In Assignment 1, we were asked to walk around a neighborhood in Queens and then write about what we saw. Looking back at what I said, I found that I was quick to judge or assume people’s identities, ethnicity, religion and wealth status. In February, I had mistakenly believed that houses in Queens had...
Distinct Neighbors – Economic Disparity in Close Quarters
For my stroll through New York I decided to spend an hour on the border between two areas that are distinctly separated financially, Jamaica and Jamaica Estates. The heart of the division between the two districts is at Hillside Avenue, right off the Q17 or F train route.The name Hillside...
Measuring wealth in a few short blocks
Starting on Utopia Parkway across from St. John’s University at around 4 pm, I headed south alongside Jamaica Estates. This neighborhood is wealthy. It was too quiet. The houses among the hills were mansions; the cars were mostly luxury vehicles like Lexus, Infiniti, Mercedes, BMW, and a couple of Bently’s here and there. A...