Exploring the Fort George Neighborhood & the Little Dominican Republic + Jazz!

Part 2 of Celebrating Hispanic/Latin American Heritage Month

Immediate RSVP Starting at 8:30pm Wednesday. Space is set aside for new members, first and 2nd timers who land on the waiting list. If you are or in one of these categories, please email me at hankorenstein@gmail.com to request a spot.

This tour is free with a welcome donation to your guide/leader by cash, venmo or zelle.

To Bring: Snacks, water, sun protection. Be fit enough to walk 3-4 miles at a moderate pace at times. There are a few hills and also a very long flght of stairs going down at one point.

Meeting place. In front of the new Inwood library at 4790 Broadway which has several restrooms. Be sure to arrive a little early. For grabbing a bite and/or coffee there are a number of nearby options:

Mon Amour Coffee: 231A Dyckman Street (opens at 8am)
https://monamourcoffee.com/
Starbucks, 4761 Broadway (corner of Dyckman Street)
Dyckman Bakery, 176 Dyckman Street
Kuro Kirin Espresso & Coffee, 4795 Broadway
If you wish to have a sit down breakfast or brunch, check out The Cloister Grill at 7 Henshaw Street which opens at 8am. Among the menu items is their Dominican breakfast.

Walk Description
Join us for a follow up to last Saturday’s Hispanic Heritage month tour with a guided walk through the “Little Dominican Republic” in Washington Heights. Special option at the end – live outdoors Latin Jazz with a Brazilian accent with Annette Aguilar and String Beans in J. Hood Wright Park.

We’ll traverse the little-known Fort George section of Washington Heights before making our way through the longest pedestrian tunnel in the city and making our way downtown. Along our walk we’ll enjoy the vibe, the local cuisine, and street life. We’ll check out the city’s oldest bridge (1848) and learn about the Croton Aqueduct, NYC’s first substantial water supply system which enabled the city to sustain the rapidly growing population in the 19th and early 20th centuries. After a brief stroll through rustic Highbridge Park we’ll head West to Broadway with a look at the spectacular exterior of the United Palace Theater, which hosted the Tony Awards in 2023.

Tour ends one long block West of Broadway at 175th Street where the live music will be going on starting at 2pm at J. Hood Wright Park (restrooms available).

We’ll also try to have a restroom stop and at least one sit-down break during the walk.

About the music:
An uptown favorite, the celebrated percussionist, educator, and bandleader Annette A. Aguilar grew up in the Bay Area before moving to NYC, where she has earned two masters degrees and played with a wide array of important artists, including Tito Puente, Toshi Reagon and Arturo O’Farrill. She founded her Latin Jazz and Brazilian group String Beans in 1992. Named in part after its unique instrumentation--including violin and other strings--this group has performed at the Kennedy Center and Jazz at Lincoln Center; across the United States; and, as Latin Jazz Ambassadors for the U.S. State Department, in many parts of Africa.