Voices of Jackson Heights

Sometimes the strongest memories come wrapped in paper and carried home.

Mery talks about learning English, long trips across the city, and a bakery that made Jackson Heights feel like Colombia. Her story is about food, memory, and the quiet comfort of familiarity.

This episode is shared in Spanish.
The full English translation appears below.
My name is Mery Elba. I have known Jackson Heights for about 18 years. I am from Colombia, from Bogotá. I arrived in the United States about 25 years ago.

One of my memories of Jackson Heights is from when people first arrived here to study and learn English. Around 75th Street and Roosevelt, that was the place for Colombians to come and learn English, with schools nearby around 82nd Street. And there were Colombian restaurants close by. Being there made you feel like you were back in your country. There were many Colombians, and the places were very good. You felt comfortable in those restaurants and Colombian shops that no longer exist.

Many Colombian stores have left Jackson Heights. My favorite place was a bakery called Las Américas, which has since been modernized.

That bakery was one of my favorite spots. We used to travel all the way from Long Island to Las Américas to buy pandebonos and pan de yuca. I do not know if it still exists under the same name, or if it exists in a more modern version, with different food, more Americanized.

But pandebono is something that identifies us as Colombians.
That delicacy.

What is Voices of Jackson Heights?

Jackson Heights is not one story - it’s hundreds.

Voices of Jackson Heights is a short-form podcast capturing the everyday moments, memories, and experiences that make this neighborhood in New York City feel like home. Told entirely in the voices of people who live in, move through, and keep returning to Jackson Heights, each episode reflects on a small but meaningful personal experience.

You’ll hear stories in many languages, across generations and cultures.
Transcripts and English translations are included in the show notes for non-English episodes.

Mary Elba es mi primer nombre. Llevo conociendo a Jackson Heights como unos 18 años. Yo vengo de Colombia, Bogota. Llegué a los Estados Unidos de América hace 25 años. Un recuerdo de Jackson Heights, donde uno estudiaba cuando llegaba, aquí es, aprender inglés, ahí en la 75 con... Roosevelt, que era como el sitio para los colombianos donde llegara a aprender inglés en sus escuelas, en la 82 con... Y los restaurantes colombianos que están cerca, se siente uno como en su país, mucho colombiano, y muy bueno los sitios, digamos que se siente uno cómodo, ahí, en esos restaurantes. Y tiendas colombianas que ya no existen.

Muchas tiendas colombianas se han ido de Jackson Heights. Mi chuso favorito. Había una panadería que se lama las Américas, pero ahora la modernizaron.

Y ese era uno de mis sitios favoritos. Veníamos de Long Island hasta ahí a las Américas, a comprar pan de bonos y pan de yuca. Ahora yo no sé si exista todavía, pero si existe con otro nombre, o más moderno, otra comida, otras más de... Americanizado. Sí, es un pan de bono que nos identifica a los colombianos. Esa... ese manjar.