All great things must come to an end……WOW!! Ā I never could have dreamed up this week long adventure with one of my BESTIEs! š
The morning started with an alarm, the first in 5 mornings….so nice to escape reality. We awoke at 7:09am, yes I am Audreyās daughter and set an alarm to the second. š we were showered and ready to depart, cereal on the go in hand to walk to the subway heading to Harlem. Who knew what the day had planned before us. As we boarded the subway for just one stop heading north, we exited at 125 the st. The only tiny bit scary part of the entire trip….and not really but just a tiny bit. We walk to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture located at Malcolm X Blvd and 135th st. Prior to crossing the street we find the original coffee truck, the one the Uber driver purchased for us….yummy hot coffee- I didnāt mention itās drizzling outside and besides humid a bit on the colder side….not cold itās still summer time. Just not the sweltering heat to come later in the day.
We meet our group for the next 2 hours, Free tour by foot….greatest tours thorough this city. Participants from Israel, Australia, other states, etc. Our guide Ryan lives in East Harlem, he is the most passionate guy super into his black history, knowledgeable about history, and a huge desire to teach others. Anyone who quotes their grandmother impresses me, especially since today marks 22 years since my Grandma Ruth left this planet. Iām intrigued my him and paying close attention to every word out of his mouth. Danielle is snapping photos, stopping I the middle of traffic not to miss a must see capture, which Iām grateful for as we have a photo share started.
We start walking, this is a walking tour…FYI- 7/8 miles tracked for today. The tour starts across from Harlem Hospital where Alicia Keyes was born, Sammie Davis Jr treated, and Al Pacino too. MLK life was saved after being stabbed by a black woman, Columbia University medical students do their residency here- makes me think of my dads medical school years in Harlem at NY Medical College stories. We then walked past the Abyssinian Baptist Church, the largest in the USA where Nat King Cole was married and many historical events have taken place. We continue to hear all this White vs Black history from the 1800ās and 1900ās. Ryan has so much to share in the most delicate politically correct blunt way. It was all very educational and mouth dropping history lessons about drugs, politics, money, and power.
We walk down the famous Strivers Row where years ago people in āthe nowā were invited to buy these Brownstones for $1 and today are for sale for $5 million. The most beautiful single family places that are now rented $4-$8000 per month per floor. The architecture was gorgeous. A crazy story for anyone interested Iām happy to share more. Seriously insightful and mind blowing learning lessons shared today by Ryan. We made our way to Sugar Hill, where Alexander Hamilton lived in a yellow house, pictures to share. He is the Hamilton on Broadway currently, the face of the $10 bill, and the first US Treasurer. This is the shit I love about traveling…..never would I rembeber or care abou this type of history, but live in living color itās interesting and set in my brain FOREVER!!!
we approach the City College, a beautiful Gothic style structure- the school where Collin Powell and many other prominent black people graduated from…. the stories and name drippings that were spitted our on this tour were incredible. I canāt believe in my many years of coming to NYC , never have I ventured this far North to truly explore Harlem. We did learn 30+ years ago you would not survive more than 5 minutes without being muddled for drug money. It is now a sought after place for millionaires wanting out of the main city. So much cyclical histical stories enlightened my eyes and ears during these 2 hours.
The bathroom break stop was a place called The Shrine, where Ryan spent his last New Years Eve. The ceiling was covered in record labels, the walls covered in African wooden faces, blue lights for the stage, and a wooden floor. What a hole in the wall fun night club atmosphere in Central Harlem. We were soooo excited to take photos here, thought about what an evening here would be like. Talk about cultural diversity at its finest. This place had super AC. We get all cooled off to head back out for the end of the tour. A final walk to the Apollo Theatre. WOW……this is the place that made Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston famous among many many others. We take more photos and the tour ends. We say bye to our new friends and Ryan. We head to find lunch……
OMG,…..Sylviaās, she is the Queen of Soul Food if you donāt already know?!
Fried Chicken, fresh baked Mac and Chz, Collard Greens, and candied Yams. We try it all and are stuffed after this full Harlem day. Both with stomach aches but well worth it! š We board a subway to head downtown.
Its time to walk…..we are begging for exercise, at least our insides are, not sure our feet want to walk another step, lol. We exit at 72 street and Broadway….need to head home to pack and clean up. We decide to end this more than perfect trip with a final daytime walk through Central Park. I donāt recall covering this much ground in the famous park. Itās dreamy…mossy rocks, moist air, green lush landscape, squirrels all over, wind, and rain drops. Are we living out a movie scene before our eyes??! We zig and zag our way to cross from West to East and pass by the row boats in the conservatory lake, walk by Strawberry Fields with people playing tribute to Aretha, We go over a bridge, up and down hills until we find our way to the other side. Make our way home. Shower, pack, and clean…itās time for the end. Too busy to realize itās a good bye. Order Danielle a Via to the airport, and walk her to the corner. We both have suitcases in hand. As we say our good byes the tears start. What an incredible time I was cherished to spend with my dear friend of 24 years. She is on her way home to reunite with her 3 beautiful children and amazing husband. Thank you Danielle…..and Ian too š
Chapter 2 begins……..
Iām SO grateful to have these family and friends who house me for free across the county. Without all of you I could never experience traveling as often as I am spoiled to do, Cousin Julieās mid-town apt awaits. I meet her in the lobby of her doorman building and take elevator to the 8th floor. We lay on the couch for an hour catching up. I donāt think I have payed around like this in 6 days. Which I wouldnāt change for the world!! Not sure where the night will lead us we just relax, not really in my vocabulary…lol
We choose a restaurant, meet a friend of Jules for drinks first and then head to Marta. Yummy appetizers and a Sea Bass entree wee share that was TO DIE FOR, fresh! A few cocktails and our planned movie transforms to a 9:30 pm arrival home to lay on the couch and relax. Perfect for me as I get an opportunity to write this post, my favorite ZEN space.
Danielle is on the plane headed home and I still have 2-3 days left on the East Coast. Boy do I love running away from reality and responsibilities. By the way, I bought a N.Y. lotto ticket…..stay tuned.
love Laurie sue xo š
Simone
Oh, what an amazing, interesting city Harlem sounds like! So much history you learned through all your tours & āinterviewsā with people! Your trip sounds absolutely of a lifetime. So so special. Iām grateful for you to have had this experience ;). Thank you for sharing it- I can hear your voice as I read your words which makes it the best!
lauriesue
Thanks Simonee for all your replies and comments. Makes writing all worth it for me. Miss you xo xo
Danielle
I’m home safely and happy to find the blog post waiting. I second that Ryan, our tour guide was enlightening as he shared the rise and fall of Harlem’s history and present day. He was enthusiastic, personable and an intellect. This tour was fascinating and Harlem had beautiful brownstones, churches and iconic architecture. New York fascinates me on a profound level from history, culture, food, community and the highly organized public transportation. Not o mention all of the beautiful buildings. The last six days were filled with adventure and discovery, love, laughter and learning. I appreciated everyone’s NY lifestyle and perspective. Eight million residents in NYC and the flow felt rhythmic, colorful, passionate, vibrant and welcoming. Laurie and I were on the same speed and at times I believe she was surprised with my energy level, yet this wonderful city ignited my seeking spirit and I had the perfect partner. Thank-you Laurie Sue for sharing our itinerary with some old and some new, being a master planner and navigator and for always celebrating life to the fullest. We will always have New York. I love you! Danielle
lauriesue
Love you more Danielle! Yes we will always have New York, thank YOU for being my perfect partner too. The ignited energy is SO true……nuts what this city can transform one to feel. So glad you arrived home safely. Speak soon
Miss u xo š
DANIELLE SCHWEIKERT
I’m home safely and happy to find the blog post waiting. I second that Ryan, our tour guide was enlightening as he shared the rise and fall of Harlem’s history and present day. He was enthusiastic, personable and an intellect. This tour was fascinating and Harlem had beautiful brownstones, churches and iconic architecture. New York fascinates me on a profound level from history, culture, food, community and the highly organized public transportation. Not o mention all of the beautiful buildings. The last six days were filled with adventure and discovery, love, laughter and learning. I appreciated everyone’s NY lifestyle and perspective. Eight million residents in NYC and the flow felt rhythmic, colorful, passionate, vibrant and welcoming. Laurie and I were on the same speed and at times I believe she was surprised with my energy level, yet this wonderful city ignited my seeking spirit and I had the perfect partner. Thank-you Laurie Sue for sharing our itinerary with some old and some new, being a master planner and navigator and for always celebrating life to the fullest. We will always have New York. I love you! Danielle
Jeffrey Scott
…well, Well, WELL, and WELL-ER! WE had quite the nice time in NYC, didnāt we?!…oh, yeah, I felt like I was with you, but missed the calories and exercise. You should call this trip: āThe Danielle NYC Travel Tour.ā Your own small 26-person bus, Starbuckās coffee cup and a wireless microphone strapped to your earlobe…I can picture it so vividly, as a broadway singer would. Covering all 5 Boroughs was very impressive, like the NYC Marathon…my personal Borough favorite was of course the lesser-known Yankee Stadium. Finishing in Harlem was a nice touch; did your guide mention Bill Clintonās impact on the communityās real estate and scale of wealth? I would have enjoyed all of your choices, but more so, watching Danielle take her 10,888 pictures, which I estimated, during the trip. When you put your next trip together, remember to bring a bright pink umbrella that says āDTGā (daddyās travel girl) on it. Nice work DTG!! See you for lunch today…I signed up for your Fairfield , CT afternoon trip:) and bringing three others with me!
L, YCUJ
lauriesue
Omg UJ, this reply/comment was great! Thank you!!! And yes Ryan spoke all about the Clintons and how much they raised prices of real estate and brought positive attention to the area. But also how quickly they came in and than also left without a good bye. The tour was truly fascinating and I was glad Danielle had this interest or I would have missed out. I like ur DTG suggestion š Canāt wait to see you soon and add you to the blog as a participant. Praying for a sunshiny beach day! XO
Susan gold
Laurie I think u should move to NY. There is always something to do or you can be a tour guide.I ā¤ļøReading your blog.Maybe Mom will come in and you can guide us around.VIA or Uber.See u soon. Enjoy.
lauriesue
Susan- thanks always for ur replies. I love that your my star reader! Itās nice to know these posts are enjoyed by others as much as I enjoy writing them. See u soon in AZ š
Danielle
Good Morning! Oh how lovely it was waking to my seven year old daughters warm embrace and sweet voice. I did miss waking up beside my dear Laurie Sue, adventure in the N.Y. neighborhoods, the hustle of our agenda, morning smiles and chatter within the community. Uncle Jeff, Ryan, our tour guide did talk about the Clintons as they were in Harlem and he also mentioned the name Garvey as an influential component of Harlemās early rise. Garvey is not mentioned in the History books, yet was very impactful. I have to agree with you about the Staten Island Yankee experience as being comical and possibly from an I Love Lucy episode. What a great day that was together. Believe it or not, we had to divide and conquer our itinerary and we cut out the MET and Top of the Rock. I will just have to revisit in the future with a whole new itinerary including the Chelsea high line, Central Park, other sections of Fire Island, subways, and so many charming neighborhoods. I would like to see more of Brooklyn as well. My VIA driver mentioned Williamsburg and was highly disappointed we missed this area even when I explained our time limits. I loved the way Laurie and I packed in so many activities. It was a perfect N.Y. sampler plate. Laurie Sue, have a wonderful next few days on the East coast. Thank you for spreading joy in my life for our six days together. We always have NYC. Practically perfect! P.S. I do have an extensive number of photos to share, and video clips. š
lauriesue
Oh Danielle!! I bet that Roux embrace was pure magic. Reality always awaits and urs is perfection! We will always have NYC, until our next adventure! ā¤ļø