Now that the summer season is at its height, we noticed that several of the new outdoor eateries have introduced umbrellas to their outdoor seating areas. Up on Lenox and 126th Street, the Red Rooster sticks to the more traditional scheme of things with a matching red umbrella shading guests from the sun. Chez Lucienne next door switches things up by adding a pop of complimentary colors in turquoise and orange to brighten things up. On lower FDB/8th Avenue, Lido sports brand new white parasols while Five and Diamond has a vibrant blue to contrast the restaurant's mostly black tinted facade. Further up the block, Harlem Tavern on West 116th Street follows the Rooster's lead and sticks to a matching red theme. Harlem's boulevard sidewalks are wide so the additional umbrellas provide and extra touch of shade when the awnings do not reach as far out.
My favorite is Chez Lucienne with the colorful Pellegrino umbrellas, but they all make a positive statement beckoning customers from afar, the huge sidewalks of Harlem are perfect for this.
ReplyDeleteAgreed westsider, now if only we could get rid of those idiot kids on the dirt bikes and atvs zooming up and down the avenues. That would make it even better.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone have ideas.
Beautiful sight - and they seem to be doing well too.
ReplyDeleteI just saw the rough footage of a documentary proposing alternate sites for those kids to safely ride, where the noise of the bikes won't be a nuisance. It was nice to see someone propose a positive solution, rather than simply calling them idiots. They could be doing a lot worse things than annoying us with those bikes.
ReplyDeleteNo. They are idiots. And they come up on the sidewalk. With kids and the elderly. It's a miracle no one on my block has been seriously injured.
DeleteAnd traumatic brain injury is permanent.
Sorry vaslgb, but I was almost killed by them on two occasions and they threatened me after almost hitting me. You can defend them all you like but they see crowded streets an ride doing wheelies and the like down busy streets without regard to other peoples safety, what do you call that? Civil behavior?
ReplyDeletevaslgb - From my own personal experience it wasn't so much the noise of the bikes that was a nuisance, it was running to cross the street to avoid being struck while they popped wheelies through a solid red light going the wrong way on a one-way street off Morningside park. THAT was a nuisance. The noise? Not so much. Trust when I say I that "idiots" was not in my choice of words that afternoon. But getting back to the umbrellas - indeed they're nice to see.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to throw an umbrella right into their spokes.
DeleteI'm not defending the bikers at all. I'm asking for more civility from those who seemingly purport to know how to behave. Whatever the bikers may do or have done, name-calling serves no constructive purpose. This otherwise lovely blog spot has far too much of that, and it's almost always by the same people.
ReplyDeleteYes, zLister, the umbrellas are a lovely addition to the neighborhood.
Civility you say, when you are almost killed by them and then abused for "getting" in their way then and only then can you talk to me about civility and understanding.
ReplyDeleteI am totally sick of law breakers being treated like errant children. They are breaking the law period and for that I will address them as what they are idiots. Complete and utter fools, they run red lights and act like they own the roads of Harlem.
I will NOT indulge them and in fact I have petitioned the precinct to try and get something done.
I have no quarrel with you valgb but please don't come at me with that type of feel for them stuff.
I find it regrettable that someone has seen fit to make a film about them. It gives a measure of legittamacy to a bunch of thugs.
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