Author: Harlem Shill
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The Hidden Racism of Our Tax Code
I know we’ve been given a month’s reprieve for filing this year, but I thought that on this day I’d recommend listening to this fascinating and convincing examination of how consciously and unconsciously the US tax system favors wealthier and whiter communities and overburden’s communities of color: The Hidden Racism of Taxes A professor of…
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Dutch New Haarlem
A 19th century sketch map of the Dutch colonial settlement of New Haarlem shows a number of interesting features. Notice how the streets are oriented to true north/south, not on a ‘Manhattan-esque’ angle as they are now (based on The Commissioner’s Plan). Also, New Haarlem was centered around 122 and 2nd Avenue, not west along…
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Drug Arrests
Vice has a fascinating look at how drug arrests have plummeted in the decade from 2009 to 2019: https://www.vice.com/en/article/dy8k97/how-new-york-quietly-ended-its-street-drug-war Just this visualization (below), showing the massive drop in the number of NYC drug arrests in 2009 to 2019 (red line) and the number of drug convictions from 2009 to 2019 (white line) is stunning: The…
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Numbers of Opioid Commuters
The map below shows not only which zip codes are the home zip codes of men and women who commute into Harlem and East Harlem for opioid treatment, but the numbers of them. The darker the green, the more residents of that zip code commute into our community (typically daily) for their treatment. Hover over…
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1930’s New York
A fascinating film that shows the West Side Highway and Riverside Drive, still under construction with freight trains next to cars. Also note the George Washington Bridge with only one level. Our view of pre-WW2 New York is so often a black and white view, that it’s somewhat disorienting to see the 1930s in color.…
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Spring Clean-Up, Today!
Got the itch to do some spring cleaning? Then meet up with Uptown Grand Central TODAY to spring clean on a massive scale. TODAY Saturday, April 10, marks the kick-off of Uptown’s spring cleaning season, with the first of our warm-weather community clean-ups along the East 125th Street corridor. We’re glad to be doing it in partnership with the Sanitation Foundation (who,…
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Got the Itch?
Got the itch to do some spring cleaning? Then meet up with Uptown Grand Central this weekend to spring clean on a massive scale. This Saturday, April 10, marks the kick-off of Uptown’s spring cleaning season, with the first of our warm-weather community clean-ups along the East 125th Street corridor. We’re glad to be doing it in partnership with the Sanitation…
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A Man Is Known By the Candy He Sends
A commercial postcard came across my radar recently. Shuylers Candy Store was located at 150 West 125th Street where the Adam Clayton Powell State Building now stands. Note the rounded glass display cases. America Day Nursery This postcard from East Harlem – 354 East 121st Street – shows a day nursery with a somewhat teetering…
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Manhattan Borough President’s Harlem Forum Tonight
Join the Greater Harlem Coalition in a forum for Manhattan Borough President candidates, focused on Harlem issues and concerns: https://fordham.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7Mv7N2a1SA-S2fPY_KvokA Saturday: Graffiti Cleanup Day Wanted to invite you to Saturday’s Graffiti Clean-up. (See the flyer below). As a reminder, we are offering our youth community service hours for participating. I will need names for those…
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The Ferry from Harlem to Coney Island
A recent item from a larger steamboat ephemera collection caught my eye. A ticket (punched, therefore used) for travel from Harlem to Coney Island. Note that the ticket uses N.R. (North River) rather than Hudson River – North River was a more common term, used in the 19th century. The interesting name “Iron Steamboat Co”…
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Harlem Supertall
Imagine if Harlem had supertalls, the way that 57th Street has. The view, for example, for those who could afford it, would be amazing: For more on tall, tall, tall buildings, check out the Museum of the Skyscraper: https://old.skyscraper.org/EXHIBITIONS/permanent.htm down in Battery Park. The exhibit on building height, contextualizes NYC in the context of ambitious…
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An Easter Card
Ebay had an Easter card on offer from Harlem. Note the address, 2214 3rd Avenue. Today, the former J. Bruns “Harlem Candy Kitchen” location is the site of a City Fresh Market: Here is the link, and an image of the card: https://www.ebay.com/itm/164732743526?ul_noapp=true Maria Granville Featured Maria Granville was featured in a piece on the…
