Category: Harlemscape
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Edward Hopper and Harlem
The Whitney Museum has opened an exhibition of the work of Edward Hopper – the famed mid-century American artist who created a number of iconic images of the alienation in urban life. Hopper also created a two-page drawing of the Macombs Dam Bridge (155th Street) that now connects Sugar Hill to Yankee Stadium. In the…
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Storefronts
Harlem, 1930’s. Storefronts that may be on a street (not an avenue), given the strong noontime shadows. Note the postman with cap, in short sleeves: Resolve to Start 2023 By Joining Your Community The Office of Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine has announced the opening of the 2023 Manhattan Community Board application period. Applications are…
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Africans in Harlem
A new book – Africans in Harlem – by is highlighted in an interview with the City College of New York professor and author, Boukary Sawadogo on France 24: The book focuses on the experience of immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa. Boukary Sawadogo, associate professor of cinema studies at the City University of New York, explains that three…
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Radio
In the photo below, a group of men listen to a radio, mounted on a box. Their semicircular gathering allows the camera to take in a vignette with the central object (the radio) in full view – all of which suggests a staged photograph. The image was taken in the 1930s during the depression. This…
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Two Women
This photo of a Harlem Street scene has almost no clues to where it was taken. The only thing I can speculate on is that the photograph likely shows the south side of a street, as the reflection in the storefront window indicates that only one of the many windows across the street has a…
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The M35
Depending on how long you’ve lived in Harlem, you may remember different iterations of bus access to Randall’s or Wards’ Island. Here are the 3 (former) ways to get to the island by MTA bus: Today, with less than 200 people riding it per day on average, here’s the route: The Business Side of Sylvia’s…
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Woman Walking
Another photo from the 1930s with a woman walking past a series of shops. This image is from the 1930s and is taken on 8th Avenu (Frederick Douglass Blvd.) at 143rd Street. The clothing store advertises men’s suits and has everything from hats to shoes on display. Note the hostile white man (a shopkeeper?) peering…
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Christmas Sleighing in Harlem
Sleigh riding on Harlem River Drive, under the Highbridge, headed south. The text is, as follows: The New York Speedway, which was built and is maintained exclusively for the trotting horse, is bordered by the Harlem River on one side and a major bluff on the other, which shuts out the wind. It could hardly…
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Growing Kale in a Shipping Container
CBS reports on Harlem Grown – an organization that seeks to harvest fresh food for families facing hard times. The 11 year old organization is trying an experimental farm in a shipping container, here in Harlem https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/harlem-grown-shipping-container-grow-house/ “The average head of lettuce in the U.S. is traveling 2,500, 3,000 miles. This one’s traveling 25 feet,”…
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NYC’s Neighborhoods
In November, NYC released an updated map of neighborhoods, and while there is not likely anything too controversial in the designations, the generational shift from “West Harlem” to Morningside Heights, Manhattanville, Hamilton Heights, and Sugar Hill, is evident. To see the full map, click HERE. Roadtrip! Amazon’s Prime Video has announced season 2 of Harlem…
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Spatial Equality NYC – The Wild News
The truly off the charts… Spacial Equality NYC provides an easy-to-use online tool to explore how our community compares to the rest of NYC in a wide range of environmental, health, and infrastructure concerns. Here are the areas in which Harlem is doing better than the city’s average(s): Our bus speeds are horrible. The MTA…
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Spatial Equality NYC – The Bad News
Unfortunately… Spacial Equality NYC provides an easy-to-use online tool to explore how our community compares to the rest of NYC in a wide range of environmental, health, and infrastructure concerns. Here are the areas in which Harlem is doing better than the city’s average(s) Harlem has a lot of traffic, and it’s worse than the…
