A “Harlem Heights” Guide to Uptown

GIANT — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 18:21:44 +0000

Over the last few weeks, viewers tuned into BET on Monday nights to get a taste of Manhattan’s most prolific uptown neighborhood from the perspective of some select New York tastemakers, for better or worse. While Harlem Heights represents only a sliver of what the area between 110th and 159th has to offer it’s the slice of Harlem that millions of viewers have become familiar with. The show’s “fashionista” Briana, who hails from Atlanta, and its resident “pretty boy” Pierre, who relocated from New Jersey, got down with GIANT to give us their visitor’s guide to the capitol of Black America.

Briana’s guide on where to eat when uptown:

Native (101 W 118th St): “It’s cute, it has a little sidewalk thing,” says Briana. “I used to like to go to SoHo and sit on the sidewalk and drink wine, but now I get that down the block from my house. It has a really good drink menu and the food is excellent. They have this Moroccan fried chicken that I like—and the mac and cheese!”

Miss Maude’s Spoonbread Too (547 Lenox Avenue): ”For true down-home soul food my favorite spot is Spoonbread,” Briana says. When asked if they were better than the popular soul food spot Amy Ruth’s, she scoffed, saying, “I’m a southern girl and so I’m going to call it like I see it. And I love, love, love Spoonbread.”

Where to Party:

Club Body (701 W 135th St): “We have this little strip thing that kind of reminds me of how Atlanta used to be,” explains Briana. “When you want to get some pizza and hear some live jazz you go to Covo (701 W 135th St) but the jumpin’, jumpin’ club in Harlem is Body on Thursday and Saturday nights.”

67 Orange Street (2082 Frederick Douglass Blvd.): “When you want to lounge, go to 67 Orange. You’re getting that SoHo feel but in Harlem, which is cool for me because I used to live downtown.”

Where to Shop:

House of Hoops (268 W 125th St.): Pierre picks the hot spots for men to get gear: “Hit 125th St to get sneakers, hoodies and jeans. When you want to get some Dunks, sneakers and chill wear go to House of Hoops or Dr. Jays (162-164 125th Street). And go to B. Oyama (2330 7th Ave) for suits. We have everything from high fashion to urban to H&M. We even have American Apparel on the block now. Everything is uptown, I don’t have to go anywhere.”

N Boutique (114 W 116th St ): For the ladies, Briana suggests the N Boutique. “They have some of the hottest Harlem couture designers that put their stuff in there.”

Pierre on making it in Harlem as a transplant:

“You gotta adapt, New York is a grind. Every day when you wake up you have to be on your toes. You have to be able to take criticism because doors close in your face. It’s survival of the fittest and grinding at its finest. Everybody is out to better themselves and so it’s very competitive. It’s a constant competition, so you have to understand that everybody here is not your friend. But one thing that I can say is that if you really will yourself and say that you are going to come to New York and make it, than you will make it. There’s no room for self-doubt here.”

Briana defends the show’s sometimes criticized depiction of the “real Harlem”:

“I’m not sure how you can represent the ‘real Harlem.’ I am Harlem. I stay in Harlem, I pay taxes in Harlem, I hang out in Harlem, my friends live in Harlem…No, I’m not from Harlem but New York is full of people that are not from here. And that’s what makes it so diverse and that’s what makes it different from the rest of the world. It’s not where you’re from and it’s where you’re at, and I’m in Harlem.”

-Pharoh Martin

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A “Harlem Heights” Guide to Uptown