Why isn't Washington Heights considered a tourist attraction? (New York, Inwood: hotel, houses)
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Like a mating dance. Colorful Birds of paradise. I like it there, but then again I am a city cat from way back, I make the best of the neighborhood with its good food and sweet confident women.
The Washington Heights Diner is GOOD! They have a Dominican breakfast that you have to try.
Whites with their fascination of and spending power make a place a tourist attraction or not. Unlike with African-Americans, Whites are not fascinated (obsessed) or intrigued by Latinos/Hispanics on a level that would elevate a Latino neighborhood to have loads of tourists and tour buses (like Harlem). It is not exciting to them to go to a Latino neighborhood, museum, restaurant, church or experience "life on the edge" in those neighborhood. Same reason why other than the zoo, the Bronx is not a big tourist draw either.
Not strictly true. Little Havana in Miami is a pretty strong draw for tourists. I think the bigger thing is that there's not much historic or larger cultural movements for most people that is tied to the Dominican residents of Washington Heights--which makes sense since Dominicans have only been a large portion of the population there since the 1970s which doesn't make it all that historic. I think added to that is that in a lot of ways, there's relatively little to distinguish Dominican cuisine and shops from many other fairly similar Spanish Caribbean ones that people are more familiar with in the PR-variant of things.
I don’t understand why Washington Heights, a Dominican neighborhood, isn’t considered a tourist destination. Isn’t New York City a place where diversity should be embraced? Just like Little Italy, Harlem, and Chinatown are considered tourist destinations, I think Washington Heights should start to be promoted that way. I have been there and I haven’t felt unsafe. The crime rate isn’t like what it is in the 1990’s. I would like to see the day when Washington Heights is a well-known and fun place for the outsider to get a chimi churry or a Dominican cake just like other neighborhoods are successful in attracting outsiders to their restaurants like the Ironbound in Newark for example. Do people just have a fear of Dominicans and Latinos in general?
who says it needs to be a cheesy tourist destination in the firstplace??????
Whites with their fascination of and spending power make a place a tourist attraction or not. Unlike with African-Americans, Whites are not fascinated (obsessed) or intrigued by Latinos/Hispanics on a level that would elevate a Latino neighborhood to have loads of tourists and tour buses (like Harlem). It is not exciting to them to go to a Latino neighborhood, museum, restaurant, church or experience "life on the edge" in those neighborhood. Same reason why other than the zoo, the Bronx is not a big tourist draw either.
Don't forget Yankee stadium, a bigger draw than the Bronx zoo.
hey Doomdan, if you live in Glendale, my brother wants to go see the old sitcom All In The Family house ("704 Houser Street") which i found out is actually located at 90- Cooper Ave in Glendale. have you heard anything about people driving up to this house for a look?
hey Doomdan, if you live in Glendale, my brother wants to go see the old sitcom All In The Family house ("704 Houser Street") which i found out is actually located at 90- Cooper Ave in Glendale. have you heard anything about people driving up to this house for a look?
I live right by the house actually, but people don't really come by to look at it often. It's on a long stretch of Cooper Avenue where most of the homes look the same for the most part. I'll try to get a picture of it soon.
I don’t understand why Washington Heights, a Dominican neighborhood, isn’t considered a tourist destination. Isn’t New York City a place where diversity should be embraced? Just like Little Italy, Harlem, and Chinatown are considered tourist destinations, I think Washington Heights should start to be promoted that way. I have been there and I haven’t felt unsafe. The crime rate isn’t like what it is in the 1990’s. I would like to see the day when Washington Heights is a well-known and fun place for the outsider to get a chimi churry or a Dominican cake just like other neighborhoods are successful in attracting outsiders to their restaurants like the Ironbound in Newark for example. Do people just have a fear of Dominicans and Latinos in general?
What are the tourists supposed to buy? Glassine bags of bad coke and loosies??
Realistically the Heights could be a tourist destination, but it doesn't have the amenities that tourist would be seeking, like side walk cafe's or good shopping. A lot of the better restaurants are not amazing to be a destination dining spot and the positive attributes like the Cloisters and Fort Tryon Park are too far removed from the community. However, I personally think Ft. Tryon park is amazing, and could imagine Broadway between Dyckman and 190th, along the park being developed into a more pedestrian/shopper/dining type of strip, where people could come for the park and then get lunch/dinner, walk around and shop. However at the moment there is hardly a store in that area and just the one Italian place that recently opened up. I also think the Heights, would be a great area to develop lower cost hotels, like a hampton inn, especially around 168th street. I know that there was a hotel that is under construction in the area, but I am not sure when it would open, but given the transportation options with the 1 train and the A train, I think it could be a prime location. I would mention that while some people would not want the neighborhood to change, attracting people to the neighborhood brings business and job, which is sorely needed when you look at all the closed places along Broadway.
Realistically the Heights could be a tourist destination, but it doesn't have the amenities that tourist would be seeking, like side walk cafe's or good shopping. A lot of the better restaurants are not amazing to be a destination dining spot and the positive attributes like the Cloisters and Fort Tryon Park are too far removed from the community. However, I personally think Ft. Tryon park is amazing, and could imagine Broadway between Dyckman and 190th, along the park being developed into a more pedestrian/shopper/dining type of strip, where people could come for the park and then get lunch/dinner, walk around and shop. However at the moment there is hardly a store in that area and just the one Italian place that recently opened up. I also think the Heights, would be a great area to develop lower cost hotels, like a hampton inn, especially around 168th street. I know that there was a hotel that is under construction in the area, but I am not sure when it would open, but given the transportation options with the 1 train and the A train, I think it could be a prime location. I would mention that while some people would not want the neighborhood to change, attracting people to the neighborhood brings business and job, which is sorely needed when you look at all the closed places along Broadway.
I hope Washington Heights stays the way it is. It's one of the few real neighborhoods remaining in Manhattan.
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