood unlike any other avenue or indicator can reveal. It is a major access point for circulation both on foot and vehicle. Geographically, the area is increasing in elevation as you walk uptown. The incline from the Hudson River to Broadway is also steeper than in many other pieces of Manhattan. Broadway seems to be the central point and as you walk east or west of this street, it is less commercial, more residential, and quieter. There is an extremely present diversity in this neighborhood. Besides the fact that it was a beautiful day when we walked this strip, there was an extreme sense of community with a street fair, and lively pedestrians. Although predominately Hispanic where many of the business owners only speak Spanish, there are many other ethnicities cohabiting the area such as white and black. The presence of a dominant age group is lacking as well. There are many families and children enjoying the park, utilizing the hospital, and local businesses. At the same time, there are young professionals, teenagers, and elderly people intertwining on this strip of Broadway. This span of the city is truly a location with a sense of place.
I’ve often heard of the hospital on Broadway and 168thstreet, but never before have I seen the striking beauty and magnificence of what some might mistake as a fortress. Towering high and strong, the complex boasts numerous buildings that proudly proclaim Columbia’s institutional presence. The thing that shocked me most about the hospital was its sheer size. I never thought something that grandiose could exist this far uptown. I was wrong. The hospital also seemed to transform the neighborhood around it. The businesses in the area had a very professional feel, no doubt to cater to the many employees who work at the hospital. The community around the hospital has adapted to and lives symbiotically with the institution, making this stretch of Broadway unique in its own right. ~ Bishoy
Broadway is a pacemaker that has always intrigued me. Because it is a street that breaks the gridded network of Manhattan’s streets it is the place for many parks, major landmarks, and businesses. The way it spans diagonally through neighborhoods it is telling of the area around of it. The interesting corners and alcoves it makes when crosscutting the grid is a primary place for parks and landmarks because they are in high visibility. It is also the one of the oldest remaining pieces of pre-developed New York. It has a character unlike any other street in Manhattan and can change within a blocks distance. One day I would like to walk a long span of Broadway in one outing to make comparisons about the transitions in Manhattan. ~Leanne
The street vendors on the 163rd Street reminded me of the Istanbul Bazaar. As we were driving from City College, cars with loud Latin music accompanied our route on Broadway until they finally they stopped to cheer up people shopping from the street vendors. The market seemed out of sense in a neighborhood totally shaped by the Columbia Medical Center. Buildings from 164th to 169th Street formed a gigantic complex that suppressed all other small and ordinary businesses. It seemed that the only reason to visit the neighborhood was the hospital which left a bitter taste. ~Eriugen
Video of Broadway (163rd – 169th Street)
