Getaway to New York authentic Harlem

Getaway to New York authentic Harlem

(New York) Not all guides to New York are singing the praises of Harlem – the Online Backpacker doesn't even show it on its map! However, the northern district of Manhattan deserves to be discovered. Cradle of black culture in New York, Harlem has no shortage of places to discover, to fill your eyes, ears and stomach. La Presse brings you some of the treasures of this ancient village.

Posted 4 Dec. 2021 Marissa Groguhé La Presse

Why Harlem?

Harlem is not Times Square. It's not posh Upper East Side and it's not bustling Broadway. What you find in this corner of the city is a neighborhood life, some places less touristy a priori, but many others that are bubbling with culture. Many streets are quite mundane, with no Instagram photo opportunities on the horizon. But you don't have to look very far to find something to occupy your day in the neighborhood. In the east, in Spanish Harlem, it seems that people speak more Spanish than English, Puerto Rican flags are everywhere and colorful murals decorate the concrete. In the center and west of the neighborhood, black culture permeates everything from museums to restaurants. Harlem lived through dark years in the last decades of the 20thcentury; it was a ghetto where life was not very good, a part of town where the African-American communities were left to their own devices. The neighborhood has since recovered. And long before that, in the 1920s, Harlem was at its peak, at a time known as the Harlem Renaissance. A flourishing period of which the district has kept several traces, which we enjoy discovering.

Soul food and more

1/2

Let's start with the food. Because what better way to discover a culture than to feast on its dishes? In Harlem, you will discover soul food, which has been inherited from African-American culinary traditions. Sylvia's restaurant has been recognized throughout the United States for the soul food it has been serving since the early 1960s. For a more modern take on typical soul food dishes, the Red Rooster is a very popular address in the neighborhood, home of renowned chef Marcus Samuelsson (who opened Marcus, at the Four Seasons Montreal). On Lenox Avenue, at the corner of Harlem's main thoroughfare, 125th Street, the Red Rooster offers a relaxed atmosphere and a vibrant decor that pays homage to the culture where it takes root. They serve hot cornbread and butter as a starter, a delight. We tasted the mac & lobster cheese and one of the many cocktails on the menu. The portion is generous and the food, exquisite, seasoned to perfection, delicious. A little earlier, we had passed by the famous Patsy's pizzeria at dinner time. They serve delicious New York-style spikes – which we would not recommend to those watching their cholesterol levels! In front of Patsy's, New Yorkers, double-parked as is customary in the city, eat standing next to their car, the cardboard box on the hood – we tested the technique, the pizza seems to taste even better in this way.

Visit the Red Rooster website (in English) Visit the Patsy's website (in English)

Cohabitation of cultures

1/2

Where Spanish-speaking culture thrives, side east, there are many murals and graffiti. Arriving from Montreal, where these works of art are as numerous as they are impressive, the bar is set high. But Spanish Harlem offers a piece of its culture through its graffiti. The Graffiti Hall of Fame, in the courtyard of a school (accessible on weekends only), begins a journey that continues along 3e Avenue, then 111e Rue, where street art fills every intersection. Then, going a little further west, we come across the Malcolm Shabazz market, a corner of Africa in the heart of the city. Stalls offer all kinds of goods. Leather and fabric bags. Wooden figurines. Hundreds of colorfully patterned pieces of clothing. The merchants are welcoming and negotiation seems to be possible!

Our favourite: the people’s corner of the place for dinner

1/2

Authentic Harlem New York Getaway

In front of the market, we meet Alex and Diana, a couple born and raised in Harlem. As soon as we strike up a conversation, they have nothing but good words for their part of New York – “go to 125e, it’s all over there! ". They advise us to go through the Sea & Sea Fish Market, a fish market adjoining the Malcolm Shabazz. "It's still early, but in a few minutes there will be a huge queue," assures us Alex, just before noon. In the establishment, a single room with stocked displays and a counter for take-out meals (where you can only pay in cash), workers on lunch break are indeed crowding together quickly. On the spot, Kim Jackson explains to us that she has a fish market right next to her house, but that she goes all the way here because it is the best of its kind. We let ourselves be tempted: the fish and chips are really successful there, unlike any other we have tasted before. A look at other customers' orders makes us want to try everything!

Visit the Sea & Sea

A show…

Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong lived there, great African-American artists got their start there. Music is inherent in the history of Harlem. Kim Jackson, whom we met at the fish market, gave us a list of her cultural must-sees, historic places that Harlem residents themselves frequent. The Cotton's Club, a legendary jazz club opened in 1923, saw the birth of modern jazz, notably through the presence of Duke Ellington. Josephine Baker, Cab Calloway and Louis Armstrong (among others) rode on his boards. Still on the music side, a stop at the Apollo Theater is essential, if only to contemplate this illustrious monument of culture, located just after the intersection between 125eRue and African Square. With a little luck, it is possible to come across an interesting performance to really enjoy it – the queen of New York Alicia Keys was there the day after our visit.

Check out the Apollo Theater website

…or a museum

For a whole other slice of culture, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture on Malcolm X Boulevard is also ours recommended by Mrs. me Jackson. There, the African-American experience is put forward, celebrated, preserved. American black literature saw a turning point during the Harlem Renaissance and the research center will allow you to see why the neighborhood has long been considered the capital of black culture. Harlem is full of museums, but most are only open on weekends. The National Jazz Museum and the Studio Museum are worth a visit. On the outskirts of Central Park, the Africa Center (open Thursday to Sunday only, from noon to 8 p.m.) showcases the talents of the African diaspora and its heritage. Exhibitions, meetings and all kinds of cultural events are hosted there. For another piece of history, it is possible to visit the house of the founding father Alexander Hamilton, in the center of the district, recently renovated and hosting an exhibition on the first floor.

Visit the Africa Center website

After dark, the streets of Harlem become a spectacle themselves. The district does not show any trace of opulence or luxury, and for good reason, it has not been very long since it extricated itself from poverty. Its simplicity is also its charm. By keeping the course on the main streets, safer and more lively, the atmosphere does not disappoint the visitor. The New York experience is also that, and it is worth living.

Getting to Harlem

The area is very well served by subway lines. The 2, 3, A, B, C or D trains all lead somewhere in Harlem. Bordered by the Hudson River to the west and the Harlem River to the east, the neighborhood begins to the south where Central Park ends. Organized tours will allow you to visit the essentials of the district in an orderly fashion. In particular, you can go on a gospel-themed tour and attend masses in several churches in the neighborhood. Hotels aren't as plentiful in Harlem as they are in midtown Manhattan or Brooklyn, and the accommodations that seem the most comfortable fall into a fairly steep price range. The option of staying outside the neighborhood and getting there by car or metro should be considered.