This city is a living dynamic one. In certain areas you can walk over one or two avenues and be in a completely different world. We found that in every neighborhood there are hidden “treasures” that you can only see on the streets; stuff that doesn’t show up on maps.
We explored East Harlem, “El Barrio”, a neighborhood from 5th avenue to the water from 96th street to 125th street. This area is home to thriving cultures, street art, and it raised several influential people, such as musicians Tito Puente and Marc Anthony, hip hop artist/ activist Tupac Shakur, poet/ activist Julia de Burgos, and street artist James De la Vega.
One of the treasures in El Barrio are the murals. Throughout the neighborhood there are massive paintings on the sides of buildings that range from one story tall and a few feet wide, to three or four stories tall covering an entire building! These things are absolute marvels, especially to me because I had no idea they even existed. Some of them sharply contrast the surrounding neighborhood, some seem slightly out of place, others really compliment the area, but regardless of location they are all stunning.
We used a website from online to guide our walk. We went across 111th street, the area with the highest density of art, then we walked to the Thomas Jefferson Park and found a bridge to walk over the FDR and onto the dock. The views of Midtown there were really stunning. We then walked up and back across 116th, where we found many murals that were not marked on the map. It looks like we only scratched the surface! Give the area a visit to see some amazing things. The community is really warm too. Use the map as a guideline but go on your own adventure and experience El Barrio for yourself.
Lucia Lopez, Olivia Murphy, and Joseph Shaker
