But picking out the parts of Washington Heights that made the movie feel like a true love letter to the neighborhood and its residents, from the sweeping views of the George Washington Bridge and the local public pool, to the sun-bleached bodegas awnings and the wares stocked inside, was the real challenge.
Most of the film’s interiors, including the inside of the aforementioned bodega, were filmed on a soundstage—but the street scenes take place all over Washington Heights .
Hood Wright Park has an incredible visual of the bridge, and it created a wonderful environment terrace—and the rock happens to be in the shape of the Dominican Republic.
I was looking for the little details throughout: the crazy floors in the bodegas that put cardboard on the ground to mop up water after the rain, or the bug strip that’s always hanging at the counter, or the homemade shelves.
This was an arts project with the city in the ‘90s and there are copyright problems, so we had to connect with the artists’ estates or the original artists to restore their work.
When Jon saw the pools at Highbridge Park with Lin, he was like, “This has to be in the movie.” If it’s the hottest day of the summer and you’re in a blackout to totally rehab both the shallow and deep pools.
I would love people to say, ‘This is what I remember my own neighborhood to be.’ You just hope that people will see the neighborhood for the joy there, and the wonderful, incredible depth of culture.
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