Harlem, the neighbourhood north of Central Park on Manhattan island, with a rich migrant culture and proud African-American community. This was a fascinating wander to iconic civil rights, music, religious, cuisine and architectural locations.
The best part? Of all the tours I have ever done, this was the one the felt the most like being in a small community, probably thanks to more than a few locals heckling our tour guide Derrick with extra facts, places he shouldn’t forget to show us, and comments. At one point, Derrick had two elderly gentlemen, either side of him, telling him extra bits of history that we weren’t allowed to miss. The tour wasn’t just fun because Derrick played hip hop, choir hymns, jazz and blues local to the area as we walked, it was definitely the locals making sure were got the ‘true story’ of Harlem.
Shrine World Music Venue
Times have changed
The original Hotel Theresa — when black guests weren’t allowed in hotels elsewhere, black performers, professionals and athletes stayed here.
Originally parking lot, now community garden
Malcolm X, President Obama, Nelson Mandela — art by Franco Gaskin
Abyssinian Baptist Church
Shrine World Music Venue
Street art marking and explaining rights for ‘stop and search’ laws in NYC
The famous Sylvia’s Soul Food.
The late Sylvia
Shrine World Music Venue
Abyssinian Baptist Church
Abyssinian Baptist Church
Apollo Theater
Our guide Derrick chatting with ‘Soup’, and buying lemonade for the walk. Soup sells lemonade in summer, and soup in winter.
Mural on Harlem Hospital Center wall — “Commissioned in 1936 by Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal agency, the Works Progress Administration (WPA), were the first major U.S. government commissions awarded to African American artists and as such sparked great controversy at the time”.
Shrine World Music Venue
Old ballroom, now derelict, and in the 80s, a crack house.
The YMCA, home to, for a while, Sidney Poitier, and Malcolm X.
This, Australians, is one of the most popular new restuarants in New York, and has no connection to the fast food chain that we know too well. Named after the Harlem Bar that used to entertain many of the powerful and famous, it is now run by one of the best known chefs.
Doug E’s Fresh Chicken & Waffles
You can read more about the Harlem tour at the Free Tours by Foot website.
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Amy Feldtmann 
I went to Harlem by mistake in 1973 as we got on an express train that we thought would stop at stations before. Anyway, a lovely lady who worked in a grand house in New York came and took us to a Iplatform to catch the next train out. She was quite amazed that us white people were in Harlem and proceeded to tell us how much danger we were in.
We took her advice and high tailed it out of there.
We were ever grateful to that lady as it really was a no go area for whites
Love the photo’s
Love this!
Such an interesting and colourful area full of history.