East Harlem is Fit for a Queen

Earlier this week, "Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan and UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman today met with students and staff at the highly successful Young Women's Leadership School in East Harlem to discuss the important role that quality education plays in improving children’s lives," according to a UNICEF press release.
Read the full press release for Queen Rania Al Abdullah's visit.

Recession Advice from an East Harlem Couch

You are your own best investment. Spotted on 102nd.

Spend the Last Warm Nights of the Season at Moustache

It's officially fall, but there are still some warm days left, I hope. After warm days come warm nights and those should be spent at Moustache. I spent one recent warm Sunday night sitting at their outdoor area drinking wine and enjoying the great tunes. I've only eaten there once (I usually like to go a few times or try a couple of dishes to write a review), but I wanted to make sure you hit their outdoor space before it got too cold. The East Harlem Moustache is one of three Mediterranean Pitza Restaurants around Manhattan. I tried the Moustache Pitza, a fresh pita covered in roasted red bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, parsley and mozzarella. It was great combination of flavors and a unique twist on a classic pizza pie, . My waitress was an East Harlemer excited to discuss her favorite haunts around the hood (which, of course I love to discuss too). Be sure to hit Moustache soon and let me know which dishes you try.

City of Haarlem

Although I was in a different borough at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, my mind was on Harlem it would seem.





City of Haarlem is a type of hyacinth.

Central Park Staycation

The New York Times has a great article about "staycationing" in Central Park this Labor Day weekend. Lots of uptown spots to try.

Here is the full article and the slide show.

Happy Labor Day!

In Focus

Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day. Here are some shots from my visit to The Conservatory Garden in Central Park, near Fifth Ave and 105th St.

A Rainy Museum Weekend

It's supposed to be a rainy weekend, perfect for a museum visit...here are some suggestions:

Friday @ The Studio Museum Harlem
144 West 125th Street
New York, New York 10027
Uptown Fridays: “Afro-Latin Style” with Geko Jones & Ethegy
"Dance to the worldly beats of Global Ghetto Technician, Geko Jones, along with a warm-up by up Eclectic Technician Ethegy. Experience this high-energy party flow into paint as visual artists create Afro-Latin inspired work live to the beats! Don’t miss this fun and festive evening of culture in Harlem!"
$10 admission for all before 8 PM

After 8 pm - $15 general admission/ $10 Members, seniors, students

Saturday @ The Museum of the City of New York
1220 Fifth Avenue at 103rd St.
New York, NY 10029
Mannahatta/Manhattan
I haven't been to this exhibit yet, but my friend Elizabeth Griffin wrote a great article on the Mannahatta Project for The Daily Green.
Tell them you're an East Harlem resident (if you are one, of course) and you get into the museum for free.

Sunday @ The Studio Museum Harlem
144 West 125th Street
New York, New York 10027
Target Free Sundays
They have a few great exhibits there right now; I definitely want to check out Expanding the Walls: Making Connections between Photography, History and Community.

East Harlem Farmers' Market

On Sundays from July to November, from 10am to 4pm, at 106th and 3rd Avenue, East Harlem has its own farmers' market.



According to Scott Stringer's (our borough president) blog:

"East Harlem, a “food desert,” lacks access to fresh and local fruits and vegetables on the weekends. The first ever weekend Farmers' Market in East Harlem is another way in which Go Green and the Borough President are actively combating issues of food equity and environmental justice."



The market is small, but the vegetables were fresh and extremely inexpensive. Come out on Sundays and support the market. Go Green East Harlem!

Sunday Street Scene

The summer heat had final started to let up.

'El Rufo'

El Museo Del Barrio has some great events coming up including afternoons and evenings at 'El Rufo,' or on the roof.

This one sounds really fun:
Para Gente Con Clase: Nacotheque and Guests
Saturday, Ausust 15 4pm–7pm

Beyond salsa and rancheras, Nacoteque is underground indie rock, nostalgia pop, ska, cumbias, and electro, all in one, plus much more. Jumping in will be DJs Marcelo Cunning and Amylu Meneses that will have you raising el rufo!

Also a TDA rooftop movie later that night.

Hope to see you there.

More info in the calendar section of the El Musseo Del Barrio website.

The One About the Taqueria that Crossed the Road

In its days as a much more modest taqueria it was called "one of the best restaurants in the area," by the New York Times. Now, just across the street in a larger and more grand location, El Paso has been transformed into a tqueria and cavicheria. With its new and extended title comes more upscale dishes as well something lacking in most restaurants around here: atmosphere.

With staco walls, Frida Kahlo art in tile, decorative skeletons and other Dia de los Muertos items, El Paso takes you to something akin to the high end restaurant of Oaxaca. Walk through to the outdoor covered patio area and your trip to Mexico is complete.

Each dish is fresh and authentic, so allow the knowledgeable wait staff to steer you to a dish outside of your comfort zone. If you live around here you've probably had Mole Poblano and enchiladas, but not like these. Try the tacos, you get three of them, perfectly presented. The el pastor taco and the chorizo are my favorites. It's a pleasure to speak to the staff, they are sweet enough to sing a song a friend and I had forgotten the lyrics to, and they are eagerly willing to discuss the future of the old restaurant's space (a Mexican bakery is the rumor). The addition of the ceviche menu had me concern at first, "overextendederia," I feared, was to be added to its new title. Not to worry, the ceviche stays consistent: fresh and authentic again.

This updated restaurant, at least to me, is a welcomed addition to East Harlem. The chatter, as it often is with a gentrifying area, is mixed. This upscale place is a bit pricer then the two other El Paso locations, which remain as traditional taquerias. More expensive, yes, but a destination restaurant, fit to take the East Harlem doubters, of which I know many.

Recommended Dishes: Mole Pablano, Al Pastor (Pork, Pineapple and Onion) Tacos, Enchiladas



El Paso
1643 Lexington Ave at 104th St
212 831-9831
www.elpasotaqueria.com

I Met Manny Vega!

Walking down 104th St near Lexington, I saw a man touching up the famous "The Spirit of East Harlem " mural. I asked if I could take his photo for the blog, and we got to talking. His name is Manny Vega, and you may know him from his mural and mosaic work around East Harlem. He told me that he had worked as an assistant on the original mural, painted back in 1973. He was fighting off the graffiti artists who had covered up parts of the mural earlier that week. He said it would probably be an ongoing battle.

Vega's work can be seen at the East Harlem Coffee Shop on Lexington and 104th St and the 6 train 110th St stop.

Here's a great interactive piece on Manny Vega on the New York Times' website.





The Spirit of East Harlem

Back in Harlem

I apologize for the blogs lack of posts as of late. Thanks for your patience! I moved to a new section of East Harlem earlier this month and spent most of June looking for my new home and packing up my old one. Moving is exhausting, but I'm finally feeling ready to start exploring my new area of East Harlem. I'm a bit further south then I was previously and there are lots of new restaurants, shops and other East Harlem treasures to tell you about.


Here's the first treasure. Right on the corner of 102nd St and Park is what looks like a gallery, only I live near by and I've never seen it open. Does any one know the scoop?

East River Plaza UPDATE

According to The New York Times Costco announced today that it will be accepting food stamps on trial bases at their new East River Plaza location.

East River Plaza

If you live in East Harlem you've probably seen the construction of the East River Plaza, you really can't miss it. If you don't live in the area you've probably heard rumors of a Costco and Target being built uptown. Lately there has been a great deal of chatter going on about the project. I'd like to try to consolidate some of the recent information and start a conversation about the project in general, and see what residents and even non-residents think of the plaza.

The Basics: The East River Plaza is being developed in East Harlem along the FDR Drive between 116th and 119th St. It will be a large big-box mall, 485,000 square feet, of the style more often seen in suburbs. According to PlaNYC's website, "In 1996 Blumenfeld Development Group, Ltd. (BDG) purchased the site. The site was rezoned in 1999, changing the zoning from an M2-2 to a C4-4 to allow for the commercial growth. From the time of the rezoning till 2004 when Forest City Ratner Company (FCRC) bought a stake in the development, the project was stalled. Both FCRC and BDG will develop the site."

The plaza could bring 1200-2000 jobs into the community, and the developers have pledged to hire within the community.

Originally Home Depot was one of the tenants of the plaza, but they have subleased their space to Costco. In addition to Costco, Target, Best Buy and Marshalls have also agreed to be tenants.

The East River Plaza is scheduled to open in October 2009.


Lately there has been concerns about Costco not accepting food stamps. According to the New York Times more then 30,000 residents in East Harlem receive food stamps. Costco has stated they do not have the technology to accept food stamps. The times quotes an East Harlem resident, Viveca Diaz, aptly stating, "Very interesting. The corner bodega takes food stamps, and Costco doesn't."

Costco has also been in the news for their proposed delivery schedule. According to the New York Times, "Costco just won special permission for its tractor-trailers to drive on residential streets in East Harlem between midnight and 5 a.m. to make deliveries." The Daily News has an opinion piece from East Harlem resident Dolores Prida, entitled "Sleepless in East Harlem" on the topic.

What are your thoughts on the East River Plaza? Do you think it will bring traffic congestion and late-night noise, or jobs and great shopping experiences?

-Gloria