Fig. 15 – Pacman along the stairs up towards Riverside.
Just past Bennett Avenue, the landscape abruptly shifts. The narrative has changed from one of struggle to inevitable resolution. A steep flight of stairs appears as if out of nowhere on Overlook Terrace, breaking 187th Street into two. Walking up that flight of stairs, and anticipating what lies beyond, feels a bit like waiting for the sun to rise, and experiencing that sense of hopefulness.
Act Two of the Tale of 187th Street sees the lovebirds Nina and Benny from In the Heights take centrestage. As they lie in each other’s arms, satiated by a night of intimacy, they sing of love and of possibility, prefiguring the beautiful and happy ending that is to come at the end:
BENNY
Well, how do you say kiss me?
NINA
Besame
BENNY
And how do you say hold me?
NINA
Abrazame
Al amanecer. At sunrise
NINA/BENNY
Anything at all can happen
Just before the sunrise
Our Tale ends here, at the edge of the Hudson River, overlooking George Washington Bridge, and a distant castle nestled within gorgeous New England forests. The River flows swiftly. The mood is contemplative. Our hero has made his choice and he stands, admiring all that he almost left behind.
It is beautiful.
* * * * *
Fig. 13 – Apartment buildings just before Overlook Terrace.
Fig. 14 – View unto the hilly slopes of Northern Manhattan, Overlook Terrace.
Fig. 16 – Riverside apartments.
Fig. 17 – Riverside Animal Clinic.
Fig. 18 – Chinese Food, in an old Art Deco Building.
Fig. 19 – Triangular junction, and a senior citizen community club event.
Fig. 20 – Art Deco lobby to waterfront apartment complex.
Fig. 21 – A paradisiacal view towards the forests and hills of New Jersey.
Fig. 22 – View towards George Washington Bridge.
B) Act II – Al Amanecer
PDF: B – Act II – Al Amanecer (2.5 MB)
Next Month: 125th Street, Generic: Harlem
Dream Of A City 