Those arriving in Washington Heights for the first time are often surprised to hear splintering, cracking sounds in the distance, sounds which like breaking bones or the felling of ancient trees barely need to be identified to be recognized. “Oh yes,” we nod impassively, but then feel compelled to elaborate. “The shoreline is rocky and treacherous for those unfamiliar with its jagged contours, and what you hear is the slow wreckage of some poor soul who has strayed too close, perhaps after being caught in the terrible riptide of the Hudson. Such reminders of our fate — though you are right to presume that some are more literal than others — are pervasive in Washington Heights; to live here you must learn to appreciate this fundamental truth.”