We consider ourselves very fortunate.
Not only are we enjoying six weeks of rent-free living in Manhattan, but we couldn’t have hand-picked our living arrangements any better ourselves. We are smack in the middle of West Harlem – a bustling, eclectic neighborhood that surprises us every time we step outside our door.
The legendary Apollo Theater, just a few blocks away.
Beautiful brownstones line the streets around us.
I guess even McDonald’s needs some saving.
So what you’re saying is “no fun”…? 🙂
Abandoned office space.
125 Street (also known as Martin Luther King Blvd) – Harlem’s main artery.
Local street art
The Apollo theatre and fans gave tribute to one of the great R&B legends that the music world lost this week – Whitney Houston.
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Nice captures. The “Jackson 5”-style Harlem Boy is cool 🙂
Adrian recently posted..Cabo da Roca
Thanks Adrian! Love that painting as well.
Did you go searching for any Langston Hughes stuff, yet?
Teri recently posted..I Knew It!
(I had to look up who Langston Hughes was, so no, I guess not!) 🙂
Great photos. Makes me wanna go back and do Harlem in depth.
Under my interest and liking your blog though is still seething jealousy…
Harlem deserves a lot of time. There is so much to see. 🙂
The brownstone picture makes it look like you’re staying on the set of the Cosby Show, although I don’t remember them living in East Harlem.
Steve recently posted..Hockey Night in Phoenix
We say that all the time!! I am sure they were in Harlem (not exactly sure where, we are in West Harlem).
Great photos, what a fantastic area to be staying in.
Yes, we’ve really lucked out this time!
Harlem sounds like a must on my next trip to NYC!
It is indeed! We are loving our time here.
LOVE these shots!
Andi of My Beautiful Adventures recently posted..7 Super Shots From Andi’s Travels
Housesitting takes you to wonderful places!
jan recently posted..WALKING THE STREETS OF HANOI
It sure does! At each new place we think it’s better then our last…but they’ve all been good!
Ooo, lovely shots!
Amanda recently posted..Pack Your Boots – We’re Goin’ to Iceland!
Thanks Amanda!
Nice photos, Whitney really is a legend. Nice presentation of the old and the new with these photos.
Elise Walsh recently posted..Private Jet Travel, Not Just for the 1%
Thanks Elise. This neighborhood is an interesting mix of old and new with all the gentrification going on.
Don’t know what made you give that “look”, effect or whatever the proper term is to your photos but it just looks so appropriate, they’re fantastic.
Bodlagz recently posted..Only in Pattaya – The Worlds Longest Kiss
Love Harlem! Hoping we can take my daughter there when we go to visit Mary’s dad (who lives in NJ) this summer. How long will you guys be there?
Bret @ Green Global Travel recently posted..GLOBAL CUISINE: Healthier Greek Moussaka
We leave in just under a week now! SAD!!
I have visited New York several times but never made it to Harlem. How much time would it warrant? Is a half day enough to ‘see’ Harlem?
John recently posted..The Marigny – A Walking Tour Through New Orleans’ Most Vibrant Neighborhood
Hey John – depends on when you could get to Harlem. If you can make it for a Wednesday, I’d suggest taking in Amateur Night at the Apollo; there are also a lot of cool jazz clubs for any evening; and on Sunday a gospel church service is a great experience. Otherwise, a wander down 125th street, a meal at Red Rooster, a stop at the Studio Museum and Big John’s, also checking out a few other cool streets could probably be done in a day!
Wow gorgeous pictures, really need to move NY up my list of places to go.
Harlem has come a looong way! I did a lot of my work during grad school on East Harlem more than ten years ago. I barely recognize the place now! Glad you’re enjoying it. Looks like you’re on the west side? Have you been down to the Columbia area yet? And then the express train right down to Columbus Circle… Man, I miss NYC!
Yes, we’re on the west side (need to change that in the post – whoops!) We’ve done some exploring around Columbia, so beautiful. LOVE this area.
I love Harlem – a couple of our friends live up there and we got to explore a bit last time we were in NYC – such a great area.
Andrea recently posted..Greek, Turkish and What Knowing the Language Can Do For Your Travel Experience
I’m surprised by the number of people who don’t make it up here, so glad to hear you did!
And not a globetrotter in sight! (That’s my entire Harlem knowledge used up). Great photos 🙂
Laurence recently posted..Perigueux: what have the Romans ever done for us?
Haha! Pete keeps talking about how he wants to find some Globetrotters too! No sightings yet… 🙂
I love these photos. I stayed at a guest house in Harlem on my last trip to New York and I loved the area.
Good for you Alouise, so many people don’t take the time to visit Harlem! I love that we are staying here.
Nice shots of a sometimes overlooked spot for travelers/tourists. I am pretty sure the Huxtables “lived” in a brownstone in Brooklyn. 🙂
Lisa | LLWorldTour recently posted..Book review – Capturing the Journey: A Beginner’s Guide to the Basics of Travel Photography
Yeah, we just learned that! Ah well, we like Brooklyn too! 🙂
Very cool pictures! It’s eclecticism still resonates throughout the city. Thank you for posting.
Alexa Meisler recently posted..Estiatorio Milos & Knave: A 5 Star Evening in New York
Thanks Alexa!
I’m glad you are enjoying Harlem. I lived there for a year and live in Brooklyn now but grew up in Queens. Since I moved away just four years ago, Harlem has changed so much. If you like Harlem, I think you’ll like Brooklyn, too. You should head out here, too. Lots of great looking neighborhoods with lots of history. By the way, the Cosbys lived in Brooklyn Heights.
Terri recently posted..ReWind – Balinese Temple Hopping
Yes, we’ve been out to Brooklyn a few times now, we really enjoy it there too! (And we just learned about the “Huxtables” being there!) 🙂
Great shots of a great neighborhood. Harlem was a regular stop when I lived in NYC. So much good music and the best Senegalese and Ivorian food in the city.
Phil recently posted..Want to Experience the Energy at Festival sur le Niger? Watch this
We found an awesome Ethiopian restaurant the other day (never had it before!) This neighborhood really does have some good food.
The street art there is amazing. Your photos came out lovely!
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Thank you Maria!
Rent-free? Manhattan?? Now that’s pretty friggin’ sweet. I had heard that Harlem has gone through quite a bit of gentrification. I wasn’t really that big of a fan of New York. Kind of like the “cool place to visit but I wouldn’t want to live here” kind of location. However, you have rekindled my interest. Cool blog.
I’m not sure I could handle living here full time (I need me some country-quiet!) but as our six weeks are now almost coming to an end, I am getting sad that it is over. I still need more time!
It is great to know there are places showing a lot of sympathy and appreciation for Whitney Houston. I just love what you did with the photos. It feels like traveling back in time. Thank you for sharing.
Susan recently posted..DTS Home
Thanks for your comment Susan. The Apollo launched a lot of spectacular musicians so it was no surprise that there was a tribute there for her.
Great post idea – very little people venture North of Central Park, and apparently, they are missing out on a very cool neighborhood!
Yeah, I’ve been surprised by the comments showing that people don’t venture up here very often. We really love it here!
Great shots! I’ve never been to Harlem, but it looks pretty gritty. I’d love to walk the streets for awhile.
Love the antique look to the photos. I haven’t actually visited Harlem but your photos make me want to see it for myself! Also, great time to take photos after Whitney Houston’s passing.
Great photos!
These photos are perfect! Love the way they capture the mood of Harlem. One of my fav posts yet.
Thanks so much Cheryl! Very sweet of you to say. 🙂
Thank you Stumbleupon…not sure how I missed this one to start! Great post…Love walking through Harlem. Feels sort of like “real” New York…
We were so fortunate to get to live in that neighborhood for six whole weeks. One of my favorite parts about our time there was just wandering and people watching in Harlem. And listening to all the great accents. 🙂
Wow. Really beautiful. Harlem’s my neighborhood, and you’ve captured details I ignore everyday. I’ve posted a gallery on my site as well, with some of the same spots –
Thanks for sharing Harlem.
Really excellent photos of my neighborhood. One of the few blogs to capture it so well 😀
Love how you have captured Harlem! Amazing quality, this makes me want to get out and take my camera. I live in Central Harlem, but it’s forever changing. Thank you.