Category Archives: 110th Street

It’s My Park Day May 18-19: Harlem parks participating, volunteers needed

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It’s My Park Day May 18-19 and several Harlem parks are participating.

The Friends of Frederick Douglass Circle are participating today (May 18) and they need our help. They will be weeding and planting annuals in the tree pits adjacent to Frederick Douglass Circle from 9 am to 3 pm.

The group will also be organizing arts and educational events for that day as well.

Interested in participating, meet at Frederick Douglass Circle, which is at 110th Street and FDB. And don’t forget to wear work clothes and bring your own gloves if able. Need more information about this location, contact (212) 280-7800 or email: diannepobuda@yahoo.com.

Also, several other Harlem parks are participating in It’s My Park Day today or tomorrow, such as Marcus Garvey Park and St. Nicholas Park. Go here for more details.

Yankee baseball player makes Harlem his home, Ichiro Suzuki catches 111 Central Park North

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Several news outlets are reporting that Ichiro Suzuki, an outfielder for the Yankees, hit a home run in the rental market by renting an apartment at 111 Central Park North in Harlem. According to SportsGrid.com, Suzuki “is on the cutting edge [by moving to Harlem]. Everyone in New York knows that Harlem is the new Williamsburg.”

8571977Curbed.com, The Real Deal and Business Insider all say that Suzuki is paying $23,500 a month for his new swanky pad that overlooks Central Park, not to mention he cut time off his commuting. Harlem is much closer to Yankee Stadium. The Yankee baseball player was living on the Upper Eastside prior to moving to Harlem.

The best part of this story is that the Japanese-born professional baseball player reportedly beat out Derek Jeter and A-Rod, who were considering buying the same place for a cool $9 million. Ahh, ya gotta love competition on and off the field!

Breadbox Studio in Harlem to host design event May 11

After I posted about the Harlem Focus event by Cooper-Hewitt, another design event happening in Harlem was sent in to share. On May 11, Harlem’s Breadbox Studio will be providing “a demonstration of Maker Bots and 3D Printing machines, and a talk by young TOY designers.” The event is free to the public and it starts at 6 pm.  BreadBox Studio is located at 1844 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd.

To learn more about the event, click here.

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Attend Harlem Focus May 8 by Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum

According to Dexigner, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum will launch a programming series this Spring called the Harlem Focus. The first installment is May 8 from 6:30 to 8 pm at their new Harlem location, 111 Central Park North and Lenox Avenue. Harlem Focus will highlight “designers, architects and artists whose work engages and affects the local Harlem community.”

The museum will feature a series of talks curated and led by architectural consultant and Harlem historian John Reddick at the Cooper-Hewitt Design Center.

Interested in attending? Tickets are $10 for non-members and free to members and students. Click here to purchase tickets.

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Support Changing Face of Harlem, film in final stretch of completion

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Changing Face of Harlem, a documentary about Harlem’s ongoing transformation told from the voices of longtime residents, business owners, politicians, developers, and clergy, is in the home stretch to complete the film. This month they have launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise $30,000 to meet final post-production costs. Post-production costs cover final sound mixing, edit, color correction, and costs of archival footage, graphics and music.

To help Changing Face of Harlem meet their goal, go here to donate. The campaign runs for the month of March.

Read prior posts here on Changing Face of Harlem.

The Fourth Annual Spring Harlem Restaurant and Retail Month starts February 15

Harlem Park to Park kicks off its fourth annual Spring Harlem Restaurant and Retail Month tomorrow (Feb 15) with an impressive list of restaurant and retail establishments in Central Harlem. With food options like Ristorante Settepani’s Braised Monkfish, and the Chicken and Red Velvet Waffles at 67 Orange Street; along with services that include a week’s worth of Unlimited Led Classes from Land Yoga, and the popular Men’s Razor Relief Treatment at Harlem Skin Clinic, Harlemites and visitors alike can experience a variety of options and opportunities to sample Harlem’s finest offerings from February 15 – 28.

Twenty businesses are participating, including:

Restaurants
67 Orange Street, Bleu Violin, Chez Lucien, Chocolat Restaurant and Lounge, Corner Social, Cove Lounge, Harlem Food Bar, Harlem Tavern, Lenox Coffee, Moca Lounge, Native Restaurant, Red Rooster Harlem, Ristorante Settepani, Sylvia’s/Sylvia’s Also Lounge

Retail Services
Brownstone Fitness, Doggedly Devoted, Franz James Floral Boutique, Harlem Flo – A Floral Boutique, Harlem Skin Clinic, Land Yoga

For more information about Spring Harlem Restaurant and Retail Month and a full list of offerings, visit Harlem Park to Park on Facebook or link below for prix fixe menus and retail/service items.
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Latest Manhattan Rental Market Report, how does Harlem make out?

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I came across an interesting clip from Brick Underground about renting or selling during the Winter months, which then lead me to a Manhattan rental report and from there I tripped over housing stats about Harlem. If you’re an owner of property in Harlem, you’ll enjoy this news. If you’re a person looking to rent in the Harlem area, this is info could be bad news for your endeavor.

According to the 2012 November issue of Manhattan Rental Market Report, “Harlem is the only neighborhood that saw increases,” which is unusual because during the cold season the real estate market typically slows down for both selling and renting; and numbers are flat. But not for renting in Harlem. The numbers are up, according to this report. Here are the Harlem stats:

Non-Doorman Studios (3.1%)
Doorman Studios (4.4%)
Non-Doorman One-Bedrooms (3.5%)
Doorman One-Bedrooms (2.6%)
Non-Doorman Two-Bedrooms (2.0%)
Doorman Two-Bedrooms (1.2%)

To learn more about the Manhattan Rental Market Report, go here.

Harlem’s Frederick Douglass Boulevard goes mainstreaming says NY Times

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Harlem’s restaurant row, aka Frederick Douglass Blvd between 110th and 125th Street, is back in the news again. The New York Times recently IMG_2762spoke with Leon Ellis, the owner of Moca Lounge, Chocolat Restaurant and Harlem Underground, about how this part of Harlem has gone through a complete transformation since he first opened Moca, which was back in 2003.  Ellis told the NY Times that his friends thought he was crazy for opening up a restaurant back then. Since 2003, Ellis has expanded his business presence in Harlem on FDB with Chocolat opening about two years ago and then Harlem Underground, a Harlem-themed clothing store.

The owners of bier international were also interviewed for the article and stressed that while this area is going mainstream, they emphasized “we need to find a balance and not forget what was here” in Harlem.

To read the full article, click here.

Listen up Harlem, go vote November 6


The big day is near. Tomorrow, November 6 is election day. It is time of us to go to the voting booths to cast our vote! If you’re a registered voter and not sure where to go to cast your ballot, use New York City’s Board of Elections (BOE) Polling Locator. It will tell you where to go by typing in your building number and street name. The BOE also has an app that will allow you to find your voting poll. Go here to download the app.

Most of us online have been expressing our political views for weeks. I know I have. The day is here where it’s now time for us to do the walk, not just talk. Get out and vote tomorrow! See you at the voting booth!

Sign says ‘no gas’ at Harlem gas station

On 110th Street and Frederick Douglass Blvd., did anyone notice the BP gas station on the northeast corner already has a sign up that says “no gas?” This particular gas station is always busy so not too surprised by this. It is where most taxi and/or gypsy cabs in the area fuel up. Hope this place is able to get gas soon. I’ve already experienced a cab telling me they can’t take me somewhere ’cause they have no gas! Has anyone else had this experience recently with a cab?

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