Hurricane Sandy has done me a favor by keeping me at home and allowing to work on my ‘to do list’ which includes uploading pics from various past activities and blogging on them as a means of sharing my experiences with all my friends and family.
So this tour I went on was part of a green tour which meant you walk and take public transport instead of going on a bus or cab I guess! Walking is so prevalent in NYC you forget there are other means of transport too. It was a very nice day for a walk and I really enjoyed the fast paced walk (Mostly because our guide was super fast and always 2 blocks ahead and I was as usual clicking away and always left behind!)
I learnt a lot about this neighborhood which till a few years ago wasn’t considered very safe but now is buzzing with tourists, great restaurants and as the guide mentioned; a sure sign of being a high-end neighborhood: quite a few Starbucks! :-))
Some of the highlights of the trip were:
a visit to Hamilton’s Grange; the Harlem home of the first US treasury secretary; Alexander Hamilton.
Abyssinian Baptist Church; famous for both its gospel choir as well as the pastor; Rev Butts. They say the lines on sunday stretch all around the building. I could guess by the number of police cars that were helping navigate the church goers parking situation.
Lenox lounge- its history and fame includes hosting many famous jazz musicians including Miles Davis, and John Coltrane. I have recently started listening to jazz and really do enjoy the deep tones and clear voices
Harlem market- since Harlem has a large african american population with a lot of them still connecting to their motherland by way of selling crafts from there; we got to visit and shop in this unique one of a kind marketplace.
Make my cake- nothing historic about it but plenty yummy and rich cakes..a must visit for a sweet tooth person!
Fredrick Douglas statue in central park- a lincoln contemporary but amazing personality and politician in his own right. He’s known for helping lead the anti-slavery movement and related writing.
and last but not least the world-famous: Apollo theatre- this is where the likes of Michael Jackson started their glitzy careers; a little stardust in Harlem!
You can see all the pics at: https://picasaweb.google.com/101223474832186984117/HarlemWalkingTour2012
