Category Archives: 116th Street

Harlem neighborhoods experience price jump in rental market

Posted on July 16, 2012 | Leave a comment

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According to RentJuice®, a Zillow® business and provider of lease marketing technology to thousands of real estate property managers and brokers, the uptown part of Manhattan, specifically Harlem neighborhoods, experienced a price jump in the rental sector of real estate. In a news release distributed today, it stated that “over the last quarter, the city’s average cost for space remained stable at $4.98 per square foot-exactly the same as at the close of the first quarter. The largest hike in price per square foot occurred uptown in Harlem. Neighborhoods such as Central Harlem, Harlem and Morningside all experienced 11 percent jumps in average price per square foot in the second quarter. Renters in Hamilton Heights, however, saw a five percent decrease in average price per square foot.”

To read the full news release, click here.

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Posted in 110th Street, 116th Street, 125th Street, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd., apartments, commercial real estate, Community, Frederick Douglass Blvd., Harlem, Lenox Avenue, New York, New York City, NYC, real estate

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Il Forno Pizza and Salad in Harlem aiming to open in two weeks

Posted on July 9, 2012 | Leave a comment

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Over the Fourth of July holiday, I caught up with Henock Kejela, the owner of Zoma Ethiopian Restaurant in Harlem and the soon to be Il Forno, a new pizza and salad place, that will be located at 135 West 116th Street, between FDB and ACP Blvd. Kejela told HarlemGal Inc that he is planning on opening his second eating establishment in Harlem in about two weeks. The main product at Il Forno will be fresh pizza made in a wood burning oven.

Kejela let us come inside to take pictures of the work in progress at Il Forno in Harlem. The pizza place is going to have a clean, crisp look. The walls and floors will be predominately white with subway tile on the side walls, and black and white circle tile for the floors. The only color in the place will be on the wood burning over, which was specially made in California and shipped to Harlem.

In my view, this pizza place will be well worth checking out when it opens. The Harlem community knows Kejela can deliver. Zoma, located on the southeast corner of FDB and 113th Street, has received outstanding reviews from the media and is one of the few dining establishments in Harlem that has a Michelin rating. With those kind of credentials, I can’t wait for Il Forno in Harlem to open! Stay tuned…

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Posted in 116th Street, business, food, Frederick Douglass Blvd., Harlem, Il Forno Pizza and Salad Harlem, restaurant row, restaurants, Zoma Ethiopian Restaurant

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Watch: Skateboarding in Harlem

Posted on July 4, 2012 | 2 comments


While I am not a big fan of skateboarding, watching this video of young kids skateboarding through Harlem gave me a new-found appreciation. These skateboarders in this video are very good. Some of the moves they perform on their board are incredible. Just watch.

The only downside to this video, these youngsters are not wearing any protective gear and they are skateboarding on the seating stones at the Frederick Douglass Circle. Ouch, that monument is new and I thought that was prohibited? I guess kids will be kids.

Overall, watch this video It’s fun and the music is wonderful! Happy Fourth of July. Enjoy!

ONLY Times – Skate Days from ONLY NY on Vimeo.

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Posted in 116th Street, 125th Street, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd., Community, Frederick Douglass Blvd., Frederick Douglass Circle, Harlem, health and wellness, kids, Lenox Avenue, music, New York, New York City, NYC

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100 free trees available May 6 through Urban Garden Center in Spanish Harlem

Posted on May 3, 2012 | Leave a comment


Spanish Harlem’s Urban Garden Center is turning one and they are celebrating in style by giving away that item which has furnished humanity with two of life’s essentials: food and oxygen. On Sunday, May 6, Urban Garden Center, in partnership with Million Trees NYC and New York Restoration Project, will be giving away 100 trees for free starting at 10 am.

To receive a free tree, register online here. Signing up with the form will ensure a tree of the species you chose and will be available between 10 am to noon on Sunday, May 6. Please note: trees will weigh between 25-50 pounds and are between 4’-10’ in height depending on species. Make the appropriate arrangements for the transportation of your tree before heading to Spanish Harlem.

And later on in the afternoon on May 6, Urban Garden Center will continue celebrating their one year anniversary with free food, refreshments, music, workshops and more. So stop on by!

Happy Birthday Urban Garden Center!

Urban Garden Center is located at 1640 Park Avenue @116 street. Free Parking available at 117th & Park Avenue and its only 1 block from 6 train or 3 blocks from 2/3 train.

Phone: 646-872-3991
Office: 646-672-0100 (Mon. to Friday 9-5)
E-Mail: Info@urbangardennyc.com

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Posted in 116th Street, Community, education, Events, food, Free!, Harlem, health and wellness, New York, New York City, NYC

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You’re invited to Food & Drink Boulevard in Harlem May 10

Posted on April 30, 2012 | Leave a comment

The Frederick Douglass Blvd Alliance based in Harlem came together this past January and already they are hard at work creating events for us Harlemites to enjoy and to help others. First on their to do is the Food & Drink Boulevard event taking place on May 10. On that evening patrons can enjoy $5 drinks and appetizers at several Harlem dining establishments by purchasing tickets for $10 in advance on Eventbrite.com. And proceeds made that evening, a portion of it will be donated to The Boys and Girls Club of Harlem. See you on May 10 along Frederick Douglass Blvd!

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Posted in 116th Street, 125th Street, 5 and Diamond Harlem, bier international, business, Cedric French Bistro and Bar Harlem, Chocolat, Community, drinks, entertainment, Events, food, Frederick Douglass Blvd., Harlem, Harlem Tavern, Lido Italian Restaurant and Bar, Melba's Restaurant Harlem, restaurant row, restaurants

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The Village of Harlem stars in NYC 22, watch Sunday evening April 15 on CBS

Posted on April 14, 2012 | 1 comment

Do you recognize the scenery in the photos above? If you live in Central Harlem, you should recognize the location. That is our Harlem in the background and its starring in a new television series called NYC 22. It was previously called The Rookie. I guess that name did not test well in focus groups.

NYC 22, which is a drama about a fictional police precinct in Harlem, is receiving a lot of press right now. Mainly because the TV show premieres this Sunday , April 15 on CBS, and it has huge names behind it, such as executive producers Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal. However, what is really interesting about NYC 22, and one of the many reasons why I plan to watch the show and hopefully you will too, is that it was created by a Harlemite. The creator is Richard Price, who lives in Harlem according to The New York Times. Price has resided in Harlem since 2008.

Price told the Times he “made the rapidly changing neighborhood of Harlem an important element of the show, drawing creative fuel from its churning mix of longtime residents and gentrifiers, families and hoodlums, cultural landmarks and upstart bistros.”

If you want to learn more about NYC 22, read the reviews in The Los Angeles Times and NY Times.

NYC 22 is on CBS, Sunday nights at 10 pm.

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Posted in 116th Street, art and culture, entertainment, film, Frederick Douglass Blvd., Harlem, New York, New York City, NYC, review

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See Harlem restaurant grades on NY Health Department Ratings Map

Posted on April 9, 2012 | 3 comments

If you were wondering how Harlem’s eating establishments make the grade with the New York Health Department, it’s all right here in a simplified ratings map. The New York Times just updated the page April 5. See how your favorite Harlem restaurants stacks up. I certainly did!

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Posted in 116th Street, 125th Street, 5 and Diamond Harlem, Bars, bier international, Cedric French Bistro and Bar Harlem, Chocolat, drinks, food, Frederick Douglass Blvd., Harlem, Harlem Tavern, Lenox Avenue, Lido Italian Restaurant and Bar, Melba's Restaurant Harlem, New York, New York City, NYC, Red Rooster Harlem, restaurant row, restaurants

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Harlem has another neighborhood association in The North Star

Posted on March 26, 2012 | 5 comments


Some Harlem residents have come together to create a new neighborhood association and it’s called the North Star Neighborhood Association. North Star is named after Frederick Douglass’s abolitionist newspaper, “The North Star,” and its mission will focus on the area of Harlem that also bares his name, Frederick Douglass Blvd. The exact area North Star plans to serve are along Frederick Douglass Boulevard from West 110th Street to West 124th Street, between Morningside Avenue and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard.

If you are interested in learning more about North Star click here or interested in participating, they are having their inaugural meeting Tuesday, March 27th at 7:30 PM at the Harlem PAL, located at 441 Manhattan Avenue near West 119th Street.

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Posted in 116th Street, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd., business, Community, education, Frederick Douglass Blvd., Harlem

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Harlem Classified: Vendors wanted for new flea market on Frederick Douglass Blvd

Posted on March 10, 2012 | 2 comments


If you’re interested in participating in Harlem’s new flea market called The Harlem Treasure Chest, see the classified above, which is also posted on Craigslist.

The Harlem Treasure Chest officially opened on March 4 on Harlem’s restaurant row, also known as Frederick Douglass Blvd. I visited last week and saw enormous potential in the space in terms of finding vintage items. I bought two items last week, which was a Mexican ceramic plate and a crystal candle holder. See photos below of my purchase.

And don’t forget The Harlem Treasure Chest is now open Saturday and Sunday starting at 8 a.m.

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Posted in 116th Street, Community, Frederick Douglass Blvd., Harlem, restaurant row, shopping, spending

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Top 50 things to do with kids in Harlem

Posted on March 5, 2012 | 1 comment

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According to Mommy Poppins, there is a boat load of fun and interesting activity to do in Harlem with kids! So much so that they have done the heavily lifting for us and compiled a list of the Top 50 Things to do with kids in Harlem!

The site mentions a ton of activity to do in Harlem from shaking your bon, bon at the Sundae Sermon in Morningside Park, which right now is happening at El Museo in Spanish Harlem until the weather warms up. They also mention participating in family concerts at Kidberry, taking family yoga classes at Land Yoga, watching concerts at Richard Rogers Amphitheater in Marcus Garvey Park, ice skating at Lasker Rink in Central Park North, bowling at Harlem Lanes, explore Hamilton Grange and more. The list is 50 lines long. Take a look.

The only other items I would have added is renting bikes at MODSquad Cycles and biking in the northern part of Central Park and attending the annual Pumpkin Sail at Harlem Meer. Aside from that, Mommy Poppins covered plenty of things to do in Harlem. What do you think? Are there other activities that should be on that list? If so, tell us!

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Posted in 116th Street, 125th Street, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd., art and culture, Community, education, entertainment, Events, Frederick Douglass Blvd., Frederick Douglass Circle, Free!, Harlem, history, kids, Lenox Avenue, New York, New York City, NYC

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