Category Archives: 116th Street

Central Harlem ranks first in…most condom use!

According to The New York Post, Central Harlem knows how to use a catcher’s mitt when playing adult baseball-metaphorically speaking. The article claims Harlem is first in the category of most condom use followed by Bed-Stuy, then Crown Heights. “Condom use peaked in Central Harlem (43.3 percent) and Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights (40 percent).”

Thank goodness our community knows how to play baseball well. Lol! Apparently, the Upper Westside and Greenpoint don’t know or want to use a catcher’s mitt. Guess those neighborhoods want more children! Lol!

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Things to do with kids in Harlem: Jazz Cats for Kids at Silvana Harlem

Save the date of February 22! That’s when Jazz Cats for Kids will take place at Silvana in Harlem at 116th Street and Frederick Douglass Blvd. A jazz quartet will be on hand to entertain kids of all ages. The event starts at noon and is hosted by Harlem4Kids and the Musician’s Aid Society.

Silvana will have their full menu available, as well as a few additional kid-friendly items for the crowd. Doors open at 11:30 am.

Purchase tickets here. All tickets ($5/person, children under 2 are free) must be purchased in advance.

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How many more businesses will open on Harlem’s restaurant row? Next 115 Restaurant Corp, Mess Hall, Bearded Lady Espresso

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How many more dining places will open on Frederick Douglass Blvd in Harlem, the area between 110th and 125th Street dubbed restaurant row by HarlemGal? Well, apparently one, or two or three more Harlem businesses will open in this part of Harlem.

115 Restaurant Corp has filed a liquor license for the commercial space right across from Made En Harlem, which we’ve learned from DNAinfo will be a taqueria place. 115 Restaurant Corp will be located on the southeast corner of 115th and FDB. It’s in the building where apartments are renting for around $4k a month.

The only info we can find at the moment on 115 Restaurant Corp is the name is registered to someone who lives in Harlem. That’s all we know. As soon as we know more, we will pass along the info! And if you have any insight, feel free to chime in!

And Jeff Mays from DNAinfo reported recently that The Chipped Cup and Lenox Coffee will be expanding to Harlem’s restaurant row with The Mess Hall and Bearded Lady Espresso. These Harlem businesses will open near 118th and FDB!

So the answer is yes! More places can and are opening on FDB between 110th and 125th Street. However, it’s starting to get crowded out there!

Hey Harlem, we are getting free wifi

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Manhattan’s and America’s black capital, aka Harlem, is getting a major freebie via a grant and reaching a major milestone. Harlem is getting free wi-fi service and will soon be home to the nation’s largest wi-fi network.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced yesterday, Tuesday, that a specific section of Harlem will soon get a new outdoor public wi-fi network. The free wi-fi coverage will cover 95 city blocks, spanning from 110th Street to 138th Street.

“The public network will be funded for the first five years through a grant from the non-profit Fuhrman Family Foundation, led by former Goldman Sachs executive Glenn Fuhrman. The first phase is already underway, and the mayor’s office said the entire network will be completed by May of next year.”

Read more here.

Want a Harlem t-shirt? Keep Harlem, Harlem tees now available

On this Harlem blog, I use tees to feature the subject matter, ie Harlem. Sometimes readers ask, where can I buy a unique tee with the name Harlem on it? Here’s an option. One of my favorite Harlem sites, Harlem NYC, is now offering Harlem tees to purchase. The t-shirt says “Keep Harlem, Harlem.” Pretty cool…huh? If you’re interested in purchasing this Harlem tee, go here! And to check out Harlem NYC like I do, click here.

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Make plans to attend East Harlem Harvest Festival happening October 27

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The second annual East Harlem Harvest Festival is happening this weekend, October 27, at 116th Street and Park Avenue. The event starts and 10 am and will last until about 6 pm. See full list below of what to expect at this years East Harlem Harvest Festival.

And check out last year’s coverage of the Festival as well. We attended and had a wonderful time. See you there this weekend!

  • Flea Marqueta’s 30+ Local vendors
  • Urban Garden Center’s pig roast series called El Boar-rio featuring sauce infused with Riazul Tequila
  • Beer Tent pouring the Harlem Brewing Company’s Sugar Hill Beer
  • Live Music by Blue Maky a blues band from Columbia
  • DJ Mellow G will be spinning all day at La Marqueta’s “Placita”
  • Bohemia Realty and Tutubell are hosting a Children’s Zone…Face Painting, Pumpkin Painting and lawn games
  • There will be a Soul Food Hut, an Empanada stand, a Popcorn stand, Cookies by our 9-year-old entrepreneur Mr. Corey’s, Coffee and Desert by La Bella Torte, a food truck
  • Composting and Urban Farming workshops hosted by Dr. Eluem Blyden the creator of Phytopod (manufactured right at Urban Garden Center)
  • NYRP and MillionTreesNY teamed up with Urban Garden Center to give away 100 FREE trees starting at 10

Is Citi Bike Share finally coming to Harlem? Where will the racks be located in Harlem?

A few weeks ago, HarlemGal Inc wrote a blog post, which was picked up by two media outlets and collected mixed comments, criticizing Citi Bike Share for allowing the film set Annie to use the bike program in Harlem, but not allowing real life Harlem residents to have the same opportunity. Ironically, we are learning today from The New York Daily News that the Citi Bike Share may now becoming to Harlem as part of Phase II.

According to The Daily News, “Community Board 10 Chairwoman Henrietta Lyle revealed Wednesday night (October 2) that Department of Transportation officials emailed her with their plans to install at least three docking stations uptown featuring the clunky blue two-wheelers. Lyle told her fellow board members that the racks-the first that would be located in Manhattan above 59th St.-would be installed on Frederick Douglass Blvd. at W. 115th St. and W. 154th St. along with one on Lexington Ave. near E. 98th St. in East Harlem.”

Kudos to Chairwoman Lyle for leaking out the information at the board meeting and for raising the question “what about the rest of the Harlem community and the bike share?”

HarlemGal Inc.’s position has been, if Citi Bike Share was good enough for a movie set in Harlem, it is good enough for real life residents of Harlem to use. The Village of Harlem should have been a part of Phase I of the program! However, if Citi Bike Share is honestly moving forward with implementing the bike share in Harlem, we’ll take it!
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Food For Life Supreme closes in Harlem, Red Chili Indian Cafe opens in same space

A reader of HarlemGal Inc wrote in over the weekend informing us that there is a new Indian restaurant in Harlem that recently opened on West 116th Street near Lenox Avenue. It’s called Red Chili Indian Cafe. Apparently this new restaurant opened in the same space where Food For Life Supreme used to be located, ie 108 West 116th Street. Food For Life Supreme is closed or maybe it relocated? If anyone has the scoop, chime in!

According to our reader, they ordered take out from Red Chili Indian Cafe in Harlem “and it was really, really delicious, good-sized portions, and very nice staff.”

So there we have it! Another dining option in Harlem!
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Citi Bike Share good enough for ‘Annie’ movie set filming in Harlem, not good enough for real life Harlem residents to use

Did anyone notice all the publicity, irony and major hypocrisy around adorable actress Quvenzhané Wallis riding a Citi Bike through Harlem on the set of ‘Annie’ this past week? When I saw several news clips stating how the character of ‘Annie’ was spotted in Harlem riding a Citi Bike, all I could think about was…wow, how interesting that the Citi Bike Share is being used on the set of the remake of ‘Annie’ now filming in Harlem, but none of us who live in the Village of Harlem actually get to use the bike share program because Citibank has not made it available to those of us who live uptown. What a double standard by Citibank?

It’s obvious that Citibank paid the big time producers of the remake of ‘Annie’ for product placement. I guess Citi Bike Share wants to give the appearance in this upcoming movie that all poor little black children get to use their bikes. Bull! Do the producers of this movie know Harlem residents do not get to use this bike share?

At this time, no child who lives in Harlem or friends or family get to use Citi Bike Share. In my view, this is hypocrisy at its best. There is not one Citi Bike location in Harlem to date. And there’s been no explanation (that I can find) for why the Citi Bike Share has not been made available to Manhattanites who live Uptown! Talk about a hard-knock-life. Harlem residents are the real life orphan-Annie’s when it comes to the Citi Bike Share program. I guess we are not good enough to work on our carbon foot print. But hey in a movie, lets fool everyone else that this might be happening in Harlem.

All I can say is, if the Citi Bike Share program is good enough to use on the movie set of ‘Annie’ currently filming in Harlem, then Citi Bike Share is darn well good enough to implement and use for the people living in Harlem. Hope Citi Bike Share comes to their senses and changes their locations. Hypocrisy will get you no where.
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Didn’t make it to Italy over the summer? No worries, head to Lido Harlem for Sept wine tasting event

For those of us Harlemites who could not travel to Italy this past summer, can now escape to Italy’s wine country in Harlem. Lido Italian Restaurant and Bar on 117th Street and FDB is hosting another a wine event in September. On Tuesday, September 24th from 7:30-9:30 pm, Lido Harlem is offering a five course wine tasting dinner featuring Italian wines and food.

Wine educator and sommelier, Andrea Wobensmith will once again take guests through the wines and help them learn more about pairing tips, grapes, differences in growing practices and more, all in an intimate and relaxed setting. Wobensmith has been teaching wine classes for over 7 years. Her passion began after visiting Italy and tasting wines throughout the countryside. Wobensmith earned her Sommelier Certificate with the Sommelier Society of America.

The price is $105 per person plus tax and gratuity. Space is limited, call for reservations at: 646-490-8575 or 917-733-9413.
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