lulup

I have seen the neighborhood go from a a lower middle class family oriented, ethnically mixed neighborhood in the 60s, to a "third world" country in the 80s. Crime was cleaned up a bit thanks to Guiliani in the 90s, but you still have gangs, poor immigrants mostly from the Dominican Republic, (but lots of Mexicans moving in), noise, - cars blasting merengue music at all times. Only white college students who want to live here for a couple years are moving here for cheap rents. The don't last long. There is an attempt at gentrification, and rapacious landlords want to take it over but generally, it's not the place to raise healthy kids-- - the schools are tough. George Washington High School is tough and the only Catholic high school mother cabrinin closed. Schools are mostly immigrant population so if you're white kid, you'll feel left out ( though whites living in the Heights send their kids to schools away from the neighborhood for some strange reason). It's basically an inner city neighborhood with pockets of buildings tjat charge you an arm and a leg considering the inner city neighborhood you're in. There are of junk stores, dozens of people selling fruit on the street, food without a license, it's a disaster. The "Jewish sections" are now called "Hudson heights" in an attempt of real estate people to distance it from the inner city poverty of the rest of the Heights. (And don't buy that stupid musical either). Hipsters may think it's cool to move up here, but we WaHi smell gentrification usually resent them. Most move out soon anyway, they can't take it. They're just "blanquitos" searching for cheap manhattan apartments. The Heights has a fascinating history - -most immigrants are unaware of it; it played a huge role during the American revolution. I am writing a book on it. At one time there were more communists in the heights than anywhere else in the USA . By the urban decay of the 70s things changed with the "white flight" of the 70s and crack epidemic of the 80s affected the neighborhood. I was dying to get out - the noise, crime, cat calling, poverty, drug addiction, teenage pregnancy. Inner city life. Not healthy. But now the landlords are buying every piece of land they can to build condos. Many residents resent it. Though most of us born lament what it's become, and look forward to moving out to safer, healthier places to live, we resent gentrification. WaHi was always lower middle class, not impoverished as it is now, not for the rich!

The only people who think Washington heights is cool are real estate and yeshiva university or Columbia students from out of state who did not live the 50 years of urban decay that many of us did. It was like surviving a plane crash. It still dangerous at night- if you can sleep. Summertime is hell with people taking their radios to the sidewalks. Regeton, merengue blasting at all hours. Can't sleep for the noise. Car alarms. Gangs. Rats everywhere because there is garbage from food everywhere. Illegal fruit vendors and food vendors leave a feast for rats every night. Forget the cops- they're too busy fighting drug dealers to deal with things like noise. Dirty streets, many roach infested building especially the older ones. Bodegas with cats (I.e. Mice); Starbucks? In "Hudson Heights" and those who live by Colombia Presbyterian which took over that area through eminent domain.

181street is hell hole, overpopulated, illegal street vendors, noise...the #1 - train stop us a descent (literally) into another dangerous hell hole. Subway stop.

Despite what the real estate agents say, do what my dad always recommends: visit the area at night. Then you'll get a sense of WaHi.