In the Heights takes place in a neighborhood in New York City called Washington Heights. Washington Heights has always been a hub for different immigrants. Irish, Jews, and Greeks all have made Washington Heights their home. Starting in the 1980s, Dominicans began moving in. At the peak of the Dominican population, in 2000, about 117,000 Dominicans lived in the Heights. In 2005 this population was reduced to about 113,000. Also in 2005, 67% of Dominicans in Washington heights between the ages of 15-44 were born in the Dominican Republic. 32.2% of people speak English not well or not at all, 48.9% of people are foreign born, and 29.5% of people lived below the poverty line. The number of Hispanics in Washington Heights is going down due to gentrification, as middle class whites are moving in, which causes the rent to go up and displaces the poorer people, who tend to be Latinos. Gentrification is one of the main themes of the show. People are having to leave the neighborhood because of increasing rent.
Fun Things to do in Washington Heights:
Handball:
Handball (in Utah we call it Wall Ball.) is a popular sport in all of New York City. There are one wall, two wall, and three wall version. The most common in New York is “One-wall Handball” In this game, you use your hand or fist (either one) to hit the ball. You win the round by making it so the other player cannot hit the ball back to you. You get a point if you serve and the other player cannot hit it back. The first person to 21 points wins. There are over 2,000 handball courts in New York City. In Washington Heights alone, there are 23 handball courts. According to Mr. Long this is a very popular activity in the city.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46q0jzGhfUo Here is a video of people playing handball.
George Washington Bridge:
The George Washington Bridge is a prominent symbol of Washington Heights. The bridge originates in the middle of Washington Heights, and then spans the Hudson River connecting New York to New Jersey.
United Palace Theatre:
Located on the corner of Broadway and 175th Street, this theatre has 3,400 seats. Various people have performed here, including Adele, Elvis, and the original Broadway cast of “In the Heights” at their 5 year reunion concert.
Fort Tryon Park:
A 66 acre park, along the Hudson River. The park was given as a present from John D. Rockefeller in 1935. There are many old pieces of architecture throughout the park. In the park there is a museum called the Cloisters, which features medieval art. The museum is a branch of the Metropolitan Museum. There are a few high scale restaurants located in the park including “La Marina” and the “New Leaf Restaurant & Bar”.
Clubs in the Area:
Apt 78- A popular café and lounge in the area. Many different events happen here. For example in the past month there has been a poetry slam, a “Friday Night Live” with music by Tiny Tim, a reggae night, a Sunday brunch, and other things. This is a smaller homier feeling café. It doesn’t have a dance floor, but it is more than just a restaurant.
Arka Lounge: This is an actual club, similar to the one we portray in the show. It does have a dance floor, and that is the main part of it. It has a bar, and live DJs. It is a very loud club and has a variety of music that plays every night. They have Latin, Hip-hop, Belly dancing, basically it’s all there.
If you want to know more about what there is to do in the area, check out this website. http://www.nycgo.com/slideshows/must-see-washington-heights
Fun Things to do in Washington Heights:
Handball:
Handball (in Utah we call it Wall Ball.) is a popular sport in all of New York City. There are one wall, two wall, and three wall version. The most common in New York is “One-wall Handball” In this game, you use your hand or fist (either one) to hit the ball. You win the round by making it so the other player cannot hit the ball back to you. You get a point if you serve and the other player cannot hit it back. The first person to 21 points wins. There are over 2,000 handball courts in New York City. In Washington Heights alone, there are 23 handball courts. According to Mr. Long this is a very popular activity in the city.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46q0jzGhfUo Here is a video of people playing handball.
George Washington Bridge:
The George Washington Bridge is a prominent symbol of Washington Heights. The bridge originates in the middle of Washington Heights, and then spans the Hudson River connecting New York to New Jersey.
United Palace Theatre:
Located on the corner of Broadway and 175th Street, this theatre has 3,400 seats. Various people have performed here, including Adele, Elvis, and the original Broadway cast of “In the Heights” at their 5 year reunion concert.
Fort Tryon Park:
A 66 acre park, along the Hudson River. The park was given as a present from John D. Rockefeller in 1935. There are many old pieces of architecture throughout the park. In the park there is a museum called the Cloisters, which features medieval art. The museum is a branch of the Metropolitan Museum. There are a few high scale restaurants located in the park including “La Marina” and the “New Leaf Restaurant & Bar”.
Clubs in the Area:
Apt 78- A popular café and lounge in the area. Many different events happen here. For example in the past month there has been a poetry slam, a “Friday Night Live” with music by Tiny Tim, a reggae night, a Sunday brunch, and other things. This is a smaller homier feeling café. It doesn’t have a dance floor, but it is more than just a restaurant.
Arka Lounge: This is an actual club, similar to the one we portray in the show. It does have a dance floor, and that is the main part of it. It has a bar, and live DJs. It is a very loud club and has a variety of music that plays every night. They have Latin, Hip-hop, Belly dancing, basically it’s all there.
If you want to know more about what there is to do in the area, check out this website. http://www.nycgo.com/slideshows/must-see-washington-heights