In the Heights

The GWB, George Washington Bridge from In the Heights (Miahi Andritoiu/Dreamstime)

“In the Heights” is Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony-winning Broadway play about three days at bodega (corner store) in the Dominican barrio of Washington Heights in Upper Manhattan.

It’s also Jon M. Chu’s (Crazy Rich Asians) 2021 film adaptation which opened the Tribeca Film Festival all over New York City. How cool is it that an American director of Chinese descent can understand the Latin community so well?

This is a musical drama that originated on Broadway, so it’s dramatic and musical, but the telling is more real than we usually get from Hollywood. The filmmakers were very intentional about that.

You will recognize all the characters in the story. They are like family, friends and neighbors. You will recognize the way we live in New York City, or at least the way we used to live. New York is always changing, although the barrio doesn’t change as fast as Midtown.

If you don’t go see “In the Heights” in a theater, your abuela (grandmother) is going to throw her chancla (slipper) at you (that’s when you know you’re really in trouble).



The Great Gray Bridge

The GWB, George Washington Bridge from In the Heights (Miahi Andritoiu/Dreamstime)
The GWB, George Washington Bridge from In the Heights (Miahi Andritoiu/Dreamstime)

The George Washington Bridge dominates the Hudson River skyline from Washington Heights.