DWELL: 19 WEST 120TH STREET IN CONTRACT

Harlem Bespoke: Number 19 West 120th Street in the Mount Morris Park Historic District just arrived back on the market for $4.89 million last month and just went into contract this week. As previously mentioned, the two-family home has modern updates such as HVAC and inset lighting but the majority of the woodwork within the the 20-foot-wide townhouse by Lenox Avenue is still beautifully intact.  There is also a very rare porch area out front which is quite unique to any neighborhood outside of Astor Row.  This location is also on one of the most charming blocks to be found uptown and is close to the new Whole Foods by the 125th Street express subway stop.  More details on the landmark building along with additional photos can be found on the broker site: LINK

 HarlemBespoke.com 2019

OPEN HOUSE NEW YORK: GRANT'S TOMB

Saturday and Sunday, October 19th & 20th, Open House New York Tour at Grant's Tomb, West 122nd Street and Riverside Drive.  A special 30-minute architecture themed tours each day at 11:15AM and 3:15PM in the Mausoleum, or join the 10 minute ranger talk on the front portico at 10:30AM or 2:30PM. The Mausoleum will be open an hour earlier from 9:00AM to 5:00PM for both days to accommodate visitors who are making plans to see other open house events in the city.  More details can be found at the Grant's Tomb site: LINK

HarlemBespoke.com 2019

ART: KARNI-BAIN AT IL CAFFE LATTE ON LENOX

Harlem Bespoke: Local artist Carl E. Karni-Bain can usually be seen painting and selling works on Sugar Hill but now has a show up at Il Caffe Latte on Lenox by 119th Street.  We noticed the quality of the work immediately and mentioned that the classically trained artist is modern day Picasso of Sugar Hill a few years ago.  Since then, Mr. Karni-Bain has sold a few pieces to local collectors so art admirers should drop by over the weekend to see the new show.  More about the artist can be found in our past post: LINK

HarlemBespoke.com 2019

LISTEN: DID YOU HEAR HER VOICE AT MORRIS-JUMEL

Saturday, October 19th, 8:00pm-9:30pm,  Eliza Jumel and Nellie Bly: Grand Dames and the Mysteries of Old New York at Morris-Jumel Mansion, 65 Jumel Terrace between 160th and 161st Street.  Witness first-hand the magic and wonder of the “theatre of the mind” as Fireside Mystery Theatre presents their unique brand of original audio drama performed live. Join the talented cast and crew of FMT as they conjure the spirits of two towering female figures of old New York, Madame Eliza Jumel and Miss Nellie Bly, for an evening of thrilling historical fiction like no other — performed and recorded LIVE from INSIDE the mansion! Go to firesidemysterytheatre.com to learn more and check out past programs via their hit podcast. $30/$25 Museum Members.  Get tickets online: LINK

HarlemBespoke.com 2018

SEE: AROUND HARLEM THIS WEEKEND

Harlem Bespoke: Keep it all uptown and help out Harlem's great local businesses over the weekend.  Below is the Bespoke list of what is new and notable in the north neighborhoods to try out this upcoming weekend. 

Ethiopian cuisine at Benyam on FDB by 149th Street: LINK

Saturday Morningside Farmers Market at 110th and Manhattan: LINK

Coffee and ambiance at Common Good on FDB by 149th Street: LINK

Arepas and drinks at Barepas on Amsterdam by 148th street: LINK

Grabbing brunch at Ruby's Vintage on ACP by 137th Street: LINK

Dinner at Archer & Goat on Lenox by 119th Street: LINK

Burgers, shakes and fries at Shake Shack on 125th Street: LINK

Weekend lunch at Teranga on 110th Street and Fifth Avenue: LINK

African coffee and tea at Ginjan Cafe on 125th Street: LINK

Discovering new contemporary African eateries in Harlem: LINK

Visiting Ploughshares Coffee on Amsterdam and 126th Street: LINK

Eating at the new Pizza by Lucille's on Macomb and 150th: LINK

Reserving a spot at Harlem's only Michelin Star restaurant: LINK

Checking out the new Mountain Bird location on 2nd Avenue and 111th: LINK

Dinner service at Belle on ACP 7th Avenue by 139th Street: LINK

Crafted rice bowls at Field Trip on Lenox by 116th Street: LINK

Asian pub grub at The Expat on the corner of Tiemann and Claremont: LINK

Drinks at Sugar Monk on Frederick Douglass by 123rd Street: LINK

Cold brew coffee at Little Bean on St. Nicholas and 111th Street: LINK

Coffee at Lucille's on Macombs Place and 150th Street: LINK

Cocktails and small bites at L'Argot on Hamilton Place: LINK

Drinks at Boxers Washington Heights on Broadway by 159th: LINK

Pizza Happy Hour on the weekends at Uncle Tony's by 139th Street: LINK

More drinks at the new Harlem Ale House on 127th Street: LINK

Tasting tacos in East Harlem at La Chula on 116th Street: LINK

Hanging out at the Bierstrasse beer garden on 12th Avenue: LINK

Coffee and donuts at Shuteye on 116th between Lenox and 7th Ave: LINK

Cocktails at Hexagon Lounge on 142nd Street by Edgecombe: LINK

Visiting Bo's Bagels on 116th early in the morning before they sell out: LINK

Trying out the brunch burger at RDV on FDB by West 112th Street: LINK

Discovering Japanese style crepes at Crepe Master on 116th: LINK

Tasting ice cream at Sugar Hill Creamery on Lenox by 119th: LINK

Dinner service at Clay on Manhattan Avenue and 123rd Street: LINK 

Drinks at the new Honeywell in Hamilton Heights on Broadway: LINK

Eating hand-made tacos at the Oso on Amsterdam and 140th Street: LINK

Discovering the East Harlem Bottling Co. on Lexington by 107th Street: LINK

Seafood and craft cocktails at  B2 Harlem on West 119th: LINK

Trying out southern whiskey at Uptown Bourbon by 152nd Street: LINK

Slurping up authentic ramen at R.O.K.C on Broadway by 141st Street: LINK

Brunch or dinner at Sottocasa Pizzeria on Lenox by 121st Street: LINK

Eating great Italian at Fumo on Amsterdam and 139th Street: LINK

Destination worthy brunch at Solomon & Kuff on 12th Avenue: LINK

HarlemBespoke.com 2019

DWELL: 233 LENOX AVENUE TOWNHOUSE

Harlem Bespoke: Number 233 Lenox Avenue arrived on the market back in April 2018 for just under $6 million, then the formerly highest priced home in Harlem had been reduced to $5.5 million by last summer and this past June went down further to $4.75 million.  As previously mentioned, the location by 121st Street in the Mount Morris Park Historic District is quite ideal but the entire building has been chopped up into 2 occupied apartments and a commercial space on the ground floor.  Whole Foods opened up a few blocks north on 125th Street a couple of years ago which might be the reason for the higher price range but the market is very competitive these days.  More details on the broker site: LINK

HarlemBespoke.com 2019

SHOP: RENOVATIONS AT WHADDAPITA ON AMSTERDAM

Harlem Bespoke: The Greek casual eatery called Whaddapita opened on Amsterdam by 141st Street in the past year but was closed last month for reported renovations.   We saw that the bright blue facade was being painted over a couple of weeks ago and now a new business has actually been revealed at this City College location

BESPOKE KIDS: FILM NIGHT AT UNITED PALACE

Saturday, October 26th, 5:00PM, The Goonies (1985) at United Palace, 4150 Broadway by 175th Street.  Experience the classic film The Goonies from 1985 on a 50-foot screen in Manhattan's 4th largest theater! Wear your Halloween costume and join the parade across the stage before the movie!   Tickets are $15 adults, $8 children and more details can be found online: LINK

HarlemBespoke.com 2018

BESPOKE: HARLEM LISTINGS 2019

Harlem Bespoke: Those who are interested in renting, buying or selling in Harlem should check out the Bespoke Listings page which feature the top experts in Harlem and the uptown market.  Our sponsors are some of the best in the field and cover a wide range of price points within the upper Manhattan market: LINK

HarlemBespoke.com 2019

☞ CONTACT: GOT A HARLEM BESPOKE TIP?

Send any tips and especially photos over our way if you have stories on your section of Harlem: harlembespoke@gmail.com

EAT: AFFORDABLE MICHELIN RECOMMENDATIONS 2020

Harlem Bespoke: Harlem's Michelin Star restaurant Inoue sushi is the gem of Central Harlem's fine dining scene but is one of the priciest restaurants in the neighborhood also. Those who can dine out at the critically acclaimed Japanese restaurant should do so but a lot of uptowners might want to check out something much more affordable as far as better dining goes.  Luck would have it that Michelin guides now has a recommended list of affordable spots in the city and two three can be found in Harlem.  Included is Matthew Trebek's Oso on Amsterdam by 140th Street which serves up handmade tacos and is one of the popular restaurants to open up in Hamilton Heights in recent yers.

Another local favorite that is on the list is Jin Ramen which opened on Broadway just south of 125th Street back in 2012 and has since become an uptown legend. Jin also expanded recently to include their excellent next door rice bowl eatery which makes the eatery twice as attractive to visit.  The third recommendation is Zoma on Frederick Douglass Boulevard at 113th which is one of the first Ethipian restaurants to arrived in Central Harlem years ago.  Make sure to stop by these local businesses and also check out the full recommendation list for NYC in Gothamist:  LINK


HarlemBespoke.com 2019

DWELL: 104 WEST 120TH STREET ON THE MARKET

Harlem Bespoke:  A gut renovated 18-foot-wide historic brownstone in the Mount Morris Park Historic District has arrived on the market for $3.995 million.  The 2-family building has a rental apartment at the garden level and there is about 4,289 square foot of space with seriously contemporary finishes.  This location is also close to the many restaurants on Lenox, the express 2,3 trains and the new Whole Foods on 125th Street.  Hitting close to the $4 million price point is the premium these days but townhouses within Mount Morris Park are also usually in high demand.  More photos on the broker site: LINK


HarlemBespoke.com 2019

ARCHITECTURE: FACADE FINISHES AT 54-62 WEST 125TH

Harlem Bespoke:  Construction has picked up for the past year at 54-62 West 125th Street and a major milestone has just happened recently.  We walked by the site located just east of Lenox Avenue over the weekend and noticed that the scaffolding and netting was currently being removed.  Most of 125th Street has been low-rise for since the beginning of Harlem's development boom in the mid 1800's but now that is all changing quickly.

SEE: BALLET HISPANICO AT THE APOLLO 2018

Friday, November 22nd & Saturday, November 23rd, 8:00PM, Ballet Hispanico at The Apollo Theater, 125th Street between 7th and 8th Avenue. Ballet Hispánico, America's leading Latino dance organization, returns to the Apollo Theater to celebrate the power of the Latina voice with works by all female choreographers. This season includes the world premiere of Anabelle Lopez Ochoa's Triburones, as well as the return of Nací by Andrea Miller and Michelle Manzanales' Con Brazos Abiertos.  More details and online tickets can be found on the Apollo site: LINK

HarlemBespoke.com 2019

☞ SUBSCRIBE: HARLEM BESPOKE BY EMAIL

Get daily Harlem Bespoke posts via email the moment they are published by subscribing below. Just enter your e-mail address and click on subscribe to get started.

Enter your e-mail address:

DWELL: 170 WEST 133RD STREET REDUCED

Harlem Bespoke:  One of the homes on Harlem's historic speakeasy street known as Jungle Alley during the Renaissance years went on the market at year ago for  $2.188 million and has had several price chops to the current $1.7 million.  Number 170 West 133rd Street is located just east of 7th Avenue and the 2-family townhouse has a front buildout that was probably some sort of commercial establishment back in the day.  

The listing now has interior photos which looks like everything needs a bit of an update and there appears to be a tiny amount of original details from a previous renovation over a decade ago or so.  A  moderately renovated, move-in condition brownstone for under $2 million might be one of the better deals to be found uptown so those who do not mind a little elbow grease could possibly make this happen.  Express trains on 135th Street are just a couple of blocks away on Lenox which makes the location convenient for commuters.  More details and photos can be found on Streeteasy: LINK

HarlemBespoke.com 2018

INTRODUCING: ROLAND'S DEBUTS ON FDB

Harlem Bespoke:  Nabe shuttered on FDB just a month ago and something new has already taken over the corner commercial space on FDB at 127th Street.  Construction pretty much started up at a fast pace and Roland's has officially arrived in only three weeks or so. The wood oven pizza spot is a Master Class on how to get a new business started up quickly and one Bespoke tip just came in mentioning that the pizza was quite good.  We will definitely be dropping by soon to check things out for a future review.  In the meantime, more on the closing of Nabe can be found in our past post: LINK

HarlemBespoke.com 2019

QUESTION: WHAT'S UP WITH 1763 AMSTERDAM?

Harlem Bespoke: We have not had a chance to do a followup story on the church at 1763 Amsterdam Avenue by 147th Street since demolition for the historic site was announced back in 2017.  Some might remember the significance of this building was that the house of worship had been the location of the funeral of Malcolm X and was set for demolition a couple of years ago.

LISTEN: COMPOSER'S NIGHT AT NATIONAL JAZZ MUSEUM

Thursday, October 17th, 7:00PM,  Composer’s Night: Kalia Vandever Group & Mark Wade Trio  at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, 58 West 129th Street, just east of Lenox.  The National Jazz Museum in Harlem in partnership with New Music Horizons presents jazz composers Kalia Vandever and Mark Wade in concert. Vandever has been hailed as “an exciting new voice” by Hot House Magazine while Wade was picked as one of the top bassists of 2016 and 2018 by the DownBeat Magazine Reader’s Poll. Each composer will present a set of their original works with an informal Q&A to follow.  More details and online tickets at the NJMH site: LINK

HarlemBespoke.com 2019

☞ FOLLOW: BESPOKE VIA TWITTER

Harlem Bespoke also has a Twitter account with over 6,450 followers for those who want daily updates about stuff that is happening in the neighborhood. If you Twitter, check out our Harlem tweets and join here: LINK