Category: Culture
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Signs Seen Around The Neighborhood
These signs speak for themselves. And to sum it all up, a great list from Astor Row: Events at the Harlem Rose Garden The Harlem Rose Garden (East 129th Street at 5th Avenue) is hosting a number of events in October. Garden members thought it would be a great idea to host a series of…
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Harlem Quilts Project
“The Harlem Quilts” series stems from the idea that quilts were displayed and used as code to mark the escape routes for the Underground Railroad. Curated by Eileen Jeng-Lynch, Art Off-Screen is an international exhibition of artwork placed in outdoor locations so that the work can viewed by the community. Art off-screen provides access to art…
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Enroll in the Rat Academy (yes, it’s a thing)
You have likely heard (and perhaps seen) that rats have made a comeback in the COVID era. With so many restaurants closed, or open in a reduced presence, rats have had to head toward residential garbage for their food needs. In New York City, property owners are required (PDF) to keep their properties rat-free and address conditions…
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Black Parade Harlem
A great video with amazing production values and choreography is out from HarlemParade.org Harlem Parade notes that: The Harlem Parade initiative launched via HARLEMPARADE.ORG on September 17, 2020 with an innovative protest art video – Black Parade Harlem. Led by Harlem native and principal dancer for Beyoncé, Dnay Baptiste, and Founder and Creative Director that produce unique content and event…
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Nieuwe Haarlem > Lancaster > Harlem
Harlem has, since the Dutch settlement of Manhattan, been known by 3 names. Nieuwe Haarlem, Lancaster, and Harlem. The name Lancaster was imposed (unsuccessfully) by Richard Nicholls, the governor of New York, in 1666, during the brief period between May 1688 and April 1689, during which New York was part of the Dominion of New…
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WTF Should I Do?
Living in a blue corner of a reliably blue state can be frustrating when looking at the electoral college system which rewards states that seem to have more cows than people. DemCast is a great outlet for the “WTF can I do?” question that bedevils many of us who would like to engage in this…
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National Black Theater Drills Down
Walking past the National Black Theater the other day led me to take a photo of the drilling crew. This kind of activity typically means the property is going to change hands or be refinanced (the purchaser or the lender will want to evaluate the potential buildable height and if there are any restrictions on…
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CB11 Full Board Meeting
Tonight CB11 will have a full board meeting and discuss budget priorities. Harlem Neighborhood Block Association is asking for two things to be highlighted in the budgetary report including: We are requesting a City Council analysis of the distribution of addiction programs throughout the five boroughs, with a mandate to recommend how the rebalancing of…
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Elections and Population Density
With the 2020 elections fast approaching, I wanted to share a fantastic visualization that shows population density. The map is fascinating and allows you to really get a sense of major metropolitan areas and the vast (population) deserts that separate them: In the illustration above you see us, in New York, and the tail of…
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Piano – Free if you pick it up!
Robert is offering a piano for free if you are willing to pick it up and take it home. It’s a Story & Clark. It needs tuning and some repairs. Please email: pgreen5.rg at Gmail if you’re interested. Preparing for the 2nd Wave The data regarding the impact of COVID-19 continues to be terrifying. The…
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New BLM Mural for Lydia’s Magic Garden
Lydia’s Magic Garden (Park Avenue, east side, between 117/118th Streets has a new crocheted mural: Project as described by one of the children (Sulaf): “Our crochet class started in the middle of the nation’s grieving for George Floyd and other innocent victims of racially charged police murders. So when we were deciding what project we…
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Chester Himes
After reading a collection of Chester Himes’ short stories and having previously read most of his novels, I was intrigued to watch the film Come Back Charleston Blue. Come Back, Charleston Blue is a 1972 comedy film starring Godfrey Cambridge and Raymond St. Jacques, and is based on Chester Himes’ novel The Heat’s On. It…