Lady's Owner Not That Much Of A Tramp After All

Josh gives this update on the pooch whose owner was contemplating pulling his version of a Helena "Gala" Diakonova on his dog, Lady, and it is a good resolution:

An update on Lady:

Though unable to find a new home for Lady, her owner's wife (in Puerto Rico) has convinced him to take the dog with him when he returns to the island from New York.

So...hopefully a good home awaits Lady. My belief is that though her owner isn't a real dog lover, and didn't care much what happened to his pet once he left, he does treat her well--she appears well fed, and is friendly toward people, suggesting she hasn't been abused.

Thank you to everyone who helped with suggestions and cross-postings in search of new families for Lady (which can be removed now). Please forward this to anyone whose email I may have left off with my thanks and the news that they can stop trying to find a new place for Lady.

It's good to know there are so many people out there trying to help the four-legged in need.

I encourage anyone interested in a new pet to adopt from rescue shelters instead of going to a breeder (a huge percentage of animals in shelters are pure-bred, so your chances of finding the specific type of animal you want are high). If you can't permanently take in a new pet, consider fostering an animal until such a home can be found.

--Josh

Cimbi Has Play Dates Lined Up

Our neighbor, Jane, will be out of town this weekend and has asked that Cheryl and I watch her cats Butchie and Alice. We happily agreed, as Cimbi had a great time visiting when we last watched the pair.

Cimbi, as we have found, likes hanging out with dogs. However, we were concerned about how she would jive with cats. Inter-species play time allows each animal to to be king of its evolutionary branch, but cat and cat action could produce territorial complications.

Cimbi did just fine, Butchie was interested, and Alice really didn't want anything to do with her. Was that because Cimbi is a younger woman? Hiss, hiss. Spat, spat.

Nonetheless, Butchie and Alice must be excited too. They will not sit still for a photo, hence the blurriness.

Cat Boarding Recommendations Wanted

A reader writes:

I'm a loyal harlemfur.com reader who moved to harlem a few months ago. I have a quick question for you. My partner's family is visiting us next week and we need to board our cat (the family is very allergic). Do you have any reccomendations for a place that will take care of my cat?

Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated.

The only time we boarded Cimbi, she came back nervous, exhausted, and, we swear, a different color (hence the neighbor cat sitting swap we started). And this was from a place we decided upon after a lot of research. Cheryl and I are hard pressed for strong recommendations.

Lizz from NY City Pets says that Animal General boards for patients, and that The Dog House might also be a good option.

Anyone have any favorites to pass on to Prada and her owner?

Puppy Quest 2006

Will Cheryl and I adopt this puppy? (He will not sit still, hence the blurriness once again.) The much un-blogged about puppy quest may see resolution with an expedition to Pennsylvania this weekend.

This puppy's dad is a beautiful dog who finished his championship at 12 months of age and was not just a winner, but Best of Winners, at Montgomery, the biggest terrier show in the country.

And, his dad's owner is Danish; some of my people hail from this land. I recognized the accent right away.

Cimbi better appreciate the lengths we go to for her.

Camera Hound

And to wrap up with blurry pet shots, here is Churro.

Churro, a 14 month old puppy Cheryl and I ran into on Manhattan Avenue, could not contain his excitement over being on Harlem Fur.

Then again, who can?

Posted by Chris at 12:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

On the heels of a Starbucks-like uptown blanketing by Aphrodite, another Harlem cleaners opened this past weekend. Marcel, on the corner of 115th and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, is up and running and offering 50 percent off.

At this rate, I will know the summer of 2006 as the summer I never paid full price for dry cleaning.

And speaking of openings, UPTOWNflavor today produces a CNNMoney article delving into moves like Chuck E. Cheese's into Harlem.

As UPTOWNflavor writes, "the article offers some statistics that might be a little surprising to some. As the cost of living rises and wages decrease for the middle class 'research shows that inner-city residents with lower per capita income tend to spend a higher percentage of that income on retail purchases.' Harlem is used as the model of what is defined as 'inner-city penetration.'"

Posted by Chris at 05:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I called Harlem historian Michael Henry Adams yesterday to break the news when I saw the sign at 124th St. and Manhattan Avenue announcing that a Chuck E. Cheese's will soon open. "Oh lord," he said. "First an IHOP, now Chuck E. Cheese's."

Michael has long predicted that Harlem's revival is being managed in such a way that the neighborhood's history will be lost, and we will end up with Paramus, NJ. I'd say that with the opening of Manhattan's only Chuck E. Cheese, above a Nine West Outlet, he has hit the nail right on the head.

I tried to get a colorful quote from him on Chuck E. Cheese's, encouraging foul language, but he is good at sticking to message. Michael said that he laments places like IHOP and Chuck E. Cheese's opening up when Harlem is loosing its cultural treasures. He readily gave two examples. The Museum of the American Indian moved to the Financial District, and St. Thomas the Apostle, on 118th between St. Nicholas and Frederick Douglass, lost its side alters to St. Patrick's Cathedral, and its main alter to a jackhammer.

When asked why he thinks this is happening, Michael does not hold back. "It is just an inevitability when you have people like the mayor and other politicians who see Harlem as the lowest common denominator." He compares them to a marauding army of the past taking spoils.

Well, at least Bill Perkins, who made the rat problem a central issue, is runnign for office again. Perhaps he can go after this rodent on day one.

Anyway, Michael's day was not all bad. When I called, he was preparing for a photo shoot with the Times for his role in the Museum of the City of New York's upcoming exhibit "Black Style Now." The exhibit, which opens September 9th, explores the history of African-American style and its influence on design. Michael will of course be at the reception September 8th.

Ed's note: I was holding off on this post until Curbed returned from vacation in a week, but UPTOWNflavor, via Greasy Gudie, beat me to the punch.

Posted by Chris at 08:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

The Dwyer, set to be a doorman building with loft-like residences at 123rd St. and St. Nicholas, takes shape. As the website says, you can "live in Manhattan one stop from Columbus Circle for half the price of Midtown."

Designed to reflect the Dwyer factory that stood on the lot, the development was mentioned twice in an August Real Deal article on the Harlem real estate market. Klara Madlin, president of Klara Madlin Real Estate, said it is the most exciting new condo project she is not involved with. Bill Rohlfing, founder of Uptown Townhouse, included the area around the Dwyer when asked which part of Harlem is fairing best as the overall city market slows.

Posted by Chris at 07:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Friends of St. Nicholas Park, Columbia University students, and neighborhood dog lovers cleared out a space in in the park for a new dog run this weekend. A sweaty team of dedicated people cleared brush and cleaned up errant debris to ready the spot on 135th Street. Friends of St. Nicholas Park President and proud parent of a Shepherd mix, Shawn, has been working on getting this run off the ground for some time.

The run's creation complements an ongoing betterment of the park. The park stairs on 135th Street recently underwent a million dollar renovation, and $750,000 more has been allocated for additional park improvements.

Those funds, however, are for the park as a whole, and not specifically for the dog run. The Friends of St. Nicholas Park are seeking donations of wood chips and fencing. They are hoping for wrought iron, to keep with the look of the park. (Sound familiar?)

To raise the money needed for materials that are not donated, the friends of the park are holding a fundraiser on September 16th. Check back on the Barking Lot for information on the upcoming event. In addition to helping out neighborhood dogs, you will also get to see Shawn and his partner's brownstone.

More Treo-quality photos of people and pets after the jump.

Posted by Chris at 12:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Pet-rification takes root on 114th Street as small dogs and big dogs alike will soon be able to enjoy new, permanent fencing at the Street Morningside Park dog run. Black fencing that compliments the park's wrought iron railings and accents replaces the pervious chain link construction. The new fencing looks much better that it's grey predecessor.

The J.M. Kaplan Fund made the new fencing possible with a $10,000 grant. In addition to the new fencing, the NYC Parks Department will re-grade the run twice a year and supply wood chips.

Watch the Morningside BARC site for the date and time of the run's upcoming re-opening celebration.

And, for those dogs who wish to look their best as they strut back into the run, Posh Paws is having a sale on all dog clothing.

Posted by Chris at 12:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Rockefeller, a three year old Norwegian forrest cat, was out for her second stroll this weekend. Rockefeller, who also goes by Rocky, gets her name from Rockefeller Park, where she was found.

Her cat line competes with her namesake for having a distinguished family history. According to Norse mythology, the goddess of Love and Fertility, Freya, had a chariot pulled by two of these large and hearty felines.

Having been a city cat for only two years, Rocky still holds some of her wild qualities. Her incessant need to stalk anything that moves compliments her lynx-like ear tufts and large, furry paws.

Posted by Chris at 11:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The Centerline

Harlem resident and political moderate Jonathan Funke picked up his blog, The Centerline, this month. Don't worry, it's not focused on Harlem. The Centerline will be a great medium for Jonathan's centrist take on politics.

Jonathan is an all around clean and solid writer, whose jazz reviews I enjoy reading in The New York Press. He set out to write The Centerline early last year, but became sidetracked. "Why?," he writes, "Because - like any political moderate you can point to - I had a job and a life to attend to. That's why 'irate moderates' are so rare." Thankfully, the Lamont / Lieberman Senate race in Connecticut brought him to the keyboard.

The Centerline is a welcomed addition to the Harlem blog roll; it helps illustrate the wide variety of ideas in our neighborhood.

Aphrodite Cleaners

The review is belated, but I have only good things to say about the Aphrodite Cleaners on Lenox and 119th Street.

On their second day open, I dropped off shirts, pants, suits and bedding. To a certain extent, I thought by dropping off so many things I could best judge the cleaners on a variety of items, but more so I just didn't feel like dragging another load of anything to the cleaners in TriBeCa I had been using. My thought was that even if Aphrodite was not the best, at least I didn't have to endure another two 'sweaty arm' subway rides to get a couple of things cleaned.

I did not have to worry. The woman at Aphrodite was courteous, professional, and efficient, and aside from a credit card reader malfunction that was fixed later that day, everything was great. All of the items I dropped off came back clean, smelling good, well pressed, and on time. Even the micro-fiber comforter was completely free of cat hair. (Cimbi took care of that in a matter of hours.) And best of all, they gave me a delivery bag.

I feel that a new era in my life has begun.

Remember, there is also one on 117th between Frederick Douglass Boulevard and Manhattan Avenue.

Posted by Chris at 11:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)

Seems that Kathleen Grace, the co-creator, producer, AND director of the Burg, an original Internet series about Williamsburg hipsters, is way too hip for the nabe. She is now a Harlem resident.

This was inevitable.

Now, if only she would start a series about city cats visiting parks.

Props to former co-worker No Neck Noel, whose post clued me in.

UPDATE: Looks like I got a little post happy. Kathleen has lived in Harlem for almost two years now. Oops.

Posted by Chris at 12:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In addition to bringing one's cat to the park, the other summer trend Cheryl and I are laying claim to is the surge in tandem bikes.

Like many couples, we are not exactly matched in desired bicycle riding speeds. An attempt out together on separate bikes would unfold like a low-grade math problem: Two cyclists leave the same spot simultaneously, the first exerting enough effort to sweat like a wild animal before covering the first block, the second going at a pace that best facilitates enjoying the scenery. After 2 minutes, which cyclist is mad at the other? Answer: Both.

This is unfortunate. One of the best ways to enjoy summer in the city is on a bike, especially when living close to Central Park and Manhattan's west side bike path.

In an attempt to work around our problem, we went to Central Park's bike rental to try a tandem. The bike we picked up was probably the worst machine Cheryl and I have ever pedaled, but we had a great time. Due to the bike's weight and clumsy design, the first few minutes consisted of Cheryl in back yelling at me for unnecessary swerving and attempted tourist reduction, accompanied by me feverishly trying to explain it was not my fault. Eventually we mastered riding together.

As expected, the tandem solved the problem of different riding speeds. No matter how hard one of us peddled, the other was right there. And as an added bonus, I was always in the lead. So of course we wanted our own.

Knowing that tandems can easily run $3,000, we set out to find a used one. Why drop three grand on something we may only use occasionally, when someone else probably did the same thing. Our thinking was that some couple probably bought a tandem thinking it would be neat, and then grew tired of trying to make room for it in their apartment and would be happy to get rid of it. I set up a few different RSS feeds on Craig's List, and for a month did not see anything decent come across.

So, about a month ago I was biking by myself in Central Park on a gorgeous afternoon when I decided to bite the bullet and buy one that day. Using my Treo, I plotted the west side bike shops leading uptown from 59th Street. I thought that by going uptown I would be closer to Cheryl to when I found one. I didn't find one until I was in Inwood on 200th Street. Tread Bike Shop had a 2004 tandem that the owner, Ozzie Perez, said he had only rented out a handful of times, and offered to sell it to me at a great price. Since then, Cheryl and I have been out every weekend and as many weeknights as we can work in.

Now, it seems, tandems are all the rage. About two weeks after buying the bike, we went back to the bike shop to upgrade the handlebars. Ozzie told us he had more inquires about tandem rentals in the past two weeks than he had had in the two years of owning the bike. Also, there are now multiple posts on Craig's List of people looking to buy and trade for tandems. And, whereas we used to be the only tandem on the road a month ago, last Saturday we saw four tandems on the west side bike path on one ride.

Just to get it out there, I really want a border terrier puppy. I spent this evening calling breeders in the area, and will go to meet two border parents early next month. So, when everyone gets off of the current oodle puppy craze and instead gets all nuts for border terriers, please note that I wanted one first.

Posted by Chris at 09:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Lizz from NYCityPets put up a posting today that is worth reposting here. The text is from an email a reader sent to her.

Animal Lovers-

Lady is a 5-year-old Rottweiler currently living in New York City. Her owner intends to move to Europe at the end of the month-at which point he plans to destroy her! Apparently he doesn't even want to pay to have a vet do it, but just plans to take her out to the country and kill her himself. He is making no other arrangements for the dog, but is okay with someone else finding her a new home. This is where a friend and I have stepped in.

Lady is a little shy, but quickly warms to new people and loves to go on walks. She's relatively small for a Rottweiler-only about 55-60 pounds. She's sadly gotten used to life in a small city apartment, but a little more room and daily walks would certainly bring joy to her life (and yours!)

I don't know how Lady reacts to other pets or small children, so I wouldn't recommend her for a home with either (though she might be just fine). She's perfectly heathy as far as I know, but she would need a checkup and updated innoculations. I checked with Eastside Veterinary Clinic and found out that the checkup and routine rabies shot she needs together cost about $55. I don't know yet whether or not Lady has been spayed.

If you are interested in Lady or know someone who might be, please send an email.
Hopefully with a little networking this dog can be saved!

-Josh

Posted by Chris at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Minerva Guerreo of Alianza Dominicana has sent me 9 (now 12) unsolicited emails in the past two days about the August 11th special reception of Oscar Abreu's 'detachment of the ego' at the Alianza Art Gallery. If I get one more email about this I will be creating my own piece of "psycho-expressionism" whereby I detach Minerva's ego, and superego, and id.*

Minvera, whose address is mguerrero@alianzadom.org, emailed me yesterday the same August 7th press release to three separate email accounts. I don't know how she aquired one, let alone three, of my email addresses.

Two of the accounts I received the press release through I don't even log into anymore (they forward to another account), and none of them were the Harlem Fur account. If one of the accounts the press release was sent to was for Harlem Fur, I would have been more welcoming of the news. Customized wedding gown designer Cassandra Bromfield asked a while back if I would post about an upcoming bridal expo in Harlem, and I was more than happy to do so.

So last night I emailed Minerva from the email addresses the press release was sent to and asked to be removed from the list. I also let her know that not having an opt-out feature at the bottom is probably a violation of the Can Spam Act. I thought, 'well, that takes care of that.'

Today I received six more emails about the same event, once again to all three accounts. The first email was a general save the date email, and the second was the August 7th press release in Spanish with an August 8th date on it. Apparently it takes the Alianza Dominicana 24 hours to translate a page.

Anyway, as long as I have the event information, here it is:
detachment of the ego
Oscar Abreu
Friday, August 11, 2006,
6:30 to 9:00 in the evening
A L I A N Z A A R T G A L L E R Y
2410 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10033
RSVP: 212.740.1960 Ext 427

If you go and there is a guest registry, I suggest not providing a valid email address.

And, as long as I have the press release, there are excerpts after the jump in both English and Spanish.

*This is a joke using Oscar Abreu's self described style from the press release, which he calls "psycho-expressionism," and the name of the exhibit, "detachment of the ego." No matter now many emails I receive from Minerva, or anyone else, I would not cause, nor threaten to cause, harm to anyone.

Ingles

Alianza’s Art Gallery is proud to present the recent works of talented painter Oscar Abreu. The exhibit "detachment of the ego" will be presented at the gallery space of Alianza Dominicana.

The exhibit will be open to the public on Friday August 11, 2006 at six thirty in the evening, where there will be an opening reception. The exhibit will remain available to the public through August 20th. Moreover, this exhibition will be presented as well from September 8th through October 12th, 2006 at the Marwen Foundation in Chicago.

This is Abreu's 14th solo exhibit. Abreu has received wide critical acclaim in numerous shows in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Chicago. According to Dominican art critics, Abreu is considered the most important artist of his generation in the Dominican Republic.

Abreu began developing his highly distinctive style, which he calls "psycho-expressionism," 1994 while he was still studying in Chicago Illinois at the Marwen Foundation and expanded his studies by attending to the School of the Art Institute's Saturday program for talented students.

Spanish

Alianza Art Gallery se enorgullece en presentar la más reciente propuesta de Oscar Abreu con la exhibición titulada "detachment of the ego" en español “desprendimiento del ego,� la apertura de la muestra está pautada para este viernes, 11 de agosto a partir de la 6:30 de la noche en el espacio de exposiciones temporales de Alianza Art Gallery y permanecerá abierta al público hasta el 20 de Agosto.

Esta muestra consta de una sobria colección de pinturas, donde el artista manifiesta su vínculo con el humanismo más latente de nuestro tiempo y una antología de los fenómenos emocionales que sustentan la naturaleza humana y el papel que juega la memoria en nuestra personalidad., mediante la configuración de un discurso plástico impregnado de un fuerte componente del expresionismo abstracto.

Abreu ha recibido el reconocimiento de la crítica por numerosas exposiciones presentadas en República Dominicana, Puerto Rico, Chicago, y new York, definiendo su posición como uno de los artistas más importantes de su generación.

Su más reciente exposición fue presentada el pasado Septiembre del 2005 en la galería Prinardi en Puerto Rico y fue aclamada como un éxito total por la crítica especializada.

Posted by Chris at 11:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I am beginning to feel that I have pioneered a a companion animal movement.

When biking in Central Park today I spotted not one, but two cats out on leashes. They were climbing around on a row of benches just outside Sheep Meadow facing Tavern On The Green. Their human was quietly looking on, with a Sherpa bag by his side.

Starsky & Hutch are the names of the two young cats. Starsky is the black cat in the background, and Hutch is the orange one in front.

Their human said he has been taking them out on a regular basis so that they become accustomed to the city. They seemed accustomed already. When I set my bike against the a bench beside them, they bounced over and began sniffing it at once. They only stopped sniffing when I offered them the chance to sniff me.

Anyway, I am glad that I have been documenting Cheryl and I taking Cimbi to the park. When it becomes commonplace to take a cat out, I will be able to lay claim to starting the trend.

Posted by Chris at 06:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

A summer cold kept Sen. Paterson from running the Hope and Possibility race this year (and my running skills from being shamed), but it didn't leave him idle on the sidelines. Standing still is difficult, as he is a very gregarious person holding a 99.9 percent chance of being the next Lt. Governor.

In addition to many brave veterans from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, one of the people the Senator spent time with was Trisha Meili. Trisha is the investment banker whose story made headlines when she was brutally attacked on April 19, 1989 as she jogged in the park. I believe the title of her memoir, "I am the Central Park Jogger: A Story of Hope and Possibility," is where the name of today's run comes from.

Trisha was Sen. Paterson's guide for the first Hope and Possibility run in July of 2003. They finished in 48 minutes.

The photo on the top right is of Trisha and Sen. Paterson being interviewed by CBS's Kristen Cole. The interview will air today. Sen. Paterson was also interviewed by CNN's Lauren Rivera, and that interview will air tonight at 7pm on CNN America.

Posted by Chris at 03:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As per the ubiquitous Office of Film, Theater & Broadcasting no parking signs, American Gangster will be filming on Wednesday, August 9th, from 7am to 1am on Riverside Drive between 122nd and 125th Streets.

The location is not technically Harlem, more like Morningside Heights, but American Gangster tells the story of one of the more colorful characters of Harlem's past.

Denzel Washington plays notorious 1970's heroin kingpin Frank Lucas, who smuggled heroin into Harlem inside of Vietnam soldiers coffins, in this Ridley Scott film. Scott, who directed Russell Crowe in Gladiator, will be directing him again, this time as Detective Richie Roberts.

Rumor has it on imdb.com that Angelina Jolie is also considering a role.

BONUS: Emily from Misguided Misadventures In NYC said there are also no parking signs for American Gangster by Fairway Uptown in Viaduct Valley. So no parking from Riverside Drive around 122nd all the way to 133rd? Could this be a car chase scene?

Photos of a sign and a possible scout crew after the jump.

No parking signs for Wednesday, August 9th, from 7am to 1am extend to at least 133rd.

And these guys were standing under the Riverside Drive Viaduct with both still and video cameras.

Posted by Chris at 09:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

...in Central Park, on Sunday, for 5 miles.

Harlem's State Senator and Eliot Spitzer's hand-picked candidate for Lt. Governor, David Paterson, will be running the Achilles Track Club and New York Road Runners' Hope and Possibility 5 mile run in Central Park this Sunday. I will be tagging along as his running partner.

This is no small task. Not only did Sen. Paterson, who was born legally blind, first win election at age 31, become the leader of the Democratic conference in the State Senate in 2002, and earlier this summer on one day take on every special interest in our highly-corrupt state legislature*, but he has also remained in excellent physical shape. The idea of being completely trounced by a man more than 20 years my senior has had me in the gym every day this week.

My goal is simply to keep up with him.

*I will write more about this later. In 2004, the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University's School of Law rated the New York State legislature the worst in the nation. You can read the report here; it's about half way down the page. Sen. David Paterson has worked extremely hard to change the way New York State's shameful state government. It's no wonder Eliot Spitzer wants him to be his Lt. Governor.

Posted by Chris at 10:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Having one's back clawed apart makes for a seamless transition to talking about a ballroom filled with over 300 brides.

Customized wedding gown designer Cassandra Bromfield is spreading the word about an upcoming Harlem bridal expo, and we are happy to pass the information along. Let's Get Married In Harlem, taking place Saturday, September 16th at the Alhambra Ballroom, will feature two floors of excitement for today's multi-cultural bride and groom.

Let's Get Married In Harlem
The Alhambra Ballroom
2116 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd.
Saturday September 16th
1pm to 6pm

Posted by Chris at 11:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Links now included

Melissa Dehncke-McGill has a great article in the August issue of The Real Deal on the Harlem real estate market from the perspectives of Harlem real estate professionals. Taking a variation on the theme of searching for truth by asking a person the same question multiple times to see if you get the same answer, Dehncke-McGill asks the same question to nine Harlem real estate professionals. Their answers are provided for the reader to compare.

Here are some of the themes I found:

End of the bootstrapper era
Harlem being the place for the DYI crowd is much less the case now than it used to be. The entrepreneurial market for small-scale developers from southern Manhattan managing a townhouse's gut renovation around a flexible career has has matured to one where young professional couples are looking for a finished product. Prices and inventory play a big role in this change.

Also, renters are as much of the new population as buyers. Many of the interviewees say people would like to get a feel for the nabe before they buy. Although the industry could be well trained at staying on message, I am inclined to believe this is really the case. I am also guessing that with rental vacancy at .5 percent, renting an apartment anywhere in Manhattan is fairly easy.

Price per square foot
So what can one expect to pay in Harlem? Those interviewed gave answers ranging from $550 to $800 per square foot. Units on Central Park North with park views, however, can reach above $1,000 per square foot. Location and amenities play a big role in price difference.

The place to be
Answers to where the hottest spot in Harlem is found put a smile on my face. Central Harlem, from 110th to 125th Streets west of 5th, comes up frequently. Also mentioned are Hamilton Heights and the area immediately around Jackie Robinson Park and the Langston at 145th Street.

Favorite developments listed often included The Dwyer, the Lenox, and 111 Central Park North. They are all located in or very close to the Harlem hot spot. No mention of the Kalahari.

Ay, the rub: amenities
Amenities play a commanding role in apartment prices, with Central Park being the amenity par excellence. One amenity that popped up was Tribal Spears cafe, where the brokers sometimes hang out. For the rest, Harlem Fur and UPTOWNflavor provide great resources.

Interviewees
The people interviewed for Dehncke-McGill's article are Gary Cannata, head of the Harlem office at Prudential Douglass Elliman; Klara Madlin, president of Klara Madlin Real Estate; Bill Rohlfing, founder of Uptown Townhouse; Shimon Shkury, partner at Massey Knakal; Sandy Wilson, managing director of the Harlem office at the Corcoran Group; Michael Goldenberg, executive director of sales for West Side at Halstead Property; Christopher Halliburton, executive vice president at Warburg Realty Harlem; and Joseph Holland, president of Uptown Partners.

Posted by Chris at 12:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)