Heading to East Harlem on February 20th around 3:30pm, I looked up the location on HopStop, which directed me to take the s79 to 86^th street, then the R train to Atlantic Ave followed by the 2 train to Time Square and finally the 6 train to 116^th street. I exited near the intersection of E 116TH ST (Luis Munoz Marin Blvd) and Lexington Ave. As I exited the subway, I could immediately smell pizza, which was coming from Sam’s Famous Pizza. The area was covered in snow except for the streets, which were congested with automobile traffic. The sidewalks, on the other hand, didn’t have that many people since it was extremely cold. Traveling down Lexington Ave, towards 115^th street, there were a number of small, old “mom and pop” type stores like Raysol Farmacia, Kodak Film services…etc. As I approached 115^th street, I immediately recognized “chain stores” like MetroPCS. The area began to look much more commercialized. There was also a Department of Health around the corner on 115^th Street. The smell of food began subsiding from the air as I moved away from the small, unmaintained stores that mainly sold food & produce. Walking further down Lexington Ave, past E 115^th street, I passed by a playground. I decided this would be a good area to spend some time in and observe the people.

The playground seemed like any other playground, filled with benches, a slide, a jungle-Jim as well as a basketball court separated by a gate. The playground was in an area directly adjacent to a number of apartment complexes, which reminded me a lot of those found on Tysens Ave on Staten Island. Although much of the playground was covered in snow, there were still a number of children playing, some even playing in the snow. The playground seemed to be a positive influence on the community, encouraging adults and children to exercise, even in below freezing temperatures.

After spending around thirty minutes in the playground, I headed past the apartment complexes. Although there weren’t many people outside, the ones I did notice were mostly middle-aged men and women (most likely out to shop for necessities or possibly coming home from work). They were mostly Puerto Rican and African American, though I did notice some Italians. Many of the stores in the area, particularly the “mom and pop stores” were based on these cultures. Once I hit E 117^th Street, I decided to walk down toward 3^rd Ave. As I walked down, I noticed a number of houses under construction. Once I crossed 3^rd Ave, I noticed a number of stores, some new like a McDonalds and others were based on the culture of the area like Wok Express, a Chinese restaurant suggesting an Asian population.

Before heading back to the 6 train, I met up with fellow teammate Julia at 4:30 at Cuchifritos on E 116^th Street between Lexington Ave and 3^rd Ave. The menu consisted mainly of traditional Puerto Rican cuisine. Even though there were some new stores in the region, it was nice to see that the neighborhood hadn’t been engulfed by gentrification. There were still restaurants like Cuchifritos that offer traditional meals. I had never been to East Harlem before but it was clear that gentrification is beginning to appear in some areas, while others still maintain the feel of ethnic enclaves.