INTRODUCING: POPBAR AT MANHATTANVILLE COFFEE

When the owners of Manhattanville Coffee on Edgecombe and 142nd gave us a preview of the new coffee shop, they mentioned that there would be a Popbar mini-fridge on the counter in the future and we were not able to try one out until now.  Popbar is actually an artisan popsicle shop in the West Village and we thought it was an interesting concept to bring this specialty item uptown.  The hand-dipped chocolate blood orange was the obvious choice on this hot July afternoon and the overall impression was that this was one cool grownup take on a childhood classic.  Flavors are definitely more natural and on the lighter side so folks used to heavy artificial stuff might not quite get the appeal.  Hopefully this pop concept will take off in Harlem so that we might just start seeing the gelato versions arrive soon at Manhattanville Coffee.

INTRODUCING: MORE GREEN AT THE GRANGE

Walking around Hamilton Heights this past weekend, we noticed that The Grange at 141st and Amsterdam had new plant boxes placed out front.  The popular West Harlem restaurant is in a landmark building which is under scaffolding now so they can not set up sidewalk seating as originally planned.  Seeing that the whole sidewalk shed situation might not be resolved in quite some time, the owner decided to invest in some foliage to at least dress up the front a little while waiting for the construction to begin.  We are always supportive of making Harlem a little more green during summer so The Grange gets a Bespoke thumbs up for beautifying the block.

RENT: 213 WEST 139TH STREET ONE BEDROOM

A true one bedroom on historic Strivers Row is going for a reasonable $1,600 a month these days.  Considering this is one of the most famous neighborhoods in Central Harlem, prices could be higher but right now there is not too much going on as far as better amenities in the immediate area.  With that said, express subway lines are close enough to make transportation easy and St. Nicholas park is only a 5 minute walk away.  More details can be found on the broker site: LINK

REVIVE: MYSTERY LAND ON PRIME 125TH STREET

One of the last open lots on prime West 125th Street parcel of land still appears to be inactive for some reason.  The corner of 125th Street at the north eastern side of Fifth Avenue looks like a small jungle now facing the brownstones in the area just a block from Marcus Garvey Park and the Mount Morris Park Historic District.  We expected this location to develop more quickly than other areas now that the government is charging market rate taxes on old lots but nothing has happened as of yet.  Does anyone have any details on the history of the plot and why the land has remained neglected in the past few years?

☞ FOLLOW: HARLEM BESPOKE VIA TWITTER

Harlem Bespoke also has a Twitter account for those who want daily updates about stuff that's happening in the neighborhood. If you Twitter, check out our Harlem tweets and join here: LINK