Description[]
Washington Heights is a real-life neighborhood in the uppermost part of the New York City borough of Manhattan.
East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or El Barrio and historically known as Italian Harlem, is also a real-life neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, Fifth Avenue to the west, and the East and Harlem Rivers to the east and north. Despite its name, it is generally not considered to be a part of Harlem proper, but it is one of the neighborhoods included in Greater Harlem.
The neighborhood is one of the largest predominantly Hispanic communities in New York City, mostly made up of Puerto Ricans, as well as sizeable numbers of Dominican, Cuban and Mexican immigrants. The community is notable for its contributions to Latin freestyle and salsa music. East Harlem also includes the area formerly known as Italian Harlem, in which the remnants of a once predominantly Italian community remain. The Chinese population has increased dramatically in East Harlem since 2000.
Ana Maria Suarez and her family live here.
Ana describes Washington Heights, or Spanish Harlem, as a "very different neighborhood from the trendy stores and restaurants around I.H." In her neighborhood, there's broken glass by the curb, some graffiti on the walls of the buildings, and one small corner grocery store with bars on the windows. Yet, girls are often seen skipping rope in the streets and Salsa music can be heard playing throughout the neighborhood. Everyone in the neighborhood speaks Spanish, and came from Mexico, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and other Spanish-speaking countries.