For more detailed information about these scheduled service changes, click http://www.mta.info/nyct/service/subsrvnweekend.htm
Expecting the weekend weather to be sunny and mild so go out and enjoy yourself!
- Kung Foo Flicks and $5 drinks at The Den on Friday Night
- See E-Moves at Aaron Davis Hall
- Check out the finals of the International Youth Poetry Slam at the Apollo.
- Uptown Unplugged Sundays [The Den]
-Sunday All you can eat brunch from 12:00-5:00 p.m. $19 includes drinks at The Den.
-Visit the Hispanic Society of America located at the historic Audubon Terrace.
"Before the banks of upper Amsterdam Avenue transition from Columbia University-Morningside Heights into Spanish Harlem, and local business concerns shift from Art Supplies to Check Cashing, there exists a block-long arcadia: Five affordable, delectable restaurants, relatively isolated from the known culinary world, but each worth a trip."
Amsterdam Ave. (betw. 122nd St. & 123rd Sts.)
-Max SoHa, 212-531-2221
-Sezz Medi, 212-932-2901
-Max Café, 212-531-1210
-Kitchenette Uptown, 212-531-7600
-The Turquoise Grill, 212-865-4745
Read the whole article at: nypress.com [website]
| RECEIVE 15 PERCENT OFF TICKETS TO "E-MOVES" AT AARON DAVIS HALL! | |
Exclusively for TONY e-newsletter subscribers, save 15 percent on tickets to either program of "E-moves" (regularly $18). Packages to see both programs are also available for $26. To redeem this offer, call 212-650-7100 or visit Aaron Davis Hall’s box office and mention Time Out New York. Offer expires April 30, 2006. Offer is not available online or through Ticketmaster. Offer is not applicable on the two-program package. | |
| Click here to find out more about "E-moves"! |
Harlem Is Rising, but Where to Eat?
"Harlem is one of the few places in Manhattan where you can find a 1,000-square-foot two-bedroom apartment with a pear tree in front, a magnolia out back and an oak fireplace in between, all renting for about $2,100.
But it comes at a cost: food. Aside from some renowned soul food, Harlem is relatively underserved in terms of restaurants.
The Zagat restaurant guide for 2006 has 119 listings for the East Village, which spans only 14 blocks. For Harlem, which spans 47 blocks, the guide lists only 18, and the roster includes a Papaya King and a Starbucks. New York magazine’s online restaurant listings show 205 entries for the East Village, compared with only 27 for Harlem.
Michael Whiteman, a restaurant consultant based in New York, attributes the scarcity of restaurants in Harlem to the relative lack of high-density office buildings and of tourism, compared with other parts of Manhattan. Areas that depend almost entirely on residents generally have fewer restaurants per capita than mixed-use urban districts, Mr. Whiteman said."
I found this gem while blog hopping. The Bar Man, was featured in the New York Daily News in May of 2005. The mission was to hit 1000 bars in a year. His journey through Harlem was quite interesting as he visited bars that you’ve probably passed hundreds of times and wondered about but never ventured into.
During his visit to Sylvia’s he witness Sylvia mixing a drink that he describes as "some sort of a ghastly looking things that had Southern Comfort, Amaretto, pineapple juice, something red, and who knows what all else." Sounds similar to the "Waiting to Exhale" that I featured back in February.
1000 Bars [blog]
On Thursday, April 27th from 4P.M. until 6:30 P.M. in front of the main gate of Columbia University at 116th and Broadway, hundreds of Harlem residents, workers, students, business owners and supporters from across the city will demonstrate against the University’s proposed 5 billion-dollar thirty-year expansion into the Manhattanville section of West Harlem. Not since 1968 has Columbia University faced such community opposition. Demonstrators are protesting the University’s attempt to move forward like a hurricane evicting and destroying this historic Harlem community and damaging the surrounding neighborhoods.
Read more here
When one thinks of the West 140s they might imagine a vast desert when it comes to places to eat, but a few take-out restaurants in the area seem to be trying to fill the culinary gap.
Queen Sheeba Restaurant
317 W 141st Street
New York, New York 10030
212-862-6149
This Middle Eastern restaurant is located in the most unlikely of places — on 141st Street between 8th and Edgecombe. It is quietly tucked in the middle of the block relatively unseen from either cross street in the former location of the very short lived A Dash of Soul.
Polanco Restaurant & Barbecue
2421 7th Ave (141st Street)
New York, New York 10030
212-862-1090
Although the customer service leaves something to be desired in this always busy restaurant, the food is some of the best in the immediate area. Polanco offers a variety of standard Spanish fare at reasonable prices and the portions are big enough to share. Neighborhood favorites include grilled chicken salads, cuban sandwiches and the batidas y jugo naturales.
Peoples Choice Kitchen
2733 8th Avenue (145th Street)
New York, New York 10039
212-281-3830
There will typically be a line of customers from the plexiglass window to the door in this Caribbean take-out restaurant that offers ox tails that melt in your mouth, stew chicken and curry goat. Just don’t ask for beef patties because believe it or not they don’t sell them.
While rushing down 7th Avenue the other day I happened to spot two new eateries that I hadn’t noticed before. The first was The Harlem Wing & Waffle. They specialize in, what else, wings and waffles. This contemporary eatery is located between 139th and 140th Streets, across McDonald’s and a couple of doors down from Make My Cake. It has an orange interior with stainless steel accents. They already seem to be a hit in the neighborhood. Once we find out more about Wings & Waffles you know it will be featured here on UPTOWN flavor.
The other place was the R&D Grill on the opposite side of the boulevard, not to be mistaken with the Harlem Grill. The R&D Grill is a typical take-out spot where you step down off of Seventh Avenue into the narrow diner to order breakfast all day (including waffles), lunch specials or dinner from the "hot open flame grill." Some of the items from the grill include steak (T-bone or Sirloin), chicken, turkey wings, ribs and grilled salmon with sides. The prices are reasonable ranging from $2.50 for a burger to $12.50 for a flame grilled steak with sides.
On the take out menu they inform us that the restaurant was formed by "two gentlemen who love good food with a heavy hand on the portions, even down to the hearty sandwiches." Be forewarned, they also set the tone for the type of restaurant they run "music, television or light conversation on the topic of the day in a clean comfortable, no hurry environment." Keep your credit cards at home because they are only accepting cash at this time but they plan to be equipped for credit and debit cards in the future.
The Grill is located at 2311 Seventh Avenue and their hours are 8-8 seven days a week. They also offer free delivery. Call for more information 212-234-2334.
Related: Got a Belgian Waffle jones but you don’t want to trek downtown to a diner? IHOP can take care of that craving on the corner of 135th Street and 7th Avenue. Their hours are Sunday through Thursday 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Friday and Saturday to 12:00 midnight.
Links: Chicken and Waffles [website] :: Gladys and Ron’s :: Roscoe’s ::
Typical of spring weather, the sun may or may not make an appearance this weekend. No worries, there are plenty of indoor and outdoor activities taking place in Harlem. Here are a handful of suggestions:
-El Barrio Free Walking Tours Saturdays through Oct. 14th. Tours start at 3 p.m. and last 2 hours. For more information call 917-492-3329 or email ehtourism@aol.com
-Check out Universes at the Apollo
-Visit Hue-Man Bookstore for a signing of Harlem’s Dragon
-See a movie
-Go to the Dana Discovery Center on the Harlem Meer for "Forts of the North" [Central Park Events]
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Hailing from the Bronx, UNIVERSES, a poetry theater ensemble of
multi-disciplined writers and performers, will present an evening of
real theater for the real world.
Their theatrical works fuse poetry,
theater, jazz riffs, hip-hop, politics, down-home blues and Spanish
boleros to create a special brand of theater that redefines what theater
is and who it speaks to.
UNIVERSES highly acclaimed show " Slanguage "
was a sold out success at the New York Theater Workshop and opened the
way for works like Def Poetry Jam. They have performed at numerous
venues in New York City and around the country, including, the Mark
Taper Forum, New World Theater, The Painted Bride, Pregones, Performance
Space 122, Nuyorican Poets Café, Joe’s Pub, El Puente to name a
few and at numerous colleges and in a variety of international
festivals. Featured performers: Steven Sapp, Mildred Ruiz, Gamal Abdel Chasten and
Ninja.
Apollo Theater
253 W. 125th St.
Performance dates: Friday, April 21, 8pm and Saturday, April 22, 8pm
Ticket Prices: $15.00
The Jazz Foundation of America’s fifth annual A Great Night in Harlem concert will take place May 4 at the Apollo Theater, hosted again by Bill Cosby. The JFA has set a goal to raise $1.5 million through corporate donations and proceeds from the gala to go towards the post-hurricane efforts in New Orleans. Since Hurricane Katrina hit the city last August, the JFA has assisted nearly 900 New Orleans musician emergency cases, helping with everything from replacing instruments to helping with mortgages and living necessities.
In addition to Cosby, the evening will also feature the JFA’s newest board member, Danny Glover, and musicians including Abbey Lincoln, James Blood Ulmber, Ron Carter, Clark Terry, Will Calhoun, Harold Mabern and over 30 musicians from New Orleans.
The gala will also honor corporations who have helped JFA, including Agvar Chemicals, HIP Health Plan of N.Y., Englewood Hospital and Medical Center and jazz artist Jimmy McGriff.
Already, JFA is making progress towards its $1.5 million goal. E*Trade Financial is paying rent and mortgages for displaced musicians and their children in many cities; Time Warner and Agvar Chemicals have donated more than $500,000 towards employing displaced musicians; Music and Arts Center, Beethoven Pianos and Yamaha have replaced over $250,000 top shelf instruments for musicians including “Fats” Domino, Henry Butler, Eddie Bo, Lionel Ferbos and Treme Brass Band; and Englewood Hospital and Medical Center is providing pro bono operations and medical care to hundreds of elderly uninsured musicians.
Tickets for A Grand Night in Harlem range between $100 and $1,500 and tickets and more information are available through the JFA’s website.
Source: Jazz Times
Related articles: A Great Night in Harlem
-Columbia Spectator proffers a short list of favorite places to "hang out" in Harlem [website]
-The sweet smell of success: Barbara’s Flowers blossoms in Harlem [Daily News]
-Stanford students earn street smart credits in Harlem [Stanford University]
-New York Food Blog reviews Rack & Soul’s ribs [blog]
Marge Eliot, the host of a weekly jazz concert in her living room on Edgecombe Avenue, was featured on NPR radio this past weekend.
Listen: NPR [website]
Related: Sugar Hill :: Parlor Entertainment :: Bickley
While zipping down Lenox Avenue in the back of a dollar cab yesterday I spotted the following places. If there are any tipsters who have frequented these locations let me know…you will get shout out from the flavor.
Who says that grandmothers these days are sitting around on the stoop knitting and chatting it up? A group of feisty Harlem grandmothers are lacing up their sneakers and heading down to 125th Street to protest the war.
"A group called Harlem Grandmothers Against the War will picket the IRS building in that storied neighborhood in New York City, Monday, before joining with the New York Chapter of Grandmothers Against the War to protest in front of New York’s central post office in midtown. The group has plans for similar events across the country.
Vinie Burrows of Harlem Grandmothers Against the War said the group is protesting because it’s "unconscionable that our tax dollars are going to the invasion and destruction of Iraq while we have so many needs here in Harlem and all the Harlems of the country."
For chronic tax filing procrastinators, it turns out that you’ll be getting a reprieve this year –taxes are actually due tomorrow "because the IRS processing center serving New York state is located in Massachusetts" and they will be observing the state holiday, Patriot’s Day, on Monday.
That’s great news for those who owe taxes — one more day to put it off. If you get hungry doing your last minute tax preparation then order from your local Papa John’s. You’re probably a little short on cash this month so they are offering online customers a large pizza for the low prices of $10.40. Happy tax day!
Source: CNN Money [website]
{edit 4/18} Related: Daily News [website] :: Village Voice [website]
The Tribal Spears Gallery and Cafe has hit the ground running on Frederick Douglas (a.k.a. Eighth Avenue) between 116th and 117th Streets. No full scale website is set up yet but they do have a web page with their general information. As an added bonus they will be partnering with Vertical Group Jazz to have live Jazz every Monday night beginning April 24th.
Tribal Spears Gallery & Cafe [website]
Related: Saurin Parke :: Urban Jazz and Art Series :: VGJazz.com ::
Five original paintings by Harlem Renaissance artist Beauford Delaney were recovered after being stolen from a storage facility in Stamford, Connecticut. Larry Samas, an employee of the facility, is accused of stealing the paintings worth about $300,000 and selling them to an antique’s dealer in Greenwich for an undisclosed amount. Two of the paintings were sold to a private collector for $17,500. All of the art work has been recovered and returned to the original owner. Samas is being held on $50,000 bond.
Source: Boston.com [website]
Related: Beauford Delaney :: A life of… ::
As a follow up to the previous post about yellow cabs, an anonymous tipster over on Curbed reported seeing pedicabs peddling along the streets of Harlem. If someone can submit a shot of that to the flickr photo pool I would love to feature it as a photo of the day!Related: Curbed ::
Review of Les Ambassades from the kind folks over at Harlem Fur.
Chris from H.F. was also kind enough to inform me that Menu Pages has finally added an uptown section to their website.
Many transplanted New Yorkers take it for granted that when they were kids they could run out onto a playground when the school bell rang for recess, however too many kids in upper Manhattan aren’t so lucky. Yet, last Tuesday something wonderful happened to the children in one Harlem neighborhood.
"Harlem schoolchildren jumped rope, played tag and swung on a shiny new jungle gym after a playground they helped design was dedicated at the Hugo Newman College Preparatory School (Public School 180)."
"The play space includes a sprinkler to keep kids cool during the summer, a track, a gazebo and an artificial turf football field. There also are courts for basketball, volleyball and tennis."
This renovation is a huge improvement over the unfenced asphalt lot that the children were privy to before. The space will also serve the community being shared by the Police Athletic League (PAL) and the New York Road Runners.
"Three more playgrounds will be dedicated in June, and ground will soon be broken for six more, including one in East Harlem."
P.S. 180 is located at 370 West 120th Street.
Source: Daily News
-More on the opening of N [website]
-The Look Book features eclectic uptown flavor in Gloria Ward and LaToya Grady style profiles
Harlem is probably best known for the creative works that emerged during the period dubbed the Harlem Renaissance. Some would argue that Harlem’s artistic culture has all but faded away but apparently they haven’t been looking in the right places.
On Monday, April 17, 2006 The Martha J. Thomas Playwrights Workshop will host "A discussion of playwriting through the eyes of the director, playwright and actor."
Panelists will include:
Barbara Montgomery
Arthur French
Jose Esquea
Steve Carter
Lee Hunkins
Marge Eliot
The discussion will be moderated by Ajene Washington. It is open to the public but you are advised to arrive early due to space limitations.
Location: Parlor Entertainment 555 Edgecombe Avenue, Ste. 3F (Corner of 160th across from the Morris-Jumel Mansion)
Time: 7:00-9:30 P.M.
10th Annual Easter Carnival Bash
Saturday from noon to 6p.m.
Col. Young Park on 145th St. and Lenox Ave.
Inflatable slides, moon bounces, a carousel, carnival games, cotton candy, popcorn, ice cream, hamburgers and hot dogs.
Enjoy your holiday weekend! We’ll be back on Monday.
"Damn, this is close to our place. I’m going to have to get me some cue and soon! I’m already hungry…" [new: rack & soul]
"The 128th stoops and their clones are better than the ghastly Fedder buildings that turn a block grim, but not by much. Both styles of buildings scream ‘affordable’ in a way that turns the word foul…" [blog spotting]
"This is the problem: I didn’t sign up for the UPTOWN flavor email alert and I missed the chance to see the Dance Theater of Harlem for $8." [open house]
[editor’s note: be sure to sign up for email updates today and be the first to know what’s really good in the neighborhood!]
"Is Harlem Lanes open or closed? I’ve been by there twice and I don’t see where it’s opened up yet." [weekend guide, v.3]
"In NYC you always have to be hustling no matter what you do or how much you earn. This is not how most of America, including Black America lives. People seem to do a lot more things away and other than their grind, elsewhere." [nyc steadily losing…]
Harlem is full of surprises…some good and others wonderful. One of the wonderful surprises is the Annual Easter Carnival Bash started by resident Anthony Nixon ten years ago.
"’This is my way of giving back to the community that I was raised in, work and live in," said Nixon, a thirtysomething local businessman who owns HUNC (Harlem Up ‘N Coming) Silk Screening, HUNC Records and HUNC Promotions, all headquartered on W. 140th St. "I want the children of Harlem to know that someone cares about them and they can have fun in their own community. I knew I was on to something special because I saw the smiles on the faces of neighborhood kids,’ he added."
In addition to the annual Easter Bash, Nixon also sponsors a Mother’s Day softball game, a basketball tournament, a school supply giveaway, a Halloween party and Thanksgiving dinners for the homeless and he collects clothing for the needy.
"The ones who make it have an obligation to help others," said Nixon. "These kinds of events keep kids off the streets and out of trouble. For the sake of the kids, I want to make a difference."
Source: Daily News
Other events Easter Weekend: Newyorkeled
As reported by a poster known simply as Ora over on Chowhound, the highly anticipated opening of Rack & Soul has met the approval of her taste buds. She reports the following:
"I had take-out from there tonight–the beef rib w/collard greens and potato salad. The rib was large and tender and not dry–tasty. Though, purists will certainly quibble with the amount of pre-slathered sauce that was on it. The potato salad was very southern in style–the mashed type w/plenty of egg. The collards were average. Two kinda sweet biscuits came with the meal…The menu also has other classic soul food dishes beside ‘cue like smothered chicken." [source]
Broadway’s restaurant row has no shortage of mouth watering delights but the owner of R&S wanted to provide soul food to the UWS without having people trek all the way up to Harlem.
“I’ve been in Harlem for a long time and I love the community, but there are many soul food restaurants there already,” Eberstadt said. “I wanted to take my gig on the road a little bit.”
Interestingly enough, the owner of R&S owns two Harlem restaurants, Bayou and A Slice of Harlem. His business partner is none other than Charles Gabriel, owner of Charles’ Southern Style Kitchen.
If you know of other recent openings in the uptown community, give us a shout at uptownflavor[at]gmail.com
Sources: Columbia Spectator :: Chowhound ::
I accidentally stumbled upon this cool foodie blog called Plate of the Day.
Posts worth checking out:
I saw this new restaurant on 145th Between Amsterdam and Broadway (closer to Amsterdam and across from the library.) The sign says that they specialize in seafood and they deliver! If anyone has tried them out, please offer your review. I wonder how their presence will affect the business of the late night taco truck down the block.
El Puerto Seafood Steak House & Grill
500 West 145th Street (bet. Broadway & Amsterdam)
Phone: 212-926-93340
Open from Mon. to Thurs. 7am - 12 midnight
Fri, Sat, Sun 24 hours.
Catering available for all occasion. Free Delivery. Breakfast, lunch and dinner menu.
Related:Hamilton Heights Restaurants
-First hip hop tours and now this, "You never knew hip hop would take it this far" [the late great Biggie Smalls].
On Thursday evenings, there’s even a hip-hop service at Greater Hood Memorial AME Zion Church. Pastor Stephen Pogue and hip-hop veteran Kurtis Blow came up with the idea of holding the service, which is attended by about 100 teenagers who rap for God weekly. [Monsters&Critics]
-Race and creed know no bounds when Adan Raichel plays the Apollo for the first time [Jerusalum Post]
-Big splash over water park still in the dailies [Daily News][NY Times]
-Stoops take new form in Harlem [NY Times]
Related: Hip Hop History Tours :: Big Splash ::
As an addendum to yesterday’s Site-Seeing….
-Gridskipper hops onto Harlem Lanes [website]
-Curbed jumps into the uptown yellow cab watch [website]
-Brownstoner wonders about the new stoops on 128th Street [website]
Discounted tickets are now on sale at www.TicketWeb.com
Tickets are $100, $50, and $37.50.
75th Anniversary Benefit Concert
7:30 - 9:00 p.m.
On Tuesday of Holy Week, April 11, 2006, The Riverside Church will host a gala performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 “Resurrection.” Maestro Neeme Järvi, internationally renowned as a Mahler expert, will conduct an orchestra composed of principal players from the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and the Detroit Symphony and the New Jersey Symphony who are volunteering to perform this piece under the beloved maestro in this beautiful space. Kathleen Battle , lyric soprano, has agreed to serve as Honorary Chair for the event.
Proceeds from the concert will benefit the ministries of The Riverside Church, whose food pantry and other social outreach programs serve thousands of New Yorkers annually.
Submit your photos of uptown to the flickr photo pool
Jackie Robinson Park Playground Improvement
Volunteers Needed
Join the New York Junior League’s Playground Improvement Project (PIP) as we set out to beautify and improve Jackie Robinson Park in the Hamilton Heights neighborhood of upper Manhattan.
The Playground Improvement Project is in its 15th year and once again the New York Junior League is partnering with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation to create safe, beautiful, well
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DON’T MISS
CELEBRATE EASTER - ST. NICHOLAS PARK: Easter Egg Hunt and More! On Saturday, April 15th, the Friends of St. Nicholas Park will host its Annual Easter Egg Hunt from 2pm-4pm.
Activities will take place at the St. Nicholas Park Plaza, 135th and St. Nicholas Avenue. There will be two egg hunts, cupcake decorating, hat making, face painting and an Easter Bunny!
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HARLEM YMCA: Salsa and Mambo Classes, Mondays, 6:30pm – 7:30pm
$10.00 non-members, $5.00 members
The Harlem YMCA is located at 180 West 135th Street, telephone 212-281-4100
Official Website
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ART EXHIBIT: CONVERSATION & SPECIAL COLLECTION OF GUILLO PEREZ
Saturday, April 22, 2006. RSVP Required, 212 740 1960 Ext. 427
4:00pm to 5:00pm at 2410 Amsterdam Avenue, 4th Floor (corner of 180th Street)
Event Sponsored by Alianza Dominicana, Inc. and the CUNY Dominician Studies Institute
Take part in an exclusive talk with the premier national painter of the Dominican Republic:Guillo Pérez. Known as the “National Painter of the Dominican Republic Guillo Pérez has received national and international honors since 1958. With an acute sense of geometry and his undisputed mastery of color, Pérez combines "Caribbean constructivism" with his personal esthetic formulation. His work is included in distinguished family and corporate collections and has been featured in more than thirty individual exhibitions in the Dominican Republic and abroad.
A special collections exhibit by the grand master to follow the discussion.
To view his work for this exhibition go to:
http://www.alianzaonline.org/guilloperez/, http://alianzaonline.org/guilloperez/10.html
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Jazz on Ice: An Evening of Jazz to Benefit Ice Hockey In Harlem
Thursday, April 27 2006. Time: 6:30 to 10:30 PM
Location: The Langston Hughes Auditorium at The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture 515 Malcom X Boulevard (Lenox Ave) at 135th St, Harlem, New York
Ticket Price: $125, hors d’oeuvres and cocktails
Click here to download and print the ticket form (PDF) and fax back to 212 722 0018.
Click here to download the form (Word Doc) and email to lsmith@icehockeyinharlem.org.
Who is Playing:
Rudy Lawless Quintet "Sophisticated Jazz" with vocalist Keisha St. Joan The LaGuardia High School Senior Jazz Band and Rudy Lawless "Sophisticated Jazz" Harlem native and self described "drumcussionist", Rudy Lawless has performed with Andy Kirk, Blue Mitchell, Hank Jones, Rex Stewart, Roy Eldridge, and bassist Addison Farmer. Lawless has also recorded with all the greats including; Junior Mance, Freddie McCoy, Etta Jones, Betty Roche, and Lenore Raphael.
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Historical Landmarks:
Designed by the famous architectural firm of McKim, Mead and White in the style of an Italian palazzo, the Hamilton Grange Branch was opened in 1907 with funds donated by Andrew Carnegie. The roots of its name date back to 1802 when Alexander Hamilton moved his family into a country house he called The Grange in the then-rural outskirts of New York City. Declared a landmark in 1970, the branch today houses a variety of collections that serve an ethnically diverse community. Hamilton Grange offers programs for adults, teenagers, and children; provides Lifelong Learning materials for new adult readers; and has meeting space for use by neighborhood groups. The branch is fully accessible to persons who use wheelchairs. [nypl.org]
-Gothamist adds additional two cents about the newly approved waterpark [website]
-Gotham Gazette features Striver’s Row, the novel [website]
-More on the domination of dominoes [website]
-Joe shoots the Morningside turkey [blog]
-Christopher documents the yellow cab phenomenon in Harlem [blog]
-Demand for rentals mount while developers build and convert luxury condos [website]
Related: ESPN Bets on Dominoes :: Dominoes the Next…. :: Water Park’s Big Splash ::
Official website
1:00 PM Performance:
Adult: $8
Children 12 & under: $4
3:30 PM Performance (includes a special Post-Performance reception with the Artists):
Adult: $18.00
Children 12 & under: $14
There are two Open House performances every month, 1:00 PM and 3:30 PM respectively.
Developers have begun the courtship dance in East Harlem in an effort to gain community support. Students at P.S. 208 have been taking weekly trips to Randall’s Island to learn science along the newly opened Waterfront Pathway. Manhattan borough President, Scott Stringer, has received promises of jobs and discount admission for local residents.
On one hand, a project of this magnitude could certainly offers residents an additional option besides the water fountain in the local playground or the fire hydrant on the block. It could also relieve some of the congestion that the city pools take on in the summer.
On the other hand, the project has the potential to be a proverbial carrot on the stick. The "haves" would be inside enjoying the amenities while the "have nots" stand on the sidelines with the carrot within sight but just out of reach. With everything else that New York has to offer, does it really need a water park?
What do you think? Is a new waterpark going to be a positive or negative addition to the redevelopment of uptown?
Related: NY1 :: Randall’s Island Sports Foundation :: NY Post ::
April 7, 1915-July 17, 1959
Settling in Harlem, Holiday began singing informally in numerous clubs. Around 1932 she was "discovered" by record producer John Hammond at a club called Monette’s (there is still some dispute among historians about who was the first to hear and publicise her, although it is generally agreed that Hammond was the first.) Hammond arranged several sessions for her with Benny Goodman; her first-ever recording was "My Mother’s Son-In-Law" (1933).
It was around this time that Holiday had her first successes as a live dancer. On November 23, 1934, she performed at the Apollo Theater to glowing reviews. The performance, with pianist (and then-lover) Bobby Henderson, did much to solidify her standing as a jazz and blues singer. Shortly thereafter, Holiday began performing regularly at numerous clubs on 52nd Street in Manhattan.
Compared to other jazz singers, Holiday had a rather limited range of just over an octave. She more than compensated for this shortcoming, however, with impecable timing, nuanced phrasing, and emotional immediacy.
Source: Wikipedia [website]
Related: WKRC [website]
Fans of the FX Network series "Rescue Me" are in for a treat. As first reported by our friends over at "Harlem Fur" signs were posted informing the neighborhood that the show would be filming scenes in Harlem! Joe from "Plastic Animals" took over from there and swung by to take some pictures.
Be sure to carry an umbrella with you this weekend. Chance of rain on Friday and Saturday.
In the wake of the Duke University lacross team controversy, it might in order to resurface this positive article about lacross in Harlem that originally appeared in the New York Times at the end of February.
Early one Saturday in the basketball capital of the world, the echoes of whistles and sneaker squeaks bounced off the gymnasium walls at A. Philip Randolph High School in West Harlem.
Under the watchful eye of their instructor, Mat Levine, and several coaches, a few dozen athletes in uniform scrambled around the court, taking part in ball-handling, shooting and passing drills, and learning how to box out opponents.
"We have been getting better," John Vargas, a 14-year-old Randolph freshman, said. "With the season approaching, there is a lot of energy pumping through our team."
Since Dec. 17, Vargas and his teammates have been preparing for a spring season like no other at the school, and they are going about it with a different sort of bounce in their step.
Next month, Randolph will field Harlem’s first public high school lacrosse teams. As developmental programs, the boys’ and girls’ squads will compete in the Public Schools Athletic League at the junior-varsity level. The tentative schedule includes games against Cardozo of Queens; Midwood of Brooklyn; and Curtis, Tottenville, Port Richmond and New Dorp of Staten Island.
"Lacrosse is the fastest-growing team sport, at any level, in the United States," Levine said. "If I can get some of these kids involved in the game, it can help open up another path to better things in their lives."
Levine, a Manhattan businessman, grew up playing the game in Manhasset, the same Long Island town where the all-American Jim Brown honed his lacrosse and football skills. Levine’s goal, through his nonprofit organization CityLax, is to introduce a game associated with white-bread suburbia, exclusive boarding schools and elite universities to public schools in Harlem and the Bronx. CityLax and the P.S.A.L., with financing from the Board of Education, chose Randolph as the pilot program.
"I’m trying to change some lives here through academics and athletics, maybe help some of these kids get college scholarships and other opportunities through lacrosse," Levine said.
"This game wants motivated student-athletes who want to go to college," he added.
Levine, 54, was an all-American goalie at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., in the early 1970’s. In 1996, he started the city’s first youth lacrosse program, Doc’s NYC Lacrosse, with Dr. Gavril Pasternak, who is a neurologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan and his brother-in-law.
"We started that first year with about 25 kids, and now we’re between 150 and 200 kids," Pasternak said. "A lot of that can be attributed to Mat’s enthusiasm for the game."
Doc’s runs a spring league, sponsors boys’ and girls’ tournaments and manages the city high school teams that compete in the Empire State Games each summer.
In October, Levine decided to take lacrosse across geographic and cultural boundaries. If he succeeds at Randolph, more public schools may want to participate.
Maurice Collins, the principal at Randolph, said he was excited about adding lacrosse.
"It falls in line with our mission to expand the range of after-school activities, improve school spirit and help students build relationships with each other and with their teachers," Collins said. "And if along the way our students can get better at this game, it might make them more marketable to colleges and help them get scholarships."
Aatifa Drayton, a 15-year-old Randolph sophomore who lives in the Bronx, said that whenever she rode home with her lacrosse gear, people always stared and asked questions.
"They stare at the stick and ask, ‘What sport is that?’ " Drayton said. "I tell them it’s a game called lacrosse, and if they knew how to play it, they would probably enjoy it."
E-mail: cheers@nytimes.com
Related: Howard U vs. Hamptons U
FIGURE SKATING: Belbin and Agosto added to Harlem exhibition gala
Olympic ice dance silver medalists Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto, who train at Canton’s Arctic Edge, are scheduled to skate at the Figure Skating in Harlem gala on April 10.
The event will honor 1988 Olympic bronze medalist Debi Thomas, who is now an orthopedist. Thomas was the first black skater to win an Olympic medal, and also won two U.S. titles.
Others scheduled to appear in the "Skating With The Stars Under The Stars" event at the Wollman Rink in Central Park include Olympic women’s silver medalist Sasha Cohen, Olympic men’s gold medalist Evgeni Plushenko and three-time U.S. champion Johnny Weir.
The gala benefits a not-for-profit organization that encourages young girls to skate, while providing education and empowerment.
More information: Figure Skating in Harlem
After much anticipation Harlem Lanes opened its doors to the general public. The facility is beautiful and a good time was had by all.
On point:
Areas that could use improvement:
Related: Grand Opening :: Columbia Spectator ::
[Excerpts]
"Things did not go well for the so-called "virtual band" Gorillaz at Harlem’s Apollo Theatre Sunday. The first of five sold-out shows at the historic New York venue was marred by technical problems. Visuals were scrapped, reducing the production to a mediocre revue of the multiplatinum album "Demon Days" (Virgin).
A conciliatory Damon Albarn announced, "We’ve been trying to rectify the problems, but it really is a dream come true to play the Apollo." Billed as "Demon Days Live," the performance was intended to be a spectacle combining the artistic efforts of illustrator Jamie Hewlett and singer (and Blur frontman) Albarn, who comprise the 2-D pop act. Minus Hewlett’s videos, what remained was a lacklustre performance that relied on a host of musicians and special guests to perform the album in its entirety."
Read the entire article: Reuters [website]
"There were plenty of hip-hop guests at Sunday’s show, although none of them were wearing G Unit medallions. Mr. Albarn’s taste in rap is a bit more old-fashioned than that. For the group’s recent hit "Feel Good Inc.," Mr. Albarn brought out De La Soul, the pioneering hip-hop trio that did its best work in 1989. Perhaps the members of De La Soul always hoped that 17 years later, they would be playing sold-out concerts at the Apollo. But surely they couldn’t have guessed the circumstances."
"Mr. Albarn was definitely trying hard. He brought out Neneh Cherry and Ike Turner (who played an awful piano solo) and many others; he hired an orchestra and backup singers in addition to the band; he put a couple of puppets up in one of the theater’s boxes, where they did a passable imitation of Statler and Waldorf. But the night was a messy mishmash born of good intentions. "
Read the entire article: New York Times [website]
An accelerating exodus of American-born blacks, coupled with slight declines in birthrates and a slowing influx of Caribbean and African immigrants, have produced a decline in New York City’s black population for the first time since the draft riots during the Civil War, according to preliminary census estimates.
An analysis of the latest figures, which show the city with 30,000 fewer black residents in 2004 than in 2000, also revealed stark contrasts in the migration patterns of blacks and whites.
While white New Yorkers are still more likely than blacks to leave the city, they are also more likely to relocate to the nearby suburbs (which is where half the whites move) or elsewhere in the Northeast, or to scatter to other cities and retirement communities across the country. Moreover, New York remains a magnet for whites from most other states.
In contrast, 7 in 10 black people who are moving leave the region altogether. And, unlike black migrants from Chicago, Philadelphia and Detroit, most of them go to the South, especially to Florida, the Carolinas and Georgia. The rest move to states like California, Ohio, Illinois and Michigan with large black populations.
Also, New York has a net loss of blacks to all but five states, and those net gains are minuscule.
"This suggests that the black movement out of New York City is much more of an evacuation than the movement for whites," said William Frey, a demographer for the Brookings Institution, who analyzed migration patterns for The New York Times.
The implications for a city of 8.2 million people could be profound. If the trend continues, not only will the black share of New York’s population, which dipped below 25 percent in 2000, continue to decline, particularly if the overall population grows, but a higher proportion of black New Yorkers will be foreign-born or the children of immigrants.
Many blacks are leaving for economic reasons. Jacqueline Dowdell moved to North Carolina last year from Hamilton Heights in Upper Manhattan in search of a lower cost of living. Once an editor at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, she now works as a communications coordinator for a health care company in Chapel Hill.
"It was a difficult decision, but it was a financial decision," said Ms. Dowdell, 39, adding that the move also gave her time to research her family’s roots in Virginia.
"I just continued to spend so much money trying to live without thinking about the future," she said. "I was focused on surviving, and I wanted to make a commitment to more quality of life."
The analysis of migration from 1995 to 2000 also suggests that many blacks, already struggling with high housing costs in New York City, are being priced out of nearby suburbs, too.
Read the whole article: New York Times [website]
Sylvan Terrace (c) D.Bell
Mourning Becomes Habitual
[Excerpt]
GIVEN that it was a memorial for the recently departed, the cramped affair stuffed into a Harlem apartment was an upbeat, fashion-forward event. Young women moved about in vintage black dresses with well-coiffed hair topped by Jackie O. pillboxes.
They spoke of the merits of the deceased, the beauty, the freshness, the sense of style like no other. A short life, to be sure, but full of accomplishments and ended in a blaze of glory.
"How have you been holding up?" they murmured, heads leaned in with shared grief.
And there, behind the open casket filled with cheap beer, stood the bygone star: a massive poster of an issue of Budget Living, one of the most promising independent magazines of the last decade, draped in black lace and flanked by a funeral wreath. Blithely unaware of its death, the cover earnestly promised, "All the Fixins for a Frugal Backyard Bash."
The mourners were mostly former employees of the magazine, which was announced as for sale on Christmas Day and shuttered on Valentine’s Day after no buyer stepped up. The perpetrator, they all agreed, was a corporate Colonel Mustard who used an entropic ad environment, a cluttered newsstand, and the muscle of big publishers to kill off an upstart.
Its demise raises a question: If a magazine as smart and cunning as Budget Living could not break through the newsstand, is the independent magazine no longer viable? With major publishers creating magazines willy-nilly in every available niche and putting huge marketing and circulation muscle behind them, it now seems almost impossible to be the little-magazine-that-could. If Rolling Stone, Outside or Wired, all successful magazines that were started on a whim and prayer, were cooked up today, would they live long and meaningful existences or would they suffer Budget Living’s fate?
In its four years, Budget Living turned plenty of heads in the industry. It got named startup of the year in 2002 by Adweek and won similar honors from Advertising Age. In 2004, it won a coveted general excellence award from the American Society of Magazine Editors. Unlike so many independents, it was a remarkably commercial enterprise from the start, with a brazenly consumerist pitch — chic on the cheap — that seemed like catnip to retailers who pitch upmarket living on a downmarket price. Target, Ikea and Pottery Barn come immediately to mind.
AND even though the shoestrings were sometimes visible — nobody got rich working at Budget Living — it was not just a twee undertaking. When Budget Living folded, it had more than a half million subscribers, many with a cultlike fealty to the kicky magazine that taught them how to dress up their modest digs with pillows embellished by iron-on transfers.
Started by a veteran magazine entrepreneur, Don Welch, Budget Living hit a nice sweet spot between reader interest and advertising service. And the founding editor, Sarah Gray Miller, was a recognized star out of the gate, combining Southern charm and Yankee efficiency in one impressive package.
"I do think there is some concern that if this magazine couldn’t make it, what will?" said Ms. Miller, who last week took a job as editor at InStyle magazine. "This magazine was quality, it was made with a lot of passion and put out by people who believed in its message."
The casket ($10 on eBay), the stuffed crows perched on its edge and the R.I.P. cupcakes all brought to mind how much fun living on the cheap can be, as well as a morbid reminder that it takes money to make a magazine about thrift. A lot of it.
Mr. Welch missed the party; he was in Florida. An entrepreneur who conceived and sold Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel to Newsweek, he also came up with several children’s magazines that connected, and he worked as a publishing executive at Rolling Stone and Outside.
"I don’t blame anybody, but I was devastated to fold the magazine," he said. "I thought we did everything right, but we were fighting against Goliaths with big circulations and big budgets. And the agencies, over and over, take the safe route, keeping their spending with the big three publishers instead of spreading it around."
Read the whole article: New York Times [website]
A number of new residents to Harlem seem to be under the impression that they can’t get food delivered past 110th Street. That is an urban legend and UPTOWN flavor is here to dispel it. Below is an abbreviated list of restaurants that deliver. The best way to find out what restaurants deliver in your area? Walk around and ask. You might be surprised.
The Den [website]
2150 Fifth Avenue (131st/132nd St.)
212-234-3045
Hrs: 6PM-11PM T-Sn (Closed Mondays)
Delivery $15 Min. from 116th -140/Lexington - 8th Avenues
Editor recommendation: "The Diva"
Cafe on Park
90 East 116th Street (Park Ave.)
212-831-1900
Hrs: 6AM-9PM M-F; 6AM-5PM S/Sn.
Free delivery $7 min.
Cuisine: Greek & Italian specialties, char-broiled burgers
MoBay [website]
17 W. 125th St.
212-828-3400 take out
Hrs: M-W 11AM-11PM; Th-S 11AM-12M; Sn 11AM-10PM
Serving Breakfast 8A-11P seven days a week.
Piatto D’Oro II
1 East 118th Street (5th Ave/Madison)
212-722-7220
Hrs: 11AM-11PM Daily
Delivery $15 minimum
Cuisine: Italian
The Food Hut
1709 Amsterdam Ave. (144th-145th St.)
212-491-4492
Hrs: 8AM-11PM M-S; Sn 9AM-10PM
Free Delivery
Cuisine: Caribbean
Hong Garden
2515 Seventh Avenue (145-146th St.)
212-283-3939
Hrs: M-Th 11AM-12M; S 11AM-1AM; Sn 12N-12M
Free Delivery
Cuisine: Chinese and Tex-Mex
Empire
4041 Broadway (170th St.)
212-568-1600/1611/1616
Hrs. 10AM-12M Daily
Free delivery
Cuisine: Asian (Malaysian, Thai, Japanese)
Related: Top Delivery :: Best Delivery in Harlem :: Best Delivery in Morningside Heights :: Uptown Flavor Guide 1 :: Uptown Flavor Guide 2 ::
What UPTOWN readers had to say:
Feedback is very much appreciated. Please forward comments and questions to the editors at uptownflavor@[nospam]gmail.com
To make the morning commute more pleasant, MTA riders of the A/C and 4/5 subway lines have been issued a travel advisory. I think the least the MTA can do to compensate the riders for the inconvenience is offer free coffee. Oh wait you can’t drink beverages on the train anymore. Will the transit authority ever get it right? [amny]
At least New Yorkers get a break in some ways — Saturday was the first day of NO SALES TAX in New York. No city nor state sales tax on apparel under $110.00. You can’t beat that with a stick! [7online]
Related: Daily News :: MTA ::
[Excerpt]
New York’s neighborhoods are filled with characters who come together to play on Spanish Harlem sidewalks, Bronx parks and in basement and backroom clubs in Washington Heights. Older men in caps and young men in muscle-T’s and gold chains go at it, slapping dominoes onto flimsy tables, speaking in Spanish in games lubricated by Presidente beer and salsa music.
This was the scene recently at a dominoes club in the Bronx called Hijos y Amigos de Altamira, which means children and friends of Altamira, a town in the Dominican Republic. Housed in rented space above a bar on Westchester Avenue, the club, which is one of those being scouted by ESPN, is a band of countrymen — almost every member is from Altamira, a small town that prides itself on its crop of baseball and domino players.
"I’ve been playing dominoes all my life, but I never thought I’d see it on TV," said Augusto Montan, 55, one of the club’s members. "We always thought of it as a game to pass the time, but it does have all the elements people love: the competition, the trash-talking, the color, and it’s old school."
The club embodies exactly what ESPN is looking for in a neighborhood domino setting. Young and old men alike sat at domino tables and shuffled a mess of face-down tiles and then picked their domino hands. Members have nicknames like el Natural. Their wives, girlfriends and daughters play bingo and tend to the homemade Dominican food and serve $2 beers from a small bar. The children race around, practicing traditional Latin dance steps and gathering at tables to watch, learn and root.
"Dominoes is the national pastime of Dominican Republic: it’s as simple as that," said one club member, Louis Keyser, 72. "Over there, a little kid gets a bat and ball put in his hand as soon as he can walk, and from the moment he’s tall enough to see the table, he learns how to play dominoes."
The club’s origins go back to 1983, when a handful of men began a regular domino game in the basement of a Bronx apartment building where one of them, Juan Martinez, was the superintendent.
There are now 42 members, mostly from the Bronx and Upper Manhattan. Dues are $10 a month, and through fund-raising events and contributions the club collects enough money to help members with needs ranging from rent or funeral costs for family members.
Dominoes, which some experts date to ancient Egypt, is played worldwide, and in New York it is popular in African-American, Chinese and Caribbean neighborhoods. But Hispanic players like to stake a claim that the game is truly theirs. Styles of dominoes vary by country — Puerto Ricans and Dominicans, for example, generally use seven tiles per player, while Cubans tend to and use nine pieces. Instead of players taking turns making moves in the usual clockwise rotation, some Latin players take turns counter-clockwise.
Read the whole article: NY Times