Looking south on Amsterdam Avenue from 109th Street. Amsterdam Avenue from
100th Street to 110th Street was once the main street of the Dominican and
Puerto Rican community of the Upper West Side. Like the rest of the area it
is steadily undergoing gentrification (ethnic cleansing, if you prefer), but
is remarkably persistent, probably owing the proximity of a large public
housing complex, Frederick Douglass Houses. Pockets of Hispanic community
and culture are holding out against all odds. (The pace of gentrification
here is gentle compared to what is happening in Harlem.)
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