What's up Members of the Barrio
It's Jon coming to you from Washington Heights
Near the top of Manhattan
And today we're going to be continuing our locals guide to New York City
And this is personally turning into one of my favorite series
On the channel
And today's guest grew up here
In Washington Heights
She knows so much about this neighborhood
And you're going to learn a lot from her
Hi, i'm Noemy
And I'm going to be showing you around my neighborhood
I grew up here
I love it here
It has amazing culture, amazing people
And amazing Dominican food
I'm excited to show you a few of my favorite spots
I have to admit the views here are fantastic
You've got the George Washington Bridge that way
You have this amazing little park here
And you said that you grew up coming here a lot?
Yeah. So.. as a kid
We would always come here for picnics
For baby showers
For birthday parties
This was our go to spot.. in the summer .. in the spring
Just to be outdoors
And be in nature a little bit
This a hidden gem for sure
Because it has a lot of medieval art
And culture
It's part of the MET
So it's definitley worth a visit
To come up here
I don't want to go inside with a camera today because..
I honestly think this museum deserves its own video
It is so cool, i've been in there before
If you're into medieval art
I mean look at this place right here
It's like we're in a European castle
At the top of Manhattan
Hidden Gem
Is the right word
Why do you think this neighborhood is a hidden gem that more tourists.. should know about?
It's one of the last few neighborhoods in Manhattan that's retained its culture
And because of that
The prices of airbnbs
Apartments
Are a lot cheaper up here
And also the cost of food
You can find fresh produce very cheap around here..
And restaurant food as well
I wanted to take you here
That you can see the highest natural point of Manhattan
In Washington Heights
Where it gets its name from
There you go
As we head south from the top of Washington Heights
This area is so..
Peaceful
It's quiet
Everything looks so tidy
But you told me that things are about to change in a few blocks
This is the nicer area..a little bit more expensive
Cleaner.
But we're about to get to the more..
Dominican area
A little bit more culture
A little bit more gritty
A little grittier
You see a lot of fruit vendors chopping up yoru fruit for you
So that you can enjoy it as a healthy snack
Not everything is unhealthy when you buy it in the street
We just started walking on St. Nicholas
And i kind of feel like we've transformed to a completely different neighborhood
It's still the Heights.. A lot of energy
I'm loving this
Yes, you see lots of vendors. Lots of people in the street
Selling their goods and products
And you hear the music
And you see more of what I recognize as my neighborhood
And my people
We're almost at the restaurant
That you recommended
I have to say that walking through here has really brought back some memories
For me of being in Mexico
Some of the life in the streets
Of Mexico City for example
And now.. we are at Punto de Sabor
Why did you take us here
Why was this the choice
Of all the restaurants you could have picked in Washington Heights
This is one of my favorite restaurants
Because it's very authentic
The people here are all Dominican
And the food here is amazing
And really really cheap
Cheap is good guys
We are going to eat a lot
Get ready for this
You have a choice between Pork, Beef, or Chicken
Any of those options is a good choice
Guys you have no idea how good it smells right now
Ohh.. this is going to be a good meal
I can already tell
Can I have the pork?
We just got a mountain...
And I mean a mountain of food here
What did we order?
Basically you have your staple rice and beans
Red beans specifically
On this plate we have the Pollo Guisado
Which is basically stewed chicken.. in tomato sauce
And here is the Chuleta
Which is pork chop
And it's delicious
Here we have the sweet plantains
Which you have to try
They're delicious
Wonderful
And this is our traditional potato salad
It has carrots
Onions.. there's also a red version of this
But you preferred no beets
So.. we'll keep it simple
And country club
Naranja
I've never heard of this before
The Dominican Flag here
This is the official refreshment of the Dominican Republic?
Yes
Apparently
You don't like it very much though?
I'm not a big fan.. as a dietician
I avoid very high fructose corn syrup
Drinks
I'm going to be mostly having just water today
Guys i'm going to try the pollo guisado for the first time
This is just.. a ton of food
The meat just comes right off the bone
Tender
Let's try this
Mmmm..
Very juicy.. very full of flavor
Huge red beans here
Mmmm
And you can only order.. this particuluar menu right from the staff over there
This is just like..
An excellent Washington Heights, Dominican lunch for you
All of this food At a reasonable price
My family we always shared our food
It's a very cultural thing for me
It's a way of us connecting with our family and our friends
When you go to a Dominican household..
They'll always offer you a cup of coffee..
Or something to eat
Something to drink
Because that's a way that we show our love
And our connection with people
And if you don't eat a Dominican woman's food
You will never be invited back to her home
So watch out
Good advice for you gentleman out there
Noemy that was an excellent choice..
I have to say
That is the best Carribean food..
I have ever had in New York City
Highly recommend this spot
Now we're going for..
Some dessert?
Yeah we're going to a Dominican bakery
So you can get to try
A little bit of the sweetness
Of our island
Guys let's get sweet, let's go
This is where you get your Habichuela con Dulce
Which is sweet Red Beans
This lady is famous as you see
There's always a line here..
Because it's really good
I like it
I don't know why I like it. But I like it
I like these little crackers
And you said there's a little bit of beans in there as well
It's just super sugary
You said people either love or hate this right?
Put me in the love category
This bakery is absolutely packed right now
Usually a good sign anywhere you go in the world?
What's so special about this place
This place specializes in Dominican.. cake
It's called Bizcocho Dominicano
The Domincian cake is just a yellow cake
But it has pineapple filling
Or guayaba filling
Or tres leche filling
So they have these very interesting fillings
And it's delicious
It's fluffy
It's amazing.. i'm hoping that they have some
Bizcocho con Guayaba
They a little
Usually the cake has a different frosting on top
But because this is specifically a 1 portion.. it wants to highlight the Guayaba
They put the Guayaba all over
So you can really get that Guayaba flavor
Let's see if this is how I remember my childhood
Mmmm
Yep
It's got that little tanginess
I love that little bit of sour in it
It's good
You were joking with me before about the amount of barbershops
Hair salons
And nail places in the Heights
Why is it so popular here?
Dominicans value looking fresh
Looking good
And because we have so many hair textures
Anyone who handles hair
Needs to be able to handle every single texture of hair
There is possible
So that's why Domincans are well known
To be some of the best barbers
Some of the best hair stylists
They're definitley worth the money to go..
This is the street where they filmed the HBO Series
Boardwalk Empire
One of the scenes where Nicky's wife lived.
In one of these buildings
Guys of all the streets i've ever walked in New York City
I don't think I've ever felt like I've stepped back in time
Like this one right here
I'm just going to do a little 360 for you guys
Completely feels out of place
In the most amazing way possible
Do you think any of these are for rent still?
I wouldn't know
I kind of want to live here
It'd be awesome to live in a neighborhood like this
Jumel Mansion has been around since 1765
This is a...
Preserved historical site
And that's why they have..
These types of amazing.. homes
Cobbles stone pathways
Still emulating that time period
This is the Morris-Jumel Mansion
And to me it looks like something straight out of..
The South
New Orleans
And I know that New York used to look a lot more like this
Than like this
But it's always nice to be reminded
That mansions and buildings like this
Are still preserved
And you said that you have a personal reason
To love this place
So I discovered this place
Almost 10 years ago
When my brother was looking for a place to get married
And thankfully this place was actually free then
I don't know if it still is now
We had the ceremony right in the front lawn
And we took pictures right back here
On that stair case
Right behind us
This would be an amazing place to get married
And you can tour the inside
You just have to check the website
Washington Heights I know..
20,30 years ago
Maybe when you were growing up
Had a bad reputation for having crime
For not being the safest area of New York
How much has that changed.. as you've grown up
And in recent years?
It's changed drastically..
As a kid my parents were very wary of me and my siblings
Going outside..
Or being out far away
But it wasn't just the Washington Heights area
It was also even 42nd street
In the Early 90s..
It still wasn't considered a safe neighborhood
It was nothing like it was today
Same thing with Washington Heights
So back then there was a lot of crime
But now.. it's a lot more peaceful
And you can walk very freely here during the day
And feel confident that you'll be safe
What sort of person Would you recommend
Move to Washington Heights?
Anyone who loves Spanish culture
If you speak Spanish
That's a plus
People will love that
And also.. if you're looking for more affordable rent..
Definitley
More affordable cost of living, cost of food
This is the area of Manhattan
That's still.. affordable
Ladies and gentleman
Members of the Barrio
We are approaching the biggest landmark in Washington Heights
And one of the biggest landmarks in all of New York City
The George Washington Bridge
We're going to a park that has an amazing view of the George Washington Bridge
And it's actually perfect
It's almost sunset
We're going to get some really good
Video and pictures
There's nothing quite like it
It's so close
You're going to see.. it's just breathtaking
I've never heard of this park
I've walked by here before
I had no idea..
It hid the view that you're about to see
For someone that grew up in North Jersey
Not far on the other side of that bridge
To me that was always the great divide between New Jersey
A little more boring
And all the craziness and awesomeness of New York City
To me..
That bridge.. means a lot
As someone that lived on the other side
What does it mean for you?
Whenever I travel outside of Washington Heights
I always knew that I was making it home
When I saw this bridge
It was like after a long day either in Jersey
Or some other state
Coming home to this..
That was my favorite view
Cause I knew I was coming home
This is Washington Heights
My neighborhood.. I grew up here
I recommend everyone come here
Just for the views
For the culture
For the food
And the affordability of it
It's amazing
Especially if you want to stay away from the tourist traps of certain areas of Manhattan
If you've already done that.
And you kind of want to see what else.. New York has to offer.
This is a perfect place for that.
Make sure to tell me down below in the comments
What you thought about this tour
Where was your favorite place?
And make sure to check out my other New York City playlists
We've got guides like this..
Tips videos
A whole lot of good stuff
Thank you so much for watching
As always
Until next time