By: Daniella Jakubowitz, Sabrina Mammen, Rabia Mehmood, Divya Roy, Sharon Santhosh

Welcome to Jackson Heights, a neighborhood that is a bustling melange of various ethnicities and nationalities. Come experience the sights and sounds of this historic Queens neighborhood, as it continues to expand and grow in diversity. You won’t be disappointed with the bold flavors and captivating smells of delicious Mexican and Ecuadorian foods. Stick around and go for a stroll in the lovely Jackson Heights parks and experience all that this great community has to offer!

GUYACO’S
81-42 Baxter Avenue

Tired after you’re long commute into Jackson Heights? Can’t find a place to satisfy your hunger? Well, look no further! Come on down to Guyaco’s Ecuadorian Restaurant located on 81-42 Baxter Avenue. The store proudly displays its red, blue and yellow and embodies all that Ecuadorian cuisine has to offer. Run by Ecuadorian co-owner Carlos, the restaurant has been a huge part of the Jackson Heights community for almost 10 years.

Immediately upon entering the quaint and comforting setting, one can’t help but be overwhelmed by the sights and smells of the freshly cooked empanadas and beautifully plated flans. The establishment specializes in meat dishes such as Carne en palito, which is a thin skewer of beef served with ripe plantain or chorizos, and a variety of seafood such as shrimp served in a garlic butter sauce called Langostiono. Rice platters and endless Hispanic treats continue to be served on a daily basis, and display the bold flavors of different regions in Ecuador. The flavor explosion doesn’t stop there, as more dishes such as Arroz con pollo and Cevice continue to be best sellers.

After a hearty entree, you’ll never leave without dessert, as Guyaco’s serves up freshly fried Choclo, an Andean corn snack and of course the famous Ecuadorian flans. Canelazo is a popular drink among Ecuadorian immigrants in Jackson Heights, as it combines the flavors of sugar, lemon, cinnamon, and Aguaridiente into a warmly served drink.

Carlos and his brother are extremely proud of the success of their business, especially after having faced many financial and language obstacles caused by their immigrant experience. They have worked hard to make Guyaco’s a successful business that strives to serve their community better. Guyaco’s savory dishes and home cooked meals evokes memories of Ecuador for many immigrants settling in Jackson Heights and has been a source of comfort for many who miss home. Open from 10 am- 9pm, the small restaurant serves almost 100 people per day and proudly serves up the ethnic delights of many Ecuadorian immigrants.

DELGADO TRAVEL
83-16 Northern Blvd

After you’ve eaten an empanada or two at Guyaco’s, get ready to walk down one block and turn left. While walking down Roosevelt Avenue, between 79th and 80th streets, you will find a spot, while seemingly mundane, that plays a key role in the lives of Latino immigrants of Jackson Heights: Delgado Travel. This agency has been a family-owned business for over 40 years. They have even expanded to other areas in New York, New Jersey, and Illinois. Their services include money transfer, money exchange, travel tickets, international calls, prepaid minutes, courier services to Ecuador and Mexico, newspapers, and radios.

Many hispanic immigrants, are simply earning money to support their families back home. Their overarching goal is actually not to stay here in the United States. Rather, they aim to move back home permanently with enough money to continue supporting their loved ones.

For example, Carlos, our friend from down on 81st-42nd street, works towards this main goal: to earn enough money working at his brother’s restaurant so that he can go back home to Ecuador and live with his family forever. Agencies like Delgado Travel help make these ventures possible when such immigrants are ready to leave.

The agency’s Spanish title already gives immigrants a sense of trust and comfort when seeking help to travel. Overall, Delgado Travel encourages immigrants to pursue their goals, whether it is to work hard to be able to visit home, or to move back permanently.

 

ZONI LANGUAGE CENTER
78-14 Roosevelt Ave

Our next stop, a block away, is probably one of the most pivotal for the neighborhood inhabitants, situated right between 78th and 79th. This is Jackson Height’s very own Zoni Language Center. The Zoni language Center is a widely known resource in areas including other parts of New York City, Miami Beach, London and Vancouver. They really provide assistance in helping their clients speak English very fluently and Jackson Heights is probably one of the most optimal place for this. With people ranging from all over the world including South Asia, China and Latin America. Zoni is a perfect medium for these immigrants to initiate the better life they were hoping for.

They have selection of more than 20 courses, including ESL, Business English, TOEFL, Premium Intensive English, American Culture through media, Survival English and many more with affordable prices which is what really attracts these immigrants. Their flexible scheduling allows students to meet either in the morning, afternoon or evening depending on their availability which is a significant attribute in that a majority of their student population are newly landed immigrants and they work multiple jobs so they are very understanding to the community needs.

Not surprisingly a lot of their student population include Hispanics, Chinese, and Indians. For newly landed immigrants, even in they know English it might be hard to use it in day to day communication and for that reason Zoni serves as a helping hand in getting these immigrants independent and on their feet. When interviewing the Ecuadorians of Jackson Heights, many mentioned that the Zoni Language center is a place they go to attain a GED, etc. so that they can look for a better way of living. Many Ecuadorian men choose to come to the language center rather than woman because men usually run and work more for the household compared to women. Women usually opt to work in native restaurants/shops, babysit, and in worse case scenarios work as prostitutes.

COMMUNITY METHODIST CHURCH
81-10 35th Ave, Jackson

Now we will be traveling away from the bustling and hustling of the busy streets along Roosevelt Avenue and head back the way we came by about three blocks and take a left on 81st Street! Two blocks down sits a place that holds a lot of meaning to neighborhood immigrants, the Community United Methodist Church.

This local church serves as a mediator for Christians who are from different backgrounds. The mission of the church is to create a community that lives together in harmony and peace. The Church offers services in English, Chinese, Spanish, and Korean. The church started in 1916 when Jackson Heights was still an emerging community and the members decided that a place of worship was necessary. The first worship services were at the Southwest corner of Polk Avenue and 25th Street, which is now a Capitol One bank. Then, in 1919 the Queensboro Corporation offered to give the land that we are standing on right now, as long as the church maintained partnership with the corporation to serve the community. During 1960s, there was a large European American attendance, but as the community started to evolve, the first Chinese, Spanish and Korean services started to take root.

The church also provides additional services for its members and non-members who are struggling in their own ways. They reach out to the community by placing summer programs for kids, bible study groups, youth targeting retreats, etc. They also accommodate weddings, concerts, luncheons, and charity events.

Although a majority of Ecuadorians are Catholic and you can find multiple religious vendors that appeal to the Catholic population in Jackson Heights, many try to assimilate with the American culture by attending Protestant churches such as this Methodist Church. The inaccessibility to Catholic churches in the neighborhood also promoted these immigrants to attend Protestant churches. As a result, generations of Ecuadorian immigrants in Jackson Heights have been found attending churches such as the Community Methodist Church. It has come to be blended into their lives and traditions.

DUNOLLY AND TRAVERS PARK
34th Ave, Jackson Heights

We are currently walking through the residential area of Jackson Heights towards Travers Park. The majority of 34th and 35th avenue and most of the side streets between Northern Boulevard and 37th Avenue are residential. Latinos make up more than 50% of the population in these areas; Argentineans, Colombians, Mexicans, and Ecuadorians making up the largest ethnic groups. The Queensboro Corporation had the idea to create garden apartment buildings to give a greater aesthetic value to the area. The actual apartment building covered less than half of the property’s land.

Keep to the right side. The buildings were built around interior gardens that receive plenty of sunlight and air, giving the urban lifestyle a taste of greener park life. The beautifully landscaped gardens were grown within the walls of the apartments which made them more quiet and secluded. There are multiple garden apartments throughout the residential area.

The specific streets in which we are walking down contain the Dunolly Gardens Co-ops, which are in a prime square block in Jackson Heights Historic District. The Dunolly Gardens is a full block long and, as you can tell, has a more modern look than the other buildings from its time. It replaced the original Jackson Heights golf course.

Let’s keep walking straight for about two more minutes until we reach the park. Try to stay close together so everyone can hear. Traver’s Park was built in 1938 and it is the last project that Andrew J. Thomas, a self-taught American architect, completed. The idea of the garden apartment community was to lure in the middle class out of Manhattan and into these buildings. There were many attractions near these apartments that made them more inviting including restaurants, groceries, and parks.

We have just arrived at one of the most famous parks in Jackson Heights, Travers Park. Feel free to take a seat on the benches. This park was named after Jackson Height’s community leader, Thomas J. Travers. It was established in 1949 and later reconstructed in 1995. Travers Park is located in the heart of the residential area and is the neighborhood’s largest recreational space. There are basketball courts, tennis courts, benches, spray showers, playgrounds and fresh greenery. The park is used as a social area where all the different ethnic groups living in the area gather together to hang out with each other.

If you take a moment to listen to the sounds around you, you will notice the laughter of the children, the balls bouncing, and the teenagers and adults conversing mainly in Spanish and English. If you look a little to your left you can see a soccer game that looks like it just started to get a bit heated. Boys and girls at the park can be seen sporting jerseys from multiple different Hispanic countries including Mexico and Ecuador. As you can see, the park is both aesthetically pleasing as well as fun for all ages. You can stroll around the park for a little, watching one of the sports games, breathe in the air, or just relax before we move on to our next stop.

If you happen to be sitting on one of the park benches on August 10th and look a block ahead, you may catch a glimpse of the annual Ecuadorian Parade. Every summer, the annual Ecuadorian Parade runs through the Northern Boulevard to 90th Street, filling the air with Ecuadorian culture. Ecuadorians from Jackson Heights and sometimes all of New York come and take part in the festivities. The parade livens up the streets with floats, historic cars, dancers and musicians who celebrate Ecuadorian culture. The parade celebrates the National Holiday in Ecuador during which they gained independence from Spain in 1822. Politicians including U.S. Senator Chuck Shumer and Judge Carmen R. Velazquez, the first Ecuadorian judge in NY State, usually sponsor the festivities.

P.S. 69 ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
77-02 37th Ave

After your lovely stroll through Travers Park, keep walking down 35th avenue and you’ll arrive at our next stop- Jackson Height’s very own elementary school- P.S. 69! P.S. 69, operating in New York City’s Geographic #30 School District, has served the children of Jackson Heights for decades with its mission to provide equality in education. With its president, Martha Vasquez, the school has made it an important goal to provide both parental and student support to enable children to reach their full potential. The school takes special note of appreciating and respecting all the different ethnicities and nationalities that are found within the student community.

The school is currently serving 1235 children in grades pre-k to 5th grade. Many of those who are in attendance take part in the school’s special academic programs including literacy, computer classes, music classes, and school for performing arts. Along with academic programs, PS 69 also offers a number of non-academic activities including vocal ensembles, ballroom dancing, guitar groups, and theatre residencies.

In order to provide the students with a more wider array of activities, the school has partnered with athletic organizations such as Public School Athletic League and Charter School Athletic Association. Students also qualify for free or reduced meal services, which is a great help for those immigrant families struggling to feed their children.

PS 69 Elementary School functions with the knowledge that many of its students come from differing backgrounds, as we see that almost 88% of the children are Asian or Hispanic. Furthermore, the minority enrollment is 100%, which is more than the state average of 54%. The vision of P.S. 69, a global school community is, with parental support, to promote academic excellence, embrace cultural awareness, and develop tolerance, respect and civic responsibility in a safe and healthy collaborative environment.

ECUADORIAN INTERNATIONAL CENTER
37-47 76th St

Let us now walk to the Ecuadorian International Center. After taking a left onto 76th street a block down, you will arrive at a quaint little establishment camouflaged by other small signs and ads. Established in 1999, this organization works to ease the plight of new Ecuadorians and to break down the economic and political barriers that often hinder Ecuadorians from getting involved in their community and procuring livelihood. Barriers such as unemployment, insufficient documentation, poor living accommodations, and the financial burden of a family are a few among the many faced. It is hard for many people of such backgrounds in a new country, especially when anti-immigrant sentiments are present and discourage them from working hard and succeeding.

Through this organization, Latino immigrants of New York City are encouraged in areas of job development, public health education, adult literacy, Citizenship education, and legal assistance. If a certain immigrant is in need of documentation papers, work permits, or GED/HSE, the organization provides support and resources to empower them to do so. While the lives of immigrants are many times inundated with the stresses of maintaining a stable new life, this organization seeks to make their lives easier.

JACKSON HEIGHTS TRAIN STATION/ 7 SUBWAY LINE
Roosevelt Avenue

For our next and final stop, you will have to walk down 76th street turn left turn onto Roosevelt Avenue, where you will arrive at key historical site of Jackson Heights- the train station. This bustling spot, filled with the din of chatter between travelers and the honks of cars squeezing through narrow roads, proved to be a catalyst for demographic change in the area by the 1960s.

Initially, residents of Jackson Heights travelled via the New York and Queens County Railroad Jackson Avenue trolleys. 1915 marked the start of the 7 train, a key development that would change the way people travelled to and from Jackson Heights. This train was the first passenger train from Grand Central Station through the 42nd street tunnel to arrive at Jackson Avenue. Tickets for trains saw dramatic increases through the 1920s, and by the 1960s as mentioned earlier, different people started pouring into Jackson Heights.

For many immigrants, especially those who found their way into the country illegally, driving and personal transportation was not an option. Many times such transportation was too costly to pay for combined with the costs of basic living necessities. The subway system and public transportation of and around Jackson Heights was easily accessible, and shone as a key resource for immigrant livelihood.

Jackson Heights, a prosperous and commercial hub, offered many jobs that immigrants were ready to take. With the development of this public transportation, they now could. Step off of the 7 train and onto 82nd street, and you will be immersed in the smell of baked goods, the noises of people shuffling between roads and across streets, and of course all types of conversations in Spanish. Many immigrants were of Latino descent including Ecuadorian, Peruvian, Argentinian, Mexican, and slew of other Latino ethnicities. All of these different people found their way into Jackson Heights with the development of public transportation.

After speaking with some Ecuadorian immigrants, we realized that many initially settled in New Jersey. In fact, some simply came here for work. This alone expresses the importance that public transportation held in the lives of such immigrants. As Jackson Heights offers many opportunities for jobs and businesses, immigrants are prompted to travel far from their homes and back in order to procure livelihood. The efficient and cost effective option of public transportation like this subway station made it possible for immigrants to find a place to start their small businesses and make a name for themselves in this foreign country.

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