After establishing a budget for around $2 million, it was clear that South Harlem was the area to pick out since it was still relatively close to Mount Sinai and Carnegie Hill homes mostly started at the $4 million mark. A gut renovated, 2-family brownstone just north of Central Park was the final choice and the family easily doubled their living space from the previous living situation. Besides having a roof deck, a proper dining room and separate rooms for the girls, the doctor was also amazed by the attitude of the neighborhood. Folks apparently greet each other in passing during the morning hours and that was something that never happened over in Carnegie Hill.
Read more in the New York Times: LINK
Neighbors greeting one another was the first thing I noticed when I looked for apartments here, and it was a factor in my decision to live here instead of in Brooklyn. It really makes the neighborhood feel like home, rather than just a place to live. And it has made me a more friendly and open person. I love my neighbors!
ReplyDeleteOur Harlem condo, where I know all of my fellow owners, is the first New York building where I have known more than one or two neighbors. The custom of people offering a cordial greeting on the street is one of Harlem's most endearing charms. Like cmb,I feel it has made me a more friendly and less cynical person.
ReplyDeleteThey look like a nice family. Welcome!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with CMB and feel the general friendliness on the streets of Harlem needs to be preserved and maintained even with the changing dynamics of the neighborhood! I love looking people in the eye and acknowledging them when I walk down the street, even stopping to talk a while. I think the front stoop custom, where neighbors can cross paths and catch up while sitting in the sun is also a great benefit of the neighborhood!
ReplyDeleteThat is so true ! I'm amazed everyday by how people in my neighborhood (west Harlem)
ReplyDeleteGetting caught up late with this -- as I prepare to move from Harlem to Seattle (it's for my job, not because I want to), the friendliness on the streets of Harlem is something I'll miss tremendously. It's not just among neighbors, but total strangers as well. A random person giving me a big smile and a "Good morning!" as I pass by just brightens the whole day.
ReplyDeleteThat's one of the very first things I discovered when I moved here three years ago from elsewhere in the city, and it's the first thing I always tell others about.
Harlem is a treasure.
???Who the heck are y'all talking about??? I lived in Harlem for 30some years and never witness all this street friendliness, unless it was someone you knew. And when the white folk started coming, they definitely were decidedly unfriendly... just came for the houses, NOT a social experience. Nobody was ever confused. The "natives" knew they were being displaced, the "gentry" knew what they were about. Friendly wasn't in the game.
ReplyDeleteI would concur with the majority of the comments received and the quote in the Times article. There are even blocks that we do not live on that residents have greeted us in passing.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry about Stephife's experience. I have had the opposite. The friendliness of the "natives" was most evident from the very first. Whether they knew me or not. "Happy Fatha's Day" "Happy Easter" are common greetings on those holidays and it continues all year. The "white folk" have been pretty friendly as well.
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