Quisqueya Plaza Opens In Inwood With Festivities: See It

INWOOD, NY — The Quisqueya Plaza had its grand opening in Inwood over the weekend, bringing together local politicians, business leaders and community members.

The plaza is located on Dyckman Street between Broadway and Seaman, an area that has been closed for long stretches since 2020 to vehicle traffic as part of the city's Open Streets initiative.

The closure of the street to cars will now be permanent as the plaza will serve as a hub for restaurants and activities.

Luis Miranda, who is Lin Manuel Miranda's father and a longtime influential figure in Upper Manhattan, served as the Master of Ceremony along with entertainment correspondent Daneida Polanco for Saturday's grand opening.

For those of you coming to The Heights, add Plaza Quisqueya to your itinerary. Make sure you make plans to eat - from @Mamasushi237 to #Parkview, even @Starbucks on B’dway & Dyckman. pic.twitter.com/CLMy5TF77F
— Luis A. Miranda, Jr. (@Vegalteno) July 17, 2021

Elected officials in attendance on Saturday included Rep. Adriano Espaillat, Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, Assembly Member Carmen De La Rosa, and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer.

The Quisqueya Plaza will provide free classes for yoga, arts, nutrition and more, according to a news release from Rodriguez.

The most noticeable characteristic of the plaza is the wraparound flags of different countries. There are currently over a hundred nation's flags hung around the plaza, with many more expected to get put up in the coming days and weeks, according to a source familiar with the plaza's management.

The word Quisqueya is one of the names in the Taino language for the island that is now Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It is also the name of a municipality within the Dominican Republic.

Espaillat introduced a resolution earlier this year in an effort to rename Washington Heights, Hamilton Heights and Inwood as Quisqueya Heights and make it a "cultural hub for Dominican Americans across the nation"

Read More: Congress Asked To Change Uptown's Name To Quisqueya Heights

That resolution is currently awaiting discussion in Washington D.C.

The Quisqueya Plaza Grand Opening has started with some traditional Dominican dancing and music!

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¡La Gran Inauguración de Quisqueya Plaza ha comenzado con algunos bailes y música tradicional de La República Dominicana! pic.twitter.com/7yuYCADeiX
— Ydanis Rodriguez (@ydanis) July 17, 2021