In the very late 1930s or very early 1940s, Billy Strayhorn wrote a jazz piece called “Take the ‘A’ Train” for Duke Ellington. (Link to the song below). It became the theme of the Ellington band for all eternity.
The ‘A’ train referred to, is, of course, the A Line of the New York City subway system. It runs from Inwood at 207th Street, all the way down to Rockaway Park on Long Island, during rush hours. It is also called the 8th Avenue Express.
Every Dominican who lives in New York City has probably been on the A Train. So have hundreds of millions of other folks. This is why Tourism Minister David Collado launched the “Subway to Paradise” campaign last week, a campaign that reaffirmed the very important connection between the Dominicans that live in the Big Apple and their island homeland.
The campaign features everything from A to Z regarding the Dominican experience. Food, music, and dance are all incorporated into the program that will be featured on the A Train until the end of the month.
One of the features is a tribute to the great Johnny Ventura and his legacy. With New York housing about a third of all overseas Dominicans, it is an important market for tourism, and half a million Dominicans from the New York area visited the country in 2025.
Read more:
Ministry of Tourism
El Dia
DR A Train promotional campaign
13 January 2026