SHOP: PLANT CORNER ON LENOX AVENUE

Harlem Bespoke:  One of the local stores to support for the warmer season is Plant Corner on Lenox by West 119th Street which is just over a year old now.  Stop for some green gifts including pots and more unique accessory items for the plant lovers in your life.

CLASSICAL THEATRE OF HARLEM IN JULY

Harlem Bespoke: Outdoor theater returns to Harlem with the Classical Theatre of Harlem's production of Malvolio at Marcus Garvey Park in July.   One of the must-see experiences of summer!

CLASSICAL THEATRE OF HARLEM IN JULY

Harlem Bespoke: Outdoor theater returns to Harlem with the Classical Theatre of Harlem's production of Malvolio at Marcus Garvey Park in July.   One of the must-see experiences of summer!

DWELL: CHAIWALI BROWNSTONE UP FOR SALE

Harlem Bespoke: The beloved Harlem Indian restaurant Chaiwali announced that they were permanently closing back in December and now the brownstone at 274 Lenox Avenue by West 124th Street in the Mount Morris Park Historic District is up for sale.

MOVIES UNDER THE STARS AT MARCUS GARVEY PARK

Harlem Bespoke: Celebrate Juneteenth weekend in Harlem with a FREE, outdoor screening of Oscar-winning documentary SummeGrab a blanket and come enjoy a movie in a neighborhood park or playground! This summer, NYC Parks and The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment will host family-friendly movie showings across the five boroughs. 

BESPOKE: HARLEM SHAKE ON LENOX AVENUE 2023

Harlem Bespoke.  The first Harlem Shake in the city debuted 10 years ago this month at West 124th Street on Lenox Avenue!  We had to stop by this week to soak in the memories and the food has always been consistently good.  Try out the spring fling shake also which has a peachy ice cream in the mix and a lot of sparkle up top!   More on Harlem Shake can be found in our past post: LINK

HarlemBespoke.com 2023

SEE: HARLEM SKYSCRAPER CYCLING CLASSIC 2023

Sunday, June 18th, from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, The 48th Annual Harlem Skyscraper Cycling Classic at Mount Morris Park West.  Started back in 1973 by a local police officer to encourage youth safety in Harlem, the Skyscraper Cycling Classic is now a big international event attracting over 500 professional athletes who compete on a path around Mount Morris Park.

CELEBRATE: HARLEM SHAKE 10TH ANNIVERSARY

Harlem Bespoke: Saturday, May 13th, from 3:00PM-6:00PM, Harlem Shake on Lenox by 124th Street, celebrates 10 years of being a part of the Harlem community. For the special day - Dine-in specials: 2 for $10 Harlem Classic burgers 2 for $10 Shakes (shortie size) $10 for Froze.   Live jazz and more on this great day in Harlem!  More on the original Harlem Shake can be found in our past post: LINK

HarlemBespoke.com 2023

DWELL: JULIA FOX BUYS HARLEM BROWNSTONE

Harlem Bespoke:  We have been following the sale of this notable brownstone over the past few months now the local papers have reported that downtown celebrity Julia Fox has made the big purchase to move uptown. 

The apparent 2-family brownstone at 102 West 123rd Street went up on the market for $3.65 $2.99 million asking price last fall and now has a contract out as of the last week of February. This impressive 20-foot-wide corner landmark townhouse in the historic district has some expensive upgrades inside and there appears to be two duplexes set up since two kitchens are within the floor plans.

ARCHITECTURE: A DECORATIVE STAR OF DAVID

Harlem Bespoke: We were checking out some of the carved townhouse elements in the Hamilton Heights Historic District and noticed one very decorative Star of David just around the corner from Convent Avenue.  This might be a Christian reference or another possibility could be that one of the builders had been Jewish during this time period when brownstones started to appear all over the former countryside of Harlem.  Regardless of the reason, this star with a spring floral motif was a lovely discovery and is rarely found outside of church or temple architecture uptown.

HarlemBespoke.com 2023

DWELL: CHAIWALI BROWNSTONE UP FOR SALE

Harlem Bespoke: The beloved Harlem Indian restaurant Chaiwali announced that they were permanently closing back in December and now the brownstone at 274 Lenox Avenue by West 124th Street in the Mount Morris Park Historic District is up for sale.

REMEMBER: HARLEM'S HIDDEN RELIGIOUS HISTORY

Harlem Bespoke: Another post written in past celebrates the holiday season with uptown's forgotten Jewish history. Did you know that Harlem was also uptown's major Jewish neighborhood over a century ago?

UPDATE: THE METROPOLITAN CHURCH 2023

Harlem Bespoke: One of grand local African-American churches went up for sale at 147-149 West 123rd Street for $6.25 $5.95 million in October 2019 and a contract is now out as of May 13th, 2022 and there is finally a new update on the sale. We received information from the broker that everything closed for $4.3M and the buyer was another religious organization.  

BESPOKE: HARLEM'S BEST RED VELVET CUPCAKES

Harlem Bespoke: We were feeling very nostalgic for red velvet cupcakes lately and headed over to Loretta Alston's namesake specialty bakery on Lenox by 120th Street.  Red velvet was everywhere when we started blogging over the decades but has since become harder to find these days and most offerings are pretty basic.  Not at L.A. Sweets!  Everything at the boutique shop is baked freshly within hours and is hands down the most super moist cupcake we have had over the years.  Our red velvet experience was absolutely on point with flavor and the cupcake was still warm with the cream cheese icing just whipped on top per order.

CELEBRATE: ARCHER & GOAT 4TH ANNIVERSARY

Harlem Bespoke: Archer & Goat on Lenox by 119th Street debuted back in 2019 and will be celebrating their fourth year anniversary this week! We especially love the Latin, South Asian and East Asian flavors mixed into dishes like the seared duck or tossed in with fresh chop herbs on top of seasonal vegetables.  Everything is a labor of love from the local couple that started up the eatery and reflects the owner's divers backgrounds.  As far as restaurant openings are concerned for this year, Archer & Goat is definitely one of the best to try out uptown.

Those who are around today, Thursday, March 30th, should drop by to celebrate the anniversary with $10 cocktail specials and DJs SUCE and DJ Just Nice spinning a mix of funk, soul, reggaeton, house and more on vinyl from 6:00PM – 10:00PM (no cover). In addition, Archer & Goat will be debuting the new Hot Fish Sandwich, beer and vodka battered cod with their housemade panch phoran (Bengali spice blend) aioli, slaw, pickled peppers and a side of fries. More on Archer & Goat in our past post: LINK

HarlemBespoke.com 2023

REMEMBER: HARLEM'S FIRST FAMOUS FRIED CHICKEN

             From A Night Club Map of Harlem by E. Simms Campbell c. 1932

Harlem Bespoke: Tillie Fripp was a roadhouse cook in Philly via Florida back in 1926 who quit her job and ended up being a key figure that attracted folks uptown during the Jazz Age. With only $1.98 in her pocket, the young woman was invited to a sleepy block on West 133rd Street between Lenox and 7th Avenue which only had one notable club called The Nest.  Miss Fripp ended up getting a job as a cook for a lesser known speakeasy in exchange for free rent but soon became the main attraction.  With her personal approach with customers along with great platter combinations such as ham and eggs or chicken and waffles, customer soon flocked to 133rd Street in droves late at night.

DWELL: CHAIWALI BROWNSTONE UP FOR SALE

Harlem Bespoke: The beloved Harlem Indian restaurant Chaiwali announced that they were permanently closing back in December and now the brownstone at 274 Lenox Avenue by West 124th Street in the Mount Morris Park Historic District is up for sale.

☞ BESPOKE: The Canines at 199 Lenox Avenue

Harlem Bespoke: There's a beautiful corner building at 120th and Lenox that has a somewhat unusual carving on the brownstone stoop. The decorative elements usually found in 19th century buildings include floral motifs, mythological beings, horses, lions, angels and cherubs but rare are the ones displaying pets. Building number 199 Lenox has one of those animal themed carvings and one can see from the center photo that there are two dogs prominently centered at the front entrance of the building. The juvenile canines blend right in with the style of the building so its easy to pass by many times before realizing that they are there. This building has the only pet motif that we have seen in Harlem thus far so they are quite unique. 

HarlemBespoke.com 2023

SHOP: PLANT CORNER ON LENOX AVENUE

Harlem Bespoke:  One of the local stores to support for the spring season is Plant Corner on Lenox by West 119th Street which is just over a year old now.  Stop for some green gifts including pots and more unique accessory items for the plant lovers in your life.

DWELL: 102 WEST 123RD STREET IN CONTRACT

Harlem Bespoke:  The apparent 2-family brownstone at 102 West 123rd Street went up on the market for $3.65 $2.99 million asking price last fall and now has a contract out as of the last week of February. This impressive 20-foot-wide corner landmark townhouse in the historic district has some expensive upgrades inside and there appears to be two duplexes set up since two kitchens are within the floor plans.