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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.
Those same businesses have probably closed because of said attraction... Prices rise when a neighborhood becomes "discovered" by "pioneers" and eventually stores that were once able to afford the reasonable prices now have to shut down and give the neighborhood a blighted look...
I live in Washington Heights. The area absolutely does have some attractions that could appeal to tourists (see below). However, I think the reason that the area is not more of a draw is primarily its location: it's so far uptown that most visitors just don't bother to come up. It's too bad, because it's really not as far away as people think, especially since the A train goes express.
The reason the Dominican community is not more of a draw is, I think, to do with history -- it's not that old of a community. The Lower East Side Jewish community, Little Italy, Chinatown, Harlem -- all of these neighborhoods played a role in the development of the city and its culture; they were established more than a century ago; they boast famous people who grew up there, and they tell the story of "Old New York." Washington Heights has only been heavily Dominican since the 70s/80s. (Before that it was working class Irish and Jewish, and before that it was mostly farms.) It's a relatively new community (by NY standards), so it doesn't have that sense of history that other ethnic areas do. Maybe in a few decades, it will.
Tourist attractions in Washington Heights:
--The Cloisters, which houses one of the world's most important collections in medieval art in a beautiful setting with stunning river views.
--Fort Tryon Park, which has beautiful gardens, meadows, and views, plus the New Leaf Cafe. The heather garden is the largest public garden in NYC that does not require an admissions ticket or fee. Anyone who's been there in spring can vouch for how special it is. And the views of the Palisades, the Hudson, and the GW Bridge from Linden Terrace is unparalleled.
--Dyckman Farmhouse, just a tad north in Inwood, is the oldest remaining house in Manhattan as it was built around 1812. (There was a house on the property previously that was abandonded during the Revolutionary War when the British took it over.) In summer, you can tour the house, which is fitted with period furniture and a few exhibits showcasing archaeological evidence found on the grounds (pieces of an antique toy, horse equipment, household items).
--Bennett Park, the highest point of natural elevation in Manhattan and the site of the Battle of Ft. Washington in 1776. There's a plaque, a reproduction cannon, and a monument to the soldiers who fought. And once a year there's a reenactment of the battle, with period costumes and all.
--The Little Red Lighthouse, down at the river in Fort Washington Park, which is the last remaining lighthouse of a bygone era; there's even a classic children's book about it. Fort Washington Park itself is a unique NYC green space, directly on the riverfront, with amazing views up and down the Hudson River. Perfect for a picnic, a walk, or a bike ride. It also has a new destination playground.
--Inwood Hill Park, the reputed site of the purchase of Manhattan by the English (with a plaque to mark it) and home of the only remaining native woodland in Manhattan. The caves where native people used to dwell are still there, and walking through the woods, you really feel more like you're upstate than in New York City. This is "old New York" in the truest sense -- pre-European Manhattan.
Last edited by lauraleaf; 07-18-2015 at 07:10 AM..
Actually Washington heights was very greek in the 1950s-60s, one of my greek uncles lived there, they use to call it the astoria of manhattan, most of the greeks fled to Jersey though before the Dominicans moved in, the st spyridon Greek Orthodox Church is still there and is pretty famous amongst the greek community.
OP, most people in that area are unemployed and watching people sit outside of a Bodega to smoke cigarettes and be unemployed isn't a tourist attraction.
As someone who lived there for about 4 years, I can say first hand that there is NOTHING there that's attractive. If there wasn't garbage on the sidewalks or middle of the streets, then people were actively sitting in front of bodegas, vendors on the street selling jewelry for $1,... and the all too expected, people actively spitting on the sidewalk.
Washington Heights and Inwood, are not areas of draw. They've got absolutely nothing noteworthy going for them
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