Harlem on my mind....

Here's a little recap of my weekend in fabulous Harlem NYC (It's amazing that I can now find all the things I need and want in Harlem...Let's hope that I can afford to stay here):

1) My roommate and I spend Saturday afternoon at Tribal Spears Gallery and Cafe (on 117th & FDB--the newest addition to all the fabulous black owned buildings springing up on Frederick Douglas Blvd) DREAMING and SCHEMING about our future and the ever-changing world around us...Harlem World, that is. Can you say "gentrification?"
We curled up on the comfy black leather couches with our individual pots of tea and a DVD of Sade's live concert playing on the flat screen TV in front of us. Now that's what I call relaxation!


2) Saturday night, we made our way uptown to The Den (131st & 5th) where our friend was celebrating his birthday. Again, it was nice to be in a minority owned establishment and grubbing on gourmet soul food. I had the "Gehtto Roll," which is a traditional sushi roll, in that the contents are rolled up with seaweed and rice. However, the true magic lies in the ghettofabulous fillings: sweet potato, pulled pork, collard greens, which is all topped with a zesty BBQ sauce! Is your mouth watering yet?


3) Sunday morning, I put on my most sensible black suit jacket (Robert Cavalli of course), my long and lean jeans from Gap, my vintage sterling silver and cubic zirconia stud earrings, my two Tiffany bacelets, my tweed and black patent pumps, and my alligator clutch....and walked 3 blocks to an open house for a $1.2 million duplex apartment. You didn't think I was going to walk up in there looking a mess did you? I walked around during the tour as if money was no object and if I really wanted to purchase the apartment it wouldn't be a problem. You gotta play the part if you want to be respected! Just another example of FINESSING!!!

Of course the place was amazing and WAY out of my price range, but I did learn a lot about real estate during my short 20 min tour. I will retire the information into my "Harlem Hustle: Real Estate" file and keep pressing forward.


4) Later in the day on Sunday, my roommate and I went out to Aaron Davis Hall at CUNY to see the last session of the Harlem Film Festival. One of my friends was showing her documentary on male "best dressed" pageants that go on in South Africa. The men are called "swankers" and they pull out their best suits (some with matching ties, socks, shoes and cuff links) and waltz/pose/flex/dance around the stage for the title of "best dressed." The prize money isn't even enough to buy them a new suit, yet, the men still find joy and pride in competing. Fashionistos after my own heart!

The other documentaries included:

-Harlem's changing land/skyscape

-The culture of white America (interesting, huh?)

-The life and times of Daisy Bates (a famous female civil rights activist for all those who are clueless like I was)

-A look at a policy that will require all corporations to disclose whether they have made money in the SLAVE TRADE. You heard it right....slave trade money is alive, well and is the foundation capital for many of the corporations we use today. Here are some companies that have already admitted to slave money: WACHOVIA, JP MORGAN and AETNA. I'll be moving my money ASAP!


5) After the film festival, we made our way down to Melba's (114th & FDB). What a great place! Melba's is yet another fairly new restaurant on Frederick Douglas Blvd and it's certainly worth visiting. The food was amazing! I have the short ribs, collard greens, a grit cake (kind of like a crab cake, but it's made with grits and is topped with melted cheese). Delicious! My roommate had the BBQ meatloaf and macaroni and cheese! Scrumptious! Run, don't walk to Melba's!


Sooooo, that's it! A productive, educational, and inspiring weekend in Harlem. I really feel like I'm becoming a local. I'm truly invested in the community and feel like that Harlem is not only the place where my apartment is located, but it's also becoming my HOME.

Love and Light...