Colombian NYC

Colombian NYC is Cumbia, Salsa, Vallenato, Tango, Reggaeton and more. We bring art, Broadway, telenovelas, literature, coffee, and flowers.

Medellín is the business and cultural capital of Colombia, in the same way that New York City is the business and cultural capital of the United States.

Most Colombian New Yorkers are “paisas” from Antioquia Department (state), of which Medellín is the capital. Like New Yorkers, paisas are very sharp business people.

Many paisas have a Lebanese or Jewish heritage. We speak castellano Spanish like the Argentines. We say “vos” not “tú” and and say “sh” instead of “s” or “ll.”

We also have one of the world’s strongest Tango cultures outside of Argentina. It’s very normal for us to drink with friends while listening to tangos and sharing our encyclopedic knowledge of the songs and orchestras. We collect tangos the way American kids used to collect baseball cards.

We had a difficult time in the 1980s and 1990s from gangsters profiting from the American need to use drugs. Those days are long gone now, just as New York City is nothing like it was in the 1970s and 1980s.

Today Medellín is considered to be one of the best cities to live in South America. It won the Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize in 2016.

There is a softer reggaeton coming out of Medellín these days which includes artists like J Balvin and Maluma, and Puerto Ricans like Nicky Jam and Farruko.

Colombia is famous for Cumbia, Vallenato and Colombian Salsa. Colombia is the home of Magical Realism in literature. Colombia produces very good telenovelas. You can watch some on Netflix.

Colombian artist Fernando Botero is the most valued contemporary Latin American artist. There are public Botero sculptures in Time Warner Center and at 900 Park Avenue on the Upper East Side.

Colombia is famous for the beauty of its women. New York Latin Culture is inspired by one.

Colombia is a multicultural country with many distinct regional cultures. The old Spanish culture remains strong. In fact the Spanish land grants weren’t broken up until the 1970s.

The capital Bogotá in the Andes has a traditional Spanish culture. Bogotá is famous for the clarity of its language. If you want to learn Spanish, try to learn from an upper-class Colombian from Bogotá. People will think you speak really good Spanish. Bogotá is a political capital like Washington D.C.

Most Colombian New Yorkers come from Medellín. It’s the Colombian business capital  in the same way that New York City is the business capital of the United States. “Paisas” are famous for their fast-talking business acumen. Medellín has a Tango culture like Argentina. Carlos Gardel, the iconic Tango singer, died in a plane crash in Medellín.

Cali is the home of Colombian Salsa. The stage version is popular. At house parties in Colombia, everybody wants to dance with Caleños.

The Atlantic Coast has a Caribbean culture with Cumbia, Porro, and Mapalé. The city of Barranquilla is one of the few Latin American cities that was built by the people. It was not built by the Spaniards. Cartagena is a beautiful old coastal Spanish city. It is famously the setting for the Gabriel García Márquez classic “Love in the Time of Cholera.” It would be nice to retire in Cartagena some day.

The Pacific Coast has an African culture with Currulao.  Colombia has an Amazonián culture similar to Brazil’s.

Colombia also has an Orinoquía culture. That region is similar to the Great Plains in the middle of the United States. The Colombian Harp is from there.

There is an Insular culture associated with Colombia’s Caribbean and Pacific islands. The San Andrés islands in the Caribbean have a Reggae culture.

Now that Colombia has found peace, it is a great place to visit and enjoy the country’s many cultures.

There are public Fernando Botero sculptures in Time Warner Center and on the Upper East Side. Dulce Vida Cafe in the Upper East Side and Empanada Mama on the Lower East side serve different takes on Colombian food.

Colombia is also present on Broadway. Colombian dancer Sergio Trujillo did the choreography for “Jersey Boys,” “On Your Feet!,” and “A Bronx Tale.” Colombian journalist Ernesto Londoño sits on the New York Times Editorial Board. Ximena, the muse of New York Latin Culture is Colombian.