Welcome to Harlem’s Newsletter
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Manhattanhenge Returns
Wednesday, July 12 and Thursday, July 13 Manhattanhenge is back. Find a spot on Harlem’s east-west grid to catch the view. Manna’s Grand Opening
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Harlem Church, At Night
A photo of the church at 127/5th Avenue at dusk.
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Sidewalk Sheds
The Department of Buildings keeps a record on sidewalk sheds and provides a great map to look at them. Central Harlem currently has 249 sidewalk sheds, whereas East Harlem has 202. Mapped, the data shows that they are, pretty much, everywhere: And, if you filter for 5 years or older! Here’s the map you get:…
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Harlem and East Harlem Addiction Rates Decreasing
(Relative to New York City’s Average Rate) As New York City’s overdose rate skyrockets, Harlem and East Harlem’s relative position in the city-wide increase is decreasing. Note the thick red lines in the visualization above – they indicate that our share of the city’s addiction crisis is decreasing (even if the actual numbers are increasing…
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Shoe Polish II
Back in April 2021 I posted this: If you’ve walked north on Madison from 125th Street you might have seen the faded ad on the side of an east-side building: Looking carefully, you’ll see it’s an ad for shoe polish. The brand of which I can’t make out: Shoe Polish Improves your Appearance Shoe Polish…
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Dawoud Bey in Seattle
The photographer Dawoud Bey was recently featured in a photo exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum. One of his works on display is likely familiar to most Harlem residents: The work is centered on a vacant lot on 125th Street and 5th Avenue (south-east corner) that has been vacant for decades now. As you can…
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Lasik? That’s from Harlem
The procedure known as Lasik Eye Surgery was developed and patented by the ophthalmologist Dr. Patricia Bath, who was born in Harlem in 1942. Bath was the first African American woman doctor to receive a patent for a medical purpose and was also the founder of the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness in…
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Randall’s, Ward’s, and Sunken
In 1885, there was Randall’s Island, Ward’s Island, and Sunken Medows, all separated by channels joining the Halrem and East Rivers with Hell Gate and Long Island Sound: The map, for sale on Ebay, shows fascinating details on buildings, orchards, groves, and marshes that are no more: Midnight In Harlem Another white rock group with…
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Church to Church+Hotel
74 West 126th Street (just behind Red Rooster) has been a Lutheran church since this part of Harlem was Scandinavian. Word is that the property has been reimagined (including the vacant lot), and a hotel will be built above a new church. The church will have a brand-new sanctuary and two floors of space. The…
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Ginjan Cafe in Brooklyn
The New Yorker mentions East Harlem’s Ginjan Cafe has expanded to Brooklyn in an African food in Brooklyn review: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/05/22/west-african-suya-akara-and-more-in-brooklyn Half a mile north, at Ginjan Café (333 Nostrand Ave.; $10-$20), a new Bed-Stuy outpost of a Harlem spot opened by two Guinean brothers, you can further explore West African beverages, plus an astonishing array…
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Democratic City Council Primary Winner, Yusef Salaam Talks To Spectrum News
Erica Brosnan interviews the winner of this week’s city council primary for Harlem, Yusef Salaam: With a potential victory in Harlem’s 9th District in the City Council on the horizon, Yusef Salaam, a political novice and member of the Exonerated Five, is expressing gratitude for the support he received throughout his campaign. “As I walked…
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Offices and Hotels
The map of office buildings (3 stories or more, tall) is fairly expected: There is a line up Broadway, an intermittent line along 116th Street, and a denser line along 125th street. (If you know the Bronx, you can likely identify “The Hub”, as well.) Below, zooming into Harlem to look at commercial buildings, you…
