True Life: I Live in the Spanish Ghetto

It's true. There's no denying. No amount of sugar-coating can change the fact that I do, indeed live in SPANISH HARLEM. The ghetto... en español.

While there are some suburban-raised young professionals, I predict that the neighborhood's ethnic breakup is as follows:

65% Hispanic (mostly Puerto Rican, some Dominican and Mexican)
30% Black (a lot of Afro-Latinos)
3% Are wondering how the hell they've found themselves in this neighborhood

This is dramatically different than my Morningside 112th and Broadway apt. only about 7 blocks west.

I took a walk to the post office 2 blocks down 110th- the Oscar Garcia Rivera Station, por supesto. On the way there, I passed a bunch of sketchy little stores- a laundromat, some convenient stores, random flower shops that I always pass on the way to the subway, but are never as hopping as they are on this weekend day. I hear a man yelling in Spanish, and as I get closer I see a black man with a microphone. He was talking too fast for me to begin to translate. I'm sure it was something to do about Dios (God) because those overly religious types seem to be drawn to microphones in this city, regardless of language. I passed this "garden" thing where they were setting something up- maybe for Halloween I don't know. There were fake gravestones. One read that a person died because of an "ingrown toe" That sounds painful. And then the neighborhood hangout yard where old latino men go to listen to salsa, eat, talk, and watch the girls walking by.

On the post office building it reads "HELL'S GATE". I'll just leave that alone. Inside the tellers are bilingual. It's weird to feel almost wrong for speaking English in a country where I am a citizen. It's weird to feel like a country built by Europeans is actually and literally being taken over by Latinos. Don't get me wrong- I have no problem with Latinos and have many amigos from home. In fact- my dream man is from South America, but are we losing our identity? It's not just in this neighborhood that there is an overwhelming Latino presence- they are all over. Yesterday I was in the 80s of the Upper West Side there was reggaeton playing in Circuit City! Now, I love me some Daddy Yankee and Tego, but it feels slightly like a takeover.

So afterwards, instead of walking back, I decided to take the scenic route back and explore the hood a bit more, since my sights so far have been pretty limited. I walked north, deeper into it along Lexington to 116th street where I read was the "center". I walked passed the countless chicken restaurants, Dominos, KFC, Burger King, Wendy's, water ice vendors, people selling food from foil-lined containers from ontop of shopping carts (and there were lines!!), ghetto clothing stores where you can get a shirt or skirt for $1.25, shoe stores, Washington Mutual Bank with signs in Spanish, super markets...

Now when I constantly mention the fact that people hit on me left and right its not for my ego. Truth is that none of these people who direct their attention towards me have a chance of me reciprocating. It's just really shocking how they are so open and vocal. It was kinda like that in Argentina- creepy older doormen would say things in Spanish, but nothing like this! I've heard "Have a good afternoon" a couple times, once with an attached, "Have a good night!" Today, literally within 10 minutes I was greeting and hollered at by like 5-6 Spanish-speaking men. "Hola!" and a handicapped black guy crossing the street told me, "Good afternoon and God Bless!" To top off my walk around El Barrio, as I was unlocking my front door, a guy walking by said, "Can I come home with you?" Jesus Cristo!

Now I hear salsa music blaring. This neighborhood is lacking in many areas, but no one can say this neighborhood is lacking character or culture...