Voices of Jackson Heights

Some places stay with you long after you leave.

In this episode, Valentina reflects on why Jackson Heights still lives in her heart years after moving away from New York. What she describes is not just diversity, but energy. The feeling of moving through cultures, cuisines, and conversations in the span of a single walk.

From favorite meals to the sense that the world somehow converges here, this is a story about a neighborhood that continues to pull you back.

This episode is in Italian.
An English translation is included below.

Hi, I’m Valentina. I’m from Treviso. I lived in New York for five years, and now I live in Miami. Jackson Heights is a place I’ve always kept in my heart because it’s truly multicultural.

There’s a strong energy that comes from having people from so many different cultures. In just one street, you can go from India to Asia almost instantly.

My favorite place is Las Margaritas, where I had exceptional fajitas that stay in my heart every time I come back to New York. Whenever we return to Jackson Heights to visit our friends, we always go there to eat.

Honestly, it’s a place where I would live, because to me it feels like the center of the world.

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.

 Ciao, sono Valentina, sono di Treviso. E Ho abitato cinque anni a New York, adesso sono a Miami, e Jackson Heights è un posto che ho sempre nel cuore perché è decisamente multiculturale, c'è un'energia, um forte che viene dal fatto che ci sono diverse persone da diverse culture, um è possibile passare dall'India, all'Asia in, Una strada praticamente, il mio posto preferito è Las Margaritas, dove ho avuto del dove ho mangiato delle faitas eccezionali che sono sempre nel mio cuore ogni volta che vengo a New York e torniamo a Jackson Heights a trovare i nostri amici, andiamo a mangiare, e onestamente è un posto dove andrei a vivere perché mi sembra il centro del mondo.