Tag Archives: outdoors

Reminder: East Harlem Harvest Festival October 27 from noon to 6 pm

It’s Thursday and I am already thinking about the weekend. I am planning on heading on over to the eastside of Harlem, 116th Street and Park Avenue, for its first Harlem Harvest Festival. The event celebrates East Harlem’s restaurants, bakeries and vendors of La Marqueta public market.

Several restaurants will be participating where one can purchase small bites from Agua Fresca, Kiosk, Hot Bread Kitchen, Soul Fixins’, Creole Restaurant and Music Supper Club, Evelyn’s Kitchen, Luca Bosco, Corbin Hill Farm, Spaha Cafe, Tanto Sabor, El Kallejon Botanas Bar, East Harlem Cafe, Lloyd’s Carrot Cake, Coco Le Vu and Nafi’s Hot Pepper Condiments.

There will be Beer Flights available in the Beer Garden at Urban Garden Center and there will be a Make Your Own Brew Workshop hosted by Celeste Beatty, the founder of Sugar Hill Beer of the Harlem Brewing Company. The Children’s Zone at Urban Garden Center will have a cooking demo by Culinaria Festival, face painting, pumpkin carving and the Cutie Patooties workshop. Dimitri Gatanas of Urban Garden Center will be hosting garden related workshops like How to Build Your Own Terrarium and “Plants in Suspension” Dimitri’s version of the Japanese art of Kokedama.

Hope you can join in on the fun. The event starts at noon October 27 and will end at 6 pm. So plenty of time to head on over to La Marqueta at East 116th Street and Park Avenue. See you there!

Attend Manhattan Country School Farm Festival in East Harlem October 20

Every year Manhattan Country School (MCS) in East Harlem aims to bring a little bit of the Catskills to the streets and children of NYC during their annual Farm Festival. This Fall season is no different. MCS will host its annual Farm Festival for children ages 3 and up from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 20. This is when parent volunteers turn East 96th Street between Madison and Fifth Avenues into an urban carnival, offering family friendly entertainment including rides, games, crafts, a silent auction, raffles and live music-all for FREE! The MCS Farm Festival also offers a selection of homemade baked goods, a wide variety of delicious ethnic cuisine and fresh produce from their farm in Roxbury, NY.

Admission is free and tickets for food, games and rides will be available for purchase. In the event of rain, festivities will take place indoors.

MCS Farm Festival – FREE
Saturday, Oct. 20, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
7 East 96 Street, NY 10128 (which is where Harlem begins on the East side)
Between Fifth and Madison Avenues, Near Central Park

Subway/Bus directions
Take the #6 to 96 Street or MTA bus M1, M2, M3, M4, M96

100 free tree giveaway October 28 in East Harlem

Urban Garden Center in East Harlem is at it again. Can you believe it? They’re giving away 100 free trees October 28! They did this in May as well. The nerve of them giving away something that is soooo good for us-sarcastically speaking! We need to clone Urban Garden Center at 1640 Park Avenue at 116th Street.

Seriously. If you want a tree for free, register here, which is highly recommended because most trees are claimed in advance, and then head on over to East 116th and Park Ave between 10 am to 2 pm to pick up your tree!

Please visit www.NYRP.org for more information.

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Save the Date: East Harlem Harvest Festival happening October 26-27

Central Harlem just completed its Harvest Festival. Now its time to plan for East Harlem’s Harvest Festival taking place at 116th Street and Park Avenue. I believe its the first one and organizers are making sure it lasts all weekend.

On October 26, a celebration of culture and cuisine is planned. How to make you’re own brewski is on the agenda at the Urban Garden Center and Sugar Hill Beer is involved. That will be good and those 21 years and older can participate. A Hookah Lounge will be set up thanks to Kiosk Restaurant, a delightful Moroccan restaurant in East Harlem. And for children, the East Harlem Harvest Festival will be planning a Recycling Game, pumpkin carving and a class on how to make healthy food provided by Culinaria Festival!

So no need to worry about making plans for the weekend of October 26-27. Head on over to the eastside of Harlem for their Harvest Festival. See you there.

One week away, Harlem Harvest Festival October 6

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.

Is 111 Central Park North getting a Dunkin’ Donuts?

The commercial space at 111 Central Park North, which is at the base of Harlem, is slowly filling up. The next business that is rumored to take up shop there is a Dunkin’ Donuts. There are work permits posted in the corner space, which faces Lenox Avenue and Central Park North, aka 110th Street, but the permits do not mention the coffee-chain company. However, the other businesses already in place in the commercial space at 111 Central Park North will say-if asked-a Dunkin’ Donuts is going there. The workers at this location see whose coming and going. My bet is they are right about whose moving into this space. Of course, nothing is final until the signage goes up. Stay tuned…

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


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

Save the Date: Harlem Earth Day is April 22

The woman power behind Harlem Park To Park and Land Yoga have created and planned a full day agenda for all of us to celebrate Earth Day right here in Harlem on April 22 at multiple locations. Activities dedicated to learning and preserving Mother Earth will be held at Central Park North, Morningside Park and Marcus Garvey Park. Check out the full agenda below and save the date of April 22.