N is for new location

We broke the news first about N Boutique moving from their long time location on West 116th Street in search of a new home. Well they have found one. Unofficial word is that N will be moving around the corner to Lenox Avenue in the former home of Purple Reign Children’s Store. Stay locked here… [Read more…]

Photos from the West Harlem Piers Ribbon Cutting

Coming soon….

Video: West Harlem Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Mike of Greasyguide.com videotaped the ribbon cutting ceremony for the official opening of the West Harlem Piers. There is additional footage of Rep. Charlie Rangel making the unfortunate quip about Obama coming to Harlem without ID (inaudible), and a fireboat spouting colorful water into the Hudson.

Prince Harry Charms Harlem

The 24-year-old Royal joined youngsters at Harlem Children’s Zone, which works with 8,000 disadvantaged children, in an energetic obstacle course.

Mosaic Magazine Benefit

2009 Mosaic Literary Magazine Benefit Join us Sunday, June 7, 2-5pm for some wine, food, and art as we celebrate spring and Mosaic. Proceeds will go to benefit Mosaic Literary Magazine and its education programs. Featuring poet Cheryl Boyce-Taylor and the photography of Marcia E. Wilson Amiri Baraka · Derrick Bell · Cheryl Boyce-Taylor & son, Phife (Tribe Called Quest) · Octavia Butler… [Read more…]

Friends of St. Nick Park Events

HIKE THE HEIGHTS NEXT SATURDAY, JUNE 6TH FROM 11-3PM. This popular hike takes place in all the Historic Harlem Parks. It winds its way through St. Nicholas Park next Saturday. Click below to find out more information and view photos of the giraffe building local children did in our park during It’s My Park! Day.… [Read more…]

This Summer’s Funniest Harlemite

Marina Franklin has paid her dues climbing the ranks of stand-up with her never ending city shows, spots at some of the biggest comedy festivals in the country and appearances on Chapelle’s Show and Last Comic Standing. This summer, she’s got a new movie called The Awkward Kings of Comedy—it premieres on May 30 at… [Read more…]

Harlem Society: Tracey Knuckles and Christopher White

Tracey Jenell Knuckles and Christopher Leslie White were married Saturday at the Convent Avenue Baptist Church in Manhattan. The Rev. James B. Logan, the church’s executive minister, performed the ceremony. The bride, 36, is the general counsel for the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. She graduated from the University of Virginia and received her law degree from Tulane. She is a daughter of Lorraine… [Read more…]

West Harlem Piers Park Ribbon Cutting

Narmer’s Newsstand

Fake Rhymes, Even Faker Chains[ROOT] Nightmare MTA cuts live on in street map [AMNY] Costco Will Accept Food Stamps at 2 Stores [CR] Shinnecock Indians Contemplate a Casino as They Close In on Federal Recognition [NYT] GOP Holy Trinity on Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor: She’s a ‘racist’ [DN] Black cop killed by white officer:… [Read more…]

Third Annual Rapathon at the Hip Hop Cultural Center

THE HIP HOP CULTURE CENTER IN HARLEM PRESENTS  THE 3rd ANNUAL RAPATHON  Get your energy drinks, sleeping bags, and hottest rhymes ready, the 3rdAnnual Rapathon is finally here. With an extended 2 hours, H2C2 takes the art of an emcee to an all new high. A 26 hour non-stop cipher without profanity featuring 100 rappers may sound impossible,… [Read more…]

Four East Harlem Schools Closed due to Swine Flu

According to ABC News four East Harlem schools will be closed starting Friday, May 29th through Wednesday, June 3rd because the high number of students exhibiting symptoms of the Swine Flu. Those schools are: P.S. 83 (The Luis Munoz Rivera School, 436 students) in East Harlem, which is collocated with P.S. 182 (The Bilingual Bicultural School,… [Read more…]

Bundling your Buys in Harlem

  I was watching the network news this evening and saw that as the economic crisis is starting to level out new home buyers are taking advantage of the down market and are not just purchasing one property but two or more. Last month I caught wind that uptown developers are offering to sell their… [Read more…]

Ellington Under the Harlem Skylight

An Evening of Ellington Songs Under the Harlem Skylight Thursday, May 28, 2009 6:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m. The Arts, Culture & Fun Series, along with the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, presents an evening of Ellington songs under the Harlem skylight, with a live jazz band. To RSVP, call (212) 408-0296 or email artsculturefun@parks.nyc.gov. Location Hansborough Pool… [Read more…]

New restos along the 8th Avenue row

Photo by oodleday/Flickr I have been hearing from various sources that Eighth Avenue (known informally as Freddie Dee to some of the recent Harlemites) is expecting at least four new confirmed restaurants to the ever changing boulevard of lost dreams. They each offer a range of culinary options from seafood to Spanish. We’ll start with a new… [Read more…]

New: Gospel Uptown

We first heard word about a new gospel theme restaurant last week when we posted an article about businesses that are opening and shuttering. One perplexed reader queried, ‘what the hell is a gospel theme restaurant?’ Well, it seems that we will all find out on June 12th when Gospel Uptown will be having its… [Read more…]

Photo of the Week: Possibilities of Perspective

Possibilities of Perspective, originally uploaded by Trish Mayo.  

Narmer’s Newsstand

Imams Reject Talk That Islam Radicalizes Inmates [NYT] Rev. Al Sharpton’s $500G link to education reform [DN] Tuskegee Airmen Embrace Their Past [NYT] A Prom Divided [NYT] Terror plotter David Williams did it for me, says sick brother Lord McWilliams [DN] The State of Jazz in Harlem [JAZZ.COM] Principals Younger and Freer, but Raise Doubts… [Read more…]

Because she is the first…

  Jorge Ayala poses for a photograph Tuesday May 26, 2009 at FB Lounge, which he owns, in New York. The change in Ayala’s neighborhood reflects the growth of Latinos in America, who celebrated a huge milestone Tuesday when Sonia Sotomayor, the New York City-born daughter of Puerto Rican parents, was nominated to be the… [Read more…]

Now Open: Cheesesteak Factory

By NARMER. Cheesesteak Factory 2496 Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Blvd. / Seventh Avenue Cross street: 145th Street Harlem, New York 212-690-1111 Photo by Narmer

Playing Hooky in El Barrio

We are planning a hooky party for June, yes I said hooky party. We will all skip work/school for a day and hang out in El Barrio and absorb the culture as friends.The idea is to feed our soul with one of NYC’s historically Latino communities, talk to the people, support some Latino owned business’… [Read more…]

Bottomline Source Closing

If you are ever in the lower Hamilton Heights area then you might have paused to see what neighborhood flavor Bottomline Source had on display in their windows. Passing by the store the other day I noticed that the windows that typically decorated with mannequins dressed in the latest urban fashion are now plastered with… [Read more…]

Advanced Screening of Skin

ImageNation invites you a night of film, music, discussion and cocktails at an advance screening of … SKIN a film by Anthony Fabian 7PM, Tuesday, June 16th Tickets are $15 in advance Buy tickets online at www.imagenation.us (the membership discount will be honored, even if you haven’t recieved your card yet!) The National Black Theater… [Read more…]

Live Jazz n R&B at Tratottoria Amici

Celebrate the Glory of Sugar Hill

Otto Neals: A man of many mediums

Reception – Friday, May 29, 2009, 6-8PM Canvas Paper and Stone Gallery 2611 Frederick Douglass Blvd., Studio 2N New York, N.Y. 10030 (212) 694-1747 canvaspaperandstone@yahoo.com

Morningside Bookshop to Close at End of Month

Did you hear that MORNINGSIDE BOOKSHOP is slated to close at the end of May? There are efforts underway to keep the space open as a bookstore, and donations are being accepted – they have raised $60,000 in pledges in the past few weeks. Pledges can be made via email at info@morningsidebookshop.com, or pop in… [Read more…]

Operation Hope is Banking on Our Future

Operation HOPE and E*TRADE FINANCIAL celebrate the launch of BankingonOurFuture.Org at the Harlem HOPE Center. (Left to right) Edward Kramer, EVP Wolters Kauwer; Celie Neihaus, VP, E*TRADE FINANCIAL; Mike Murphy, SVP E*TRADE FINANCIAL; Arlen Gelbard, Executive Advisor Aqualine Partners and students from Susan McKinney Secondary School of the Arts. Read more at Blackgivesback.com

HCZ and Mentoring USA promote healthy lifestyles

As a part of the Harlem 100 Days of Peace and Purpose campaign, Mentoring USA and the Harlem Children’s Zone co-sponsored a healthy lifestyles event entitled: Together We Serve.” The goal of the April 13th event was to introduce QuickStart tennis and mentoring opportunities to mentees, mentors and parents.

Bebenoir Midnight Sale

History: Basin St. Revue at The Apollo

WATCH IT! 1956 – B&W – 40 min This video was created at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. Some of the greatest of all time including Sarah Vaughan, Lionel Hampton, Martha Davis, Nipsey Russell, and Cab Calloway are featured.

Spirited drinks to cool you down this summer

History: The Savoy Ballroom

Harlem’s notoriously famous hot spot opened on March 12, 1926. The club featured an elegant lobby with a marble staircase leading upstairs to the ballroom which was the entire length of the block. A ballroom designed with a double bandstand, one at each end of a 10,000 square foot dance floor holding an estimated 4000… [Read more…]

History: The Fading Grandeur of St. Nicholas Avenue

  Back in March the blogger behind Harlem: Bespoke wrote a post about the history of Saint Nicholas Avenue that was then known as Harlem Lane. The New York Times has expanded on his post and written a full article about the history of the former carriage road in the Streetscapes section. Writer Christopher Gray says:… [Read more…]

DJ D-Nice Tonight on the Wheels at 17- Below

17- Below 2163 8th Ave New York, N.Y. Doors Open At 8PM

Affordable Housing on the Open Market

Well, the Times has basically picked up where I left off. Read excerpts from yesterday’s article ‘When affordable is still out of reach.’ The article cites the changing economy and the shifting lending policies by banks for the increase of affordable units still on the market. Some examples here in Harlem: For instance, at Beacon… [Read more…]

Come Celebrate The Glory of Sugar Hill

Come Celebrate the Glory of Sugar Hill! is a two-weekend special opportunity to experience Harlem’s Upper West Side and to explore the tasty cafes and bakeries, art galleries, design showrooms, and specialty businesses. It is a promotion on behalf of the merchants, small businesses, and entertainment entities in the Hamilton Heights and Sugar Hill communities,… [Read more…]

Tonight: The Poet and I don’t want to set the world on Fire

THE POET a video installation by Susanne Schuda I DON’T WANT TO SET THE WORLD ON FIRE a sound installation by Florian Schmeiser May 23 – July 11, 2009 Opening Reception: Saturday, May 23, 6PM – 8PM Artist Talk: Thursday, June 11, 6PM Austria-based artists Schuda and Schmeiser’s most recent works examine collective fears and… [Read more…]

Shape Up New York

Now that the weather has warmed up and the sun is making regular appearances you might have finally unpacked the cute summer outfits. To your dismay things might be a bit snugger than you remembered them being last year. To make matters worse, we are in the midst of a recession. Thank goodness the city… [Read more…]

Pollen Nation

Pollen Nation Last month Uptown Flavor had the opportunity to visit Pollen Nation, a new high-end floral design studio and special events planning boutique. UPTOWN Magazine (no relation to Uptownflavor.com) and the Harlem Business Alliance hosted the event on Friday, April 3rd. Pollen Nation was conceived by Collin Abraham and was formerly housed in the… [Read more…]