Mon 6 May - New York City, NY

We are going north today, to Columbia University and then to Harlem, both northern Manhattan.

If we have not already mentioned this - we love living in Chinatown. We particularly like the early morning habits of Chinese people where regardless of age they get out and move their bodies. Each morning the lady below, who lives in the apartment block next door to us, walks her rooftop as we still sit eating breakfast. Don't let the walking stick fool you, she motors!

Today the only planned activity is a visit to Harlem - dum dum da dum... On a 2 hour walking tour starting at 2pm.

As usual we are ready way too early and by 9am come up with an idea to explore Columbia University as it is north west of Central Park and Harlem is also north of Central Park.

We decide to walk to the Chambers Street subway station, some blocks west from us, as the 1-train would then take us all the way to Columbia University on 116th Street.

Columbia University is Ivy League, meaning top echelon of American universities, up there with Yale and Harvard etc. The university is not very big but you can tell it has money and it has this air of maturity to it.

The campus is referred to as Morningside Heights as that is the name of that area of Manhattan.

Columbia University's visitors centre is inside this old library, called Low Library and named after the University's president when it was moved from midtown Manhattan in 1897 up here to get more space.

 

We pick up a pamphlet covering a self guided walking tour from the Visitor's Centre.

Before exploring further, we stop at Joe coffee shop, the main University cafeteria, for a cuppa and to read through the material. There were a lot of stressed looking students there frantically studying, writing, typing... Final exams happen during the next 10 days and then graduation, so they were setting up stages and spectator stands on the common grounds.

One nice building we can go into is St Paul's chapel but they don't allow photos inside. So we got a bit sneaky...

The nice buidings around this quadrangle are residential for Columbia University students.

Leaving Columbia University, we head to Central Park North and walk it east along Central Park where we figure we can find lunch somewhere before our tour starts.

 

On the way we see this truck... We thought that Fidel was busy governing Cuba...?

Central Park North looking down at one of those "mugging" tunnels again. We are pretty sure that we would not use any of those once the dark sets in.

Looking south into Central Park from the road in Harlem and it looks really nice and picturesque.

Hans drove through Central Park and into Harlem in 1984, through this intersection when most of the houses were boarded up and where crowds of young black people were hanging around this intersection.

Harlem is very different now compared to 1984. The area between Central Park North (110th Street) towards 145th Street is now getting seriously gentrified and there are a few posh restaurants and chain stores. And a Starbucks. The area is relatively clean and some homes are now selling for between $1m to $2m. Mind you, some cultural elements don't change and the black people can still be walking down the street swearing at their spouses or kids at the top of their lungs and being rude to shopkeepers.

Nice mural to welcome you to Harlem.

We had lunch from the fried chicken shop in the background and ate it sitting on a bench at Central Park North. The photo is taken from that bench. And yes, the inhabitants of Harlem are still colourful...

The act of purchasing the food is worth a mention here. The black guy behind the counter was all very friendly and patiently took our orders. While we were waiting for Hans' fish be cooked, several other punters came in to order lunch and they were shouting out orders, demanding ketchup there and then, got offended when they were offered coffee because it was "too hot" outside etc. It was a circus, we were right in the middle of it as spectators and we were enjoying every minute of it apart from feeling sorry for the guy behind the counter.

After lunch we are back in the subway for the 3 stops north from Central Park North / 110th Street to 135th Street, having another cuppa by the window in a coffee shop on Malcolm X Boulevard.

We met our guide Derrick at the corner of Malcolm X Boulevard and 135th Street at 2pm for our walking tour of Harlem. That's Derrick in orange.

The Abyssinian Church in Harlem is very powerful and wealthy and owns the place below which is now a "tot lot" I.e. playground.

There were some lovely rows of terrace houses in places, these one were on the 138th Street between 8th Avenue and Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard if we remember right (we were zig zagging between 125th and 138th Street).

And some lovely brownstone houses...

Derrick showed us a couple of music venues and he really recommended this one.

We all went in for a quick peekaboo. Very cool inside, this is the ceiling... Old vinyl covers...

At Sylvia's soul food restaurant, Derrick went in and then came out with some southern/soul food samples for us all to try. One of the punters on the tour must have liked the food and/or the environment a lot as he said goodbye to us and went in there for a meal.

The 2 Foodies. Sylvia at the back.

We kept bumping into the character to the left during the tour. Well, it wouldn't be Harlem if some smart arse remarks and comments were not to be exchanged and Derrick knew his environment well.

This painting or mural is on a shutter close to the Apollo on 125th Street.

The Apollo is advertising stand up under the slogan "be good or be gone" which we thought was very clever. Today, they were setting up equipment for some photo shoot there so we couldn't really check out the inside. Oh well...

The walking tour is then finished up and at 4.30pm or so, we are on the subway south again. This time we ended up on an express train which meant that 125th Street where we boarded was the last stop until Columbus Circle on 59th Street. Even with changing train on 4th Street to our F-train, we had a very quick run home.

Weisswurst and salad for dinner at home, followed by a lazy evening. Both of us were tired, NYC drains you a bit with all it has to offer. Oh well, tomorrow is another day again... good night.

 

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