Make sure to head to Park Avenue on Sunday, October 1st, from noon until 4:00 PM to join in the joy, the festivities, and the celebration of Harlem. The event will be from 125th Street, all the way down to 111th Streets.
Activities, food, music, giveaways, information, and so much more.
Starting today – Sunday, September 24th -the MTA will initiate a free bus pilot program on five routes, each representing one of the five boroughs, and in Manhattan, travel on the M116 bus line is free.
This initiative is a pilot program created by the MTA and is expected to run between six months and one year. Following this evaluation period, both the Governor and the State government will convene to discuss the program’s results and its future.
Last month, Amsterdam News had a great article on how Uptown Grand Central is using $20,000 from the Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, to fund clean-up around the Metro-North station and Northern East Harlem as a whole.
“As part of our comprehensive gun violence strategy, we are focused on prevention efforts to keep young people engaged through meaningful programming, and Uptown Grand Central is an exemplary model of how this approach can make a significant impact.
– Manhattan DA, Alvin Bragg
The grant is to beautify shooting “hotspots” and provide employment for community members – serving as an alternative approach to preventing gun violence prevention.
Uptown Grand Central stems from efforts by local businessowners to bring back the commerce lost in East Harlem due to unkempt streets. Initially, the consortium—known as the New Harlem East Merchants Association (NHEMA)—contracted with outside clean-up crews. But in 2016, they launched the Uptown Grand Central team, which is easily identifiable by the bright yellow garbage bags that workers carry. The area outside the Metro-North station now comes alive through a weekly farmers market, wide-scale murals, and colorful overhead lights.
“It’s great to be able to make a good, decent amount of money at $20 an hour rather than $15,” said worker Allen Rogers. “I don’t know how people feed their family and put a smile on every day to go out there. I’m happy to be just picking up trash and cleaning your neighborhood and my neighborhood for $20 an hour.”
A few images from the intersection of Lenox and 116th Street. The first (above) shows the south facing view today.
Below shows the same view from 1901 and the construction of what is now the 2/3 subway line:
Looking northward, today’s view shows a building the is now a charter school on the north-west corner:
While the Google Street view (above) shows the space abandoned (before the charter school move in), the image below shows that in mid-century Harlem it was the home to a supermarket.
As Seen In Harlem
Uptown Grand Central lights up, under the Metro North Tracks.
“The overhead lights in the back of a public plaza in East Harlem, mounted on a rusty viaduct that supports the Metro-North Railroad, were not working. And Carey King was panicking.
Ms. King, who runs the plaza as the director of Uptown Grand Central, a nonprofit group formed by local merchants, was getting ready to reopen that section in the spring of 2021 after two years of construction to make it nicer. It was so dark that neighbors stayed away. Drug addicts shot up in the shadows and others found hidden corners to urinate and defecate.
When Ms. King tried to get the lights turned on, the Metro-North Railroad, which is operated by the state, said they were not its lights. She went to the city’s Department of Transportation, only to be told to check with Metro-North. After months of going back and forth with different agencies, she finally got city transportation officials to take ownership of the lights.
‘It’s a bad joke: How long does it take to change a light bulb?’ Ms. King said.”
There’s just a little while longer to enjoy the Winter Lights that are glowing here along East 125th Street.
Our trees are lighting even more blocks than ever before, from Fifth to Second avenues. We’re grateful as always to local small business Urban Garden Center for the many weeks they spend to bring you the holiday magic.
The lights will be up through the end of February — adding not only festive cheer, but extra shine and safety on the sidewalks on these dark winter nights.
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 location on Lenox Ave. is now the Mother Hale Bus Depot.
PIX11 Report on East Harlem’s Clean Team
The nonprofit group Positive Workforce joined forces with Uptown Grand Central three years ago. It has been a job-training center in the community for 30 years.
The city has recently added funding and resources to bring on 30 workers. It’s part of Mayor Eric Adams’ “Get Stuff Clean” program.
“It’s making a big difference. People take notice and are getting on board. The lighting is up. They see people getting involved and they get involved,” said Ruben Thomas with Positive Workforce.
The Harlem Night Market is back this holiday season! So mark your calendar for three weekends of fun, food & winter shopping at the historic La Marqueta.
Come through to support local entrepreneurs and go home with some of the best eats, drinks & gifts in the neighborhood.
There’ll be plenty of family fun — including visits with Santa, a bounce house and 360-degree photo booth. On December 10, take a trolley from the market to El Museo del Barrio for their new exhibits and Coqui Club kids parranda. On December 17, hop the trolley to our pop-up ice skating rink at Uptown Grand Central’s community plaza at 125th Street.
Make sure to join the Tuesday, November 8th, HNBA monthly meeting at 7:00 PM. We’ve invited the Executive Director of OnPoint – the organization that runs the safe injection site on East 126th Street near Lexington. This injection site has been in operation for almost a year, and this is your chance to learn what they do, who they serve, and to offer your thoughts on how this site has impacted our community.
Tune in, ask questions, and offer your insight.
Topic: HNBA Meeting
Time: Nov 8, 2022 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
This morning WNYC and Gothamist reported on the amazing work that Uptown Grand Central and the clean-up crew do to keep the East 125th Street corridor clean and vibrant. Carey King is quoted at length, as is Jason McDavid who cleans and supervises much of the cleaning activity that works under and around the 125th Street Metro North station
Jason McDavid cleans the city streets near the Metro North station on 125th Street in East Harlem.SAMANTHA MAX / GOTHAMIST
Whenever you see the men and women working to keep our community clean and safe, make sure to thank them for their work.
To read the full article, and learn how threatened this clean-up program is (from funds running out):
a team of street cleaners works 40 hours a week filling yellow garbage bags with discarded coffee cups, cigarette butts, and dirty needles.
The clean-up crew use proper sharps disposal protocols and never place needles/sharps/syringes in common plastic bags. Remember, if you see a sharp on the ground, use your phone and call or text 311.
Uptown Grand Central does it again. Another great mural on E. 124, between Madison and Park.
Allison Ruiz and BC1 created this mural of the mambo king Tito Puente.
Uptown Grand Central’s Grandscale Mural Project is located on 125th & 124th streets from Third to Madison, and along Third, Lexington and Park avenues.
Hashtag #GrandscaleMuralProject.
From Nikoa Evans
HNBA’s September Meeting (next week)
Next week – September 13th (Tuesday) at 6:00 – the Harlem Neighborhood Block Association (and yes, you are a member simply by virtue of reading this!) will gather at East 129th Street and 5th Avenue (southeast corner) to celebrate the unveiling of Ann Petry Place.
Our gathering will include Manhattan Borough President, Mark Levine, the Chair of Community Board 11, and the Chair of Uptown Grand Central.
After presenting Liz Petry (Ann’s surviving daughter) with a copy of the street sign that will be unveiled tomorrow, The Harlem Rose Garden (next to Ann Petry’s former apartment building) will open and present a musical selection for all to enjoy.
Come out and meet new (and vintage) HNBA members as we gather outdoors, together.
Wanna talk trash with us? The NYC Department of Sanitation will roll with resources for a community cleanup this Saturday, July 30, from 12-2 p.m.
DSNY will bring their van full of brooms, trashcans and trash-pickers — and we’ll have the chance to not only pitch in, but talk trashcans and basket collection with Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala. Plus learn about needle pickup & the new needle pickup hotline (718-415-3708) with the New York Harm Reduction Educators (NYHRE).
Join Mattaya and the Hi-ARTS community on August 5, 2022 from 12-3 pm for the Reveal and Celebration of Musa as well as a Planting Workshop with artist Tasha Dougé.
This July we welcomed Mattaya Fitts as our inaugural ONE WALL MOVEMENT muralist. All month she worked on Musa,a mural that now adorns Cherry Tree Park in Harlem, NY. Free & open to the public. Just show up!
Musa Reveal & Celebration August 5, 12-3 pm
Planting Workshop with Tasha Dougé 1:30-3 pm
A creative planting and community intention setting exercise curated by Tasha Dougé. Tasha Dougé is a Bronx-based, Haitian-infused artist, artivist and cultural vigilante. Her body of work activates conversations around women empowerment, health advocacy, sexual education, societal “norms,” identity and Black community pride.
Workshop capacity is limited to 20 participants. No registration necessary.
Free & open to the public. Just show up!
“At a time when much feels heavy and uncertain, I am interested in conveying themes of personal growth, rest, joy, and transformation. This mural addresses self-care as an extension of community care.” — @mattayafitts
