This weeks HGTV Selling NY to feature Harlem again

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A real estate broker has given us the heads up that Harlem real estate and Harlem’s restaurant row will be featured in this weeks edition of HGTV Selling NY. The broker and two of her clients, who are looking to purchase their first home together, venture into Harlem to look at apartments in the neighborhood. In the course of the episode, the clients receive a tour of Harlem restaurants and shops to show them that everything they have become used to downtown can be found right here in Harlem, specifically along Frederick Douglass Blvd.

Check out the TV show this Thursday, Feb. 7 at 6:30 pm.

Harlem’s Make My Cake makes a cameo on Season Finale of NBC’s 30 Rock

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It’s a known fact to some of us locals in Harlem that actress, author, comedian Tina Fey has always liked the sweet delicious goods from Harlem’s Make My Cake. Tina Fey has been ordering cakes from Make My Cake in Harlem for years for things like wrap parties. I believe a Harlem local even works on her production staff, wink, wink. But back to my point. Tina Fey is so loyal to the Harlem product that she included them in the last episode of her TV hit series, 30 Rock. Just look at Make My Cake’s Facebook page for all the details.

And sorry to hear Tina Fey’s TV show ended, but Make My Cake in Harlem is here to stay! If you want to try one of their delectables, head to 121A St. Nicholas Avenue at 116th Street or call 212-932-0833.
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Harlem’s Park Wine Bar adds exterior wood work

Has anyone noticed the nice exterior wood work on the Harlem building where The Park Wine Bar will be located? It’s on Frederick Douglass Blvd between 112th and 113th Street. I like it! It gives the upcoming Harlem establishment a warm and comfortable look. Let’s hope the wine selection is on par with the decor!

What do you think? Do you like the exterior wood work at The Park Wine Bar?

To view prior blog posts on The Park Wine Bar, go here!
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Attend the Athena Film Festival in West Harlem, four academy award nominated films to be featured

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Now in its third year, the Athena Film Festival, a celebration of women in feature films, documentaries and shorts that highlight women’s leadership in real life and the fictional world will be held in West Harlem at Barnard College from Feb. 7-10. The four-day festival, which includes conversations with directors and Hollywood stars and workshops for filmmakers, has built a reputation as one of the most prestigious festivals of its kind that focuses on women and leadership. The following are big highlights of the Festival.

FOUR ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATED FILMS:
BRAVE: Saturday, February 9 at 12PM
Directed by: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman
Location: Diana Event Oval – LL 100 Diana Center
Director Brenda Chapman will join the audience for a Q&A session following the screening

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD: Saturday, February 9 at 6PM
Directed by: Benh Zeitlin
Location: Diana Event Oval – LL 100 Diana Center

INOCENTE: Sunday, February 10 at 3PM
Directed by: Sean Fine, Andrea Nix Fine
Location: Held Auditorium – 304 Barnard Hall
Producer Yael Melamede will join the audience for a Q & A session following the screening.

THE INVISIBLE WAR: Sunday, February 10 at 12PM
Directed by: Kirby Dick
Location: Diana Event Oval – LL100 Diana Center
Executive Producers Maria Cuomo Cole and Regina Kulik Scully will join the audience for a Q & A session following the screening.

4 PREMIERES:
GRANNY’S GOT GAME: Friday, February 8 at 6PM (World Premiere)
Directed by: Angela Alford
Location: Held Auditorium – 304 Barnard Hall
Director Angela Alford and Team Captain, Judy Barton will join the audience for a Q&A session following the screening.

WOMEN AREN’T FUNNY: Saturday, February 9 at 9PM (World Premiere)
Directed by: Bonnie McFarlane
Location: Diana Event Oval – LL 100 Diana Center
Director Bonnie McFarlane will join the audience for a Q&A session following the screening.

I STAND CORRECTED: Saturday, February 9 at 9PM (NY Premiere)
Directed by: Andrea Meyerson
Location: Held Auditorium – 304 Barnard Hall
Director/Executive Producer Andrea Meyerson and film subject Jennifer Leitham will join the audience for a Q & A session following the screening

FAST GIRLS: Sunday, February 10 at 3PM (US Premiere)
Directed by: Regan Hall
Location: Diana Event Oval – LL 100 Diana Center

SNEAK PREVIEW & CLOSING NIGHT FILM:
BRAVE MISS WORLD: Sunday, February 10 at 6PM
Directed By: Cecilia Peck
Location: Diana Event Oval – LL 100 Diana Center
Q&A Cecilia Peck (Director) & Inbal Lessner (Producer/Editor) will join the audience for a Q&A session following the screening.

For additional information, please visit: http://athenafilmfestival.com/.

Introducing The Harlem Sound Project, caberet music at The Chipped Cup

There is a new concert series uptown for us to check out! It’s called The Harlem Sound Project and it’s happening in the Hamilton Heights area of Harlem. The focus of The Harlem Sound Project is “to bring quality classical music and jazz to the Harlem community.” Their next concert will be on Valentines Day at The Chipped Cup located at 3610 Broadway and West 149th Street. Interested in attending, all the details are here!
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Ramy Ashour, professional squash and ’10 world No. 1 player, visits Harlem

A reader sent in a wonderful picture to share with us all of professional squash player Ramy Ashour visiting Harlem “for the first time” Jan. 28 to meet with StreetSquash.org participants from Harlem. How cool/international is this? Totally cool, in my book!

Why is Ramy Ashour in New York? According to our source, he had just won the Tournament of Champions (TOC), which ended on Thursday, the 24th. It’s a huge tournament that is held every year in January in Grand Central Station with the top players, both male and female, coming from all over the world. The purpose of Ashour’s visit to Harlem was to speak with StreetSquash kids about his life and then do a Squash clinic. Ashour won the TOC and then went to StreetSquash in Harlem.

According to Google, Ramy Ashour, a pro from Egypt, reached world No. 1 in January 2010 after beating Nick Matthew in the final of the 2009 Saudi International Squash Tournament. To learn more about Ashour online, follow him on Twitter.

StreetSquash is on 116th Street between Fifth and Lenox Avenue!

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Tweet of the Week: Harlem RBI seeking volunteers

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Navigating the Twitter-sphere, one can be drowned in information, especially on Harlem. There is a ton of great info out there. However, some Harlem info on Twitter pops out. In Tweet of the Week, a new series on HarlemGal Inc, Harlem RBI rises to the top and the first to be featured. They simply tweeted recently, “Volunteer at Harlem RBI. You can coach these kids!” When you open up the link, its an adorable photo of kids in their baseball uniforms. So cute! (See above)

If you’re interested in volunteering at Harlem RBI, so you can “coach these kids” to be winners on and off the field,  fill out their volunteer form. “Harlem RBI is always looking for dedicated volunteers.” Check it out. Maybe that’s you?

Harvist Restaurant in Harlem featured in NY Mag, set to open this week

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Who is going to go check out Harlem’s latest restaurant called Harvist? We are! According to New York Magazine, its opening this week inside My Image Studios Harlem at 46 West 116th Street. MIST tells us via Twitter that they’re opening this Thursday for dinner. Cassandra Quinlan-Ashford will be the chef. She plans on serving dishes, such as shrimp and grits, red-velvet soufflé, berbere filet mignon, osso buco and a raw-kale salad. Yummy!

Harvist is located at 46 West 116th Street between Fifth and Lenox Avenue. Call 646-738-3050 for reservations.

And to learn more about Harvist Restaurant, go here.

Michael Che headlines Comody Covo tonight in West Harlem

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New York City comedian William Mullen invites us all to Comedy Covo tonight at 701 West 135th Street, i.e. Covo Trattoria. Michael Che, who The New York Times has called “a rising and busy stand up comedian,” will be headlining tonights show starting at 7:30 pm and its FREE. If you’re interested in checking it out, below are the details:

COMEDY COVO
SUNDAY, Jan 27th AT 7:30PM FREE
Covo Trattoria, 701 West 135th St at 12th Avenue

HEADLINER MICHAEL CHE, Late Night with David Letterman, Eastville Comedy Club, Comedy Central.
COMIC KARA KLENK, Comedy Central, Nickelodean, Time Out NY
COMIC STEPHANIE HOLMES, Caroline’s, New York comedy Festival
COMIC ALORI SUMMER, Greenwich Village Comedy Club, The Duplex,
and DJ THE LEGENDARY CHRIS WASHINGTON spinning some awesome tunes!

Harlem’s Thelma Golden and Duro Olowu featured in Town & Country Magazine

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In the February issue of Town & Country, Thelma Golden, director and chief curator of the Studio Museum Harlem, and Duro Olowu, Golden’s clothing designer husband, are featured in the affluent magazine mentioning that Olowu has inked a deal with JCPenny where his clothes, accessories and other items will be sold at JCP and online starting this coming March-all for under $90. Very cool. And apparently our First Lady Michelle Obama is a big supporter of Olowu. Double cool.

To view the entire article, purchase the February issue of Town & Country.