I ❤️ New York

The trip featured in this blog took place prior to COVID. The Spanglish Girl Team encourages all to adhere to CDC guidelines regarding travel and safety during the pandemic.

New York City was exactly what I imagined it would be: a busy, crowded, concrete jungle of apartments, shops, restaurants, and iconic buildings. What I did not anticipate was how visible I’d feel in a city so populated it would be easy to feel invisible.

I have lived most of my life in rural America. In small towns where there are few to no Latinos. So much so that when I hear Spanish spoken, It stops me in my tracks, and I go out of my way to introduce myself because I’m just so excited to meet a fellow Latino.

Maybe this is why my first trip to New York City was startling in a beautiful way. The minute I got off my flight, and for the remainder of my visit, I could hear Spanish floating through the air from every nook and cranny of the City.

Once, while on the subway to Time Square, a group of rambunctious teenagers raced past me, jesting in a beautiful Caribbean Spanish. I wondered in that moment if the teens knew how lucky they were to live in a City where Spanish is so common, it just floats in the air with such a sense of belonging, it melts easily in with the many other languages spoken that don’t cause anyone to pause or stare.

Another day, while on my way to Coney Island, a Mexican man and his son entered the subway train I was in, and began to play Nortenos on a guitar and accordion. For one moment on the subway in New York City, so far from my childhood home, I was surrounding by the music of my Abuelos. Only in New York City was a moment like this possible.

And while making my way on the boardwalk latter that day, I came across a crowd joyously dancing to salsa, as a Cuban flag waved in the air.

And then there was the bodega on the corner from my hotel, where each morning I’d go for a cup of coffee, and the Puerto Rican store clerk would ask me what my plans for the day were, before proceeding to provide tips for how to get to my stops safely.

This is the New York I fell in love with. A city where Spanish and Latinos of all backgrounds are very much a part of the American soundscape and willing to help a fellow Latina feel at home.

Below I share photos from my many trips to date to NYC: