Washington Heights

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The moment you walk into Washington Heights you are greeted by a variety of sounds and sights unique to just two areas, this neighborhood and the Dominican Republic. Being here is like being transported to the island. Stores blast music across a variety of genres ranging from the old, Merengue Tipico, to the new, Dem-Bow. Small sidewalks are crowded with vendors and their tables and people walking in both directions. In less commercial areas people sit in front of buildings talking to their neighbors or playing dominoes. During the day the streets are often full; during weekdays with retirees, young children, and vendors in the sidewalk. During weekends it seems like everyone is outside shopping, visiting friends and family, or just walking and enjoying the view.

Everywhere you go people seem to know each other and even when they don’t there seems to be an air of familiarity between those who live there. Often you will see complete strangers strike up a conversation and by the time they finish they will be acting as if they are the oldest of friends, also because the neighborhood is small it is not rare that they will find that they have mutual friends either here in the U.S. or in the island. Due to this it is easy to feel like an outsider if you are new. This feeling does not last long as soon you too will feel like you have known these people around you, your whole life. With such large similarities to the island is not hard to see why many people don’t ever leave; to those born in the island it is a connection to a home they had to leave behind and the family that stayed there, to those born in America it is a place where they can explore their heritage. It ‘s a piece of the island that’s only a short train or bus ride away, a piece of home for those
far away from it.