Some of us will be checking out the Common Ground Festival today in Morningside Park, but then a week later its time to head over to the Harlem Harvest Festival on October 6, which I believe its in its third or fourth year. The Festival starts at 116th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue. See details below and read last year’s blog post on the Harlem Harvest Festival.
“Growing Up Gonzales,” the dramatic comedy which had a successful run at the Jan Hus Playhouse on East 74th Street, is coming to East Harlem. It’s a one-man play “about a Nuyorican family in the 1970s, is part stand-up, part melodrama and part cultural tourism.”
Previews of ”Growing Up Gonzales” run from October 18-21 at The Poets Den Theater in East Harlem and then a few days later the official show begins October 25. The Poets Den Theater is located at 309 East 108th Street between First and Second Avenue. Click here to buy tickets.
And if you’re interested in contributing to the community play, the production of “Growing Up Gonzales” started a campaign on Indiegogo to cover some production costs with launching the show in East Harlem. All levels of contribution are welcome from as low as one dollar up to several hundreds of dollars. Go to Indiegogo.com to learn more.
Around this time last year, I blogged that Busboys and Poets’ plans to open in Harlem at 2280 Frederick Douglass went bust. Ironically, I am now blogging about them same time, but a year later, asking: is there still a possibility that Busboys and Poets could open in Harlem? According to a recent article in The Washington Post, there is a smidgen of hope. Andy Shallal, the owner of the Washington, DC eatery and longtime activist, recently told the Post that “he has been courted to put a Busboys in a proposed National Jazz Museum near the Apollo Theater…” How cool would that be if Busboys and Poets opened in Harlem on 125th Street?
Shallal tried landing the retail space at 2280 Frederick Douglass a little over a year ago, but something happened and the deal went south. I wonder if the developer of 2280 FDB is having any regrets now on not cutting a deal with Shallal, especially given all the enormous/positive press coverage Central Harlem has been receiving over the months? The most recent praising news clip comes from The Wall Street Journal.
In my view, the developer of 2280 FDB totally lost out by not scoring something with Busboys and Poets in their commercial space. As the WSJ said, there’s a restaurant boom happening in Harlem. With this recent article in the Post, there’s hope the folks behind the National Jazz Museum could pick up where 2280 FDB left off and seal the deal with Shallal. Let’s all hope so! I think Busboys and Poets is a perfect fit in Harlem!
Posted in 125th Street, art and culture, Bars, business, commercial real estate, food, Frederick Douglass Blvd., Harlem, jazz, New York, New York City, NYC, restaurant row, restaurants
Tagged 2280 Frederick Douglass Blvd., Anas "Andy" Shallal, bookstores, Busboys and Poets, commercial real estate, community, dining, eating out, Harlem, HarlemGal, National Jazz Museum in Harlem, new restaurants, restaurant row, social justice and peace, The Washington Post
Get out your mouse pads folks! Harlem School of the Arts needs your clicks/votes pronto to win $25k in the Pepsi Refresh. The soft drink and snacks company is giving out mucho dinero to those with the best ideas in several categories. Harlem School of the Arts is competing in the Communities category.
How can you help? Go online here to learn why Harlem School of the Arts is competing. Using the same link, you can either register to vote through Pepsi or use your own Facebook account. Voters can also use their smart phone to vote by texting: 109529 to Pepsi!
According to the website there is about 13 hours left to vote! That is dog years on the online community so we have plenty of time to help out Harlem School of the Arts! Let’s go help them win!
Posted in art and culture, Community, education, Harlem, music, New York, New York City, NYC
Tagged arts and culture, community, education, Harlem, Harlem School of the Arts, Pepsi Refresh
UPDATE: The Friends of Morningside Park have decided to reschedule the festival for a date in October. As soon as the rain date is available, we will pass along.
The Friends of Morningside Park are holding its Common Ground Family Festival this Saturday, September 24th from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The Festival will include kite making and decorating, Belly Dancing Ensemble, Peter Westbrook Foundation Fencing Demonstration, Johns Magic-Magician, The Legendary Paragons singing Doo Wop, Harlem Farm Fresh CSA, face painting, scavenger hunt, pony rides and much, much more!
And the best part, music will be provided by DJ Stormin Norman of the popular Harlem gathering called Sundae Sermon. Stop by Morningside Park at the 114th Street Stage and 117th Street Playground this Saturday to check out all the activities for Common Ground Family Festival.
The dedication of the Frederick Douglass Circle, located at the intersection West 110th Street and FDB, is definitely on for next week, September 20, starting at 11 a.m. and HarlemGal Inc. has the scoop on some of the agenda.
Actor and Tony Award-nominee Andre De Shields will perform and channel Frederick Douglass in front of all the guests and dignitaries. De Shields is well-known for this and performed as Frederick Douglass in 2009. See video below.
Impact Repertory Theatre and Harlem School of the Arts will give performances. And a direct descendent of Frederick Douglass will be present and either acknowledged or part of the speaking agenda.
So far, there’s no word on whether Mayor Bloomberg will be on hand for the dedication. However, there will be several local representatives in attendance.
Not too bad of an agenda to start! Now that we have a sneak peek of the Frederick Douglass Circle Dedication, the next question is are you attending? Chime in if you plan on attending this event!
To read complete blog coverage on Frederick Douglass Circle, click here!
Posted in art and culture, Community, education, Events, Frederick Douglass Blvd., Frederick Douglass Circle, Harlem, history, New York, New York City, NYC
Tagged 10026, 110th Street, actor, Adrian Benepe, Andre De Shields, art and culture, Central Park North, community, Frederick Douglass, Frederick Douglass Circle, Harlem, Harlem School of the Arts, history and tagged cathedral parkway, Impact Repertory Theatre, Manhattan Parks Commission, Mayor Bloomberg, Patricia E Harris
HarlemGal Inc’s photostream on Flickr.
Harlem Week 2011 kicked off today, July 31, with much success. There were plenty of New Yorker’s in attendance who wanted to partake in this years theme, “A New York State of Mind.” I certainly did and enjoyed the kick off celebration very much. I checked out all the street vendors and camped out at the Macy’s Food Truck, which was featuring free food by Marcus Samuelsson.
If you were not able to check out Harlem Week 2011 kick off today, do not worry. There is a month full of activities planned for August. For additional details, go to Harlem Week’s website.
Posted in art and culture, baking, business, Community, education, entertainment, Events, Free!, Harlem, New York, New York City, NYC, Red Rooster Harlem, restaurants, shopping, spending
Tagged 310 Lenox Avenue, ABC, America's Next Iron Chef, Autism Speaks and City Harvest. Olives, bloggers, Charity, Check Please, Citymeals-on-Wheels, community, cooking, Cooking Class, cooking demo, Cookware, Culinary Council, Donate, Event, Family, Feeding America, foodie, FOX, free, Free Food, Good Causes, Great Food Truck Race, Harlem, Harlem Week, HGTV, Homeless, Hungry, Iron Chef, Isabelle's CurlyCakesPlaza Food Hall, James Beard, kitchen aid, Macy's, marcus samuelsson, Men with Heart, NBC, new york city, news, P.U.B. Celebrity, PBS, recipe, Red Rooster, Restaurant, Retail, Sales, shopping, the Boys and Girls Clubs, Todd English, Top Chef, Top Chef Masters, twitter, Volunteers of America, Zagat Restaurant Guide
Macy’s Culinary Council Hits the Road in Harlem today! Chef Marcus Samuelsson will be on board the Macy’s Food Truck cooking and serving catfish sandwiches with fried caper slaw and sweet potato fries! Below are the details:
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Noon-4:00PM
W. 126th St. & Riverside Dr.
Posted in Harlem
Tagged 310 Lenox Avenue, ABC, America's Next Iron Chef, Autism Speaks and City Harvest. Olives, bloggers, Charity, Check Please, Citymeals-on-Wheels, community, cookbook, cooking, Cooking Class, cooking demo, Cookware, culinary, Culinary Council, Donate, Event, Family, Feeding America, foodie, FOX, free, Free Food, Good Causes, Great Food Truck Race, Harlem, HGTV, Homeless, Hungry, Iron Chef, Isabelle's CurlyCakesPlaza Food Hall, James Beard, kitchen aid, Macy's, marcus samuelsson, Men with Heart, NBC, new york city, news, P.U.B. Celebrity, PBS, recipe, Red Rooster, Restaurant, Retail, Sales, shopping, the Boys and Girls Clubs, Todd English, Top Chef, Top Chef Masters, twitter, Volunteers of America, Zagat Restaurant Guide
There are three Harlem must dos I am recommending for this weekend. Try them out and let me know what you think!
On Friday, July 29, swing by Lido Italian Restaurant and Bar. Their sidewalk seating is in full swing. They have plenty of tables outside for Harlemites to sit and dine on. While you’re there, check out some of their summer cocktails. Here are three to consider!
Try Serena’s Sangria. It is made with a white wine base, passion fruit, sliced plums, and Spanish brandy. It’s hard to drink just one. Try the pitcher for $25.
Next, Lido Lemonade with lemon juice, vodka, and Licor 43 infused with thyme. The glass is garnished with a sprig of thyme.And if you need a carbonated fix, try Fiore Spumante (Italian for Sparkling Flower). It’s gin and St Germaine with champagne and a raspberry to garnish. Also, Lido is now open Mondays and offering
$14 prix fix lunch with free wifi and complimentary iced coffee or tea!
On Saturday, July 31, head on over to Urban Garden Center in Spanish Harlem. They have a sale! They are offering 30 percent off on all in stock inventory. It ends on July 31 so drop by 116th and Park Avenue, take advantage of the sale and say hi to Dimitri, chief designer at Urban Garden Center!
And on July 31, spend Sunday afternoon with Marcus Samuelsson and the Macy’s Food Truck. Macy’s Food Truck is parking itself on 126th Street and Riverside Drive with our fellow Harlemite during Harlem Week. From noon to 4:00 p.m., Red Rooster Harlem owner and Chef Marcus Samuelsson will be on board cooking and serving catfish sandwiches with fried caper slaw and sweet potato fries!
There ya have it! Weekend Harlem must dos!
Posted in Bars, business, Community, education, entertainment, Events, Frederick Douglass Blvd., Harlem, New York, New York City, NYC, Red Rooster Harlem, restaurant row, restaurants, shopping, spending
Tagged 10026, 10029, 2168 Frederick Douglass Blvd., 310 Lenox Avenue, ABC, America's Next Iron Chef, Autism Speaks and City Harvest. Olives, bloggers, Charity, Check Please, Citymeals-on-Wheels, community, cookbook, cooking, Cooking Class, cooking demo, Cookware, culinary, Culinary Council, Donate, East 116th street, Event, Family, Feeding America, foodie, FOX, free, Free Food, Good Causes, Great Food Truck Race, Green Market, Harlem, HGTV, Homeless, Hungry, Iron Chef, Isabelle's CurlyCakesPlaza Food Hall, James Beard, kitchen aid, La Marqueta, Lido Italian Restaurant and Bar, Macy's, marcus samuelsson, Men with Heart, NBC, new york city, news, P.U.B. Celebrity, PBS, recipe, Red Rooster, Restaurant, Retail, Sales, sidewalk seating, Spanish Harlem, Urban Garden Center
I have more details about Marcus Samuelsson’s July 31 participation in “Macy’s Chefs A-Go-Go,” a national food truck tour showcasing the Macy’s Culinary Council. The Macy’s Food Truck is rolling into upper Manhattan-126th Street and Riverside Drive to be exact-with our fellow Harlemite during Harlem Week, a month long celebration of the culture, arts, civil rights, politics, religion and community education. Perfect timing! Love it!
From noon to 4:00 p.m., Red Rooster Harlem owner and Chef Marcus Samuelsson will be on board at the Harlem stop, cooking his signature recipes and dishing them out for free! And guess what Marcus will be cooking? He will be serving catfish sandwiches with fried caper slaw and sweet potato fries! Yummy! That sounds delicious for lunch on Sunday, July 31.
If you have not tried Marcus Samuelsson’s cuisine, here is your opportunity! And the best ingredient in Marcus’ food that day, it’s FREE! See you at 126th and Riverside, July 31 at noon! Cheers!
Posted in art and culture, baking, business, Community, education, entertainment, Events, Free!, Harlem, health and wellness, New York, New York City, NYC, Red Rooster Harlem, restaurants
Tagged 310 Lenox Avenue, ABC, America's Next Iron Chef, Autism Speaks and City Harvest. Olives, bloggers, Charity, Check Please, Citymeals-on-Wheels, community, cookbook, cooking, Cooking Class, cooking demo, Cookware, culinary, Culinary Council, Donate, Event, Family, Feeding America, foodie, FOX, free, Free Food, Good Causes, Great Food Truck Race, Green Market, Harlem, HGTV, Homeless, Hungry, Iron Chef, Isabelle's CurlyCakesPlaza Food Hall, James Beard, kitchen aid, Macy's, marcus samuelsson, Men with Heart, NBC, new york city, news, P.U.B. Celebrity, PBS, recipe, Red Rooster, Restaurant, Retail, Sales, shopping, the Boys and Girls Clubs, Todd English, Top Chef, Top Chef Masters, twitter, Union Square, Volunteers of America, Zagat Restaurant Guide
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