Madrid on Sasha Katsnelson

Madrid's 21 Districts

Mon, 31 Jul 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Madrid’s got a similar structure to my former home, but the boroughs of New York are quite a bit larger than Madrid’s districts (there are only 5 vs. the 21 districts). Each of the Districts are broken up into Wards which are roughly equivalent to the various neighborhoods in New York e.g., Park Slope or the East Village.

Madrid’s Manhattan is made up of about 7 of these Districts. In this very rough map you’ll see the central districts 1 through 7 spiral out from Centro which is #1.

Legazpi, Madrid

Mon, 17 Apr 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Subway stops and plazas have been the most-used landmarks when I’ve asked for directions and one of the most important plazas in my neighborhood is Legazpi (also the name of the neighborhood centered around the plaza). It’s named for the Spanish explorer and politician who made Manilla the capital of the Philippines.

It’s located at the beginning of Chopera (which follows the North shore of the River Manzanares) and Delicias (connecting to the Atocha train station). Also, the Matadero entrance sits right on the plaza - it’s a converted slaughterhouse, now a cultural center - a bit reminiscent of the Highline, it helps me deal with my home-sickness! It’s also next to MadridRio - a wonderful river-side park for running, wandering around, or grabbing a beer.

Understanding Madrid

Fri, 03 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000

After more than a decade being spoiled by Manhattan’s highly organized and sensibly gridded streets, I’m trying to find my way around Madrid, my new home. Some long-time Madrileños have suggested a locations to orient my understanding of the city:

The neighborhoods here are as distinct in style, smell, and population as they are in New York - so I’ll be working through them starting with my home - Arganzuela
Getting to know the subway- most of the neighborhoods correspond to several subway stops (and unlike New York they’re named with little sense or reason) - and long-time residents tend to give directions relative to those stops and…