Forget Snow-zilla- Make that Sled-zilla! Harlem Comes out to play after the storm

It was almost the storm of the Century in New York City, and it felt like it. The 26.8 inches of snow officially tallied in Central Park was one tenth of an inch from the record. But who knew that when the blizzard was at it’s height with driving winds and sheets of snow piling up? Mayor De Blasio and Gov. Cuomo declared all commuter rails, city buses and finally all vehicles except emergency transport were to be off the roads. By 6 PM Friday, the city streets were empty except for Department of Sanitation plows doggedly salting and clearing roadways.

The storm blew itself out by Saturday night, leaving a sparkling night sky with a brilliant Venus and full moon. Sunday was as blue and sunny as the day before was gloomy and gray. And that’s all housebound New Yorkers needed – a calm after the storm. Streams of parents with eager youngsters headed for the appealing snowed over hills of St. Nicholas Park in Central Harlem. Every age and manner of sled was in full swing for most of the day.

It was a day to be free of gale winds and stinging snow, to just accept the seasonal event – a Snow Day Sunday.

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Harlem Blooms!

Rough winter, slow to leave, is finally slipping off into its deserved rest. And all around the City every park and flower plot is eager to take over. Just a few of the newest blooms in Harlem’s St. Nicholas Park.

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And that’s not all – more to come for Harlem’s Spring.

Photos by GHazard

Harlem is Blooming

Spring is set to dress our long bared trees and landscapes, and what a welcome site it will be! Some early risers brighten the Harlem scene till then.

Morning sunlight on spring flowers

Cheery sign of spring in St. Nicholas Park

Early spring riser photo by GHazard

And then there are the buds, unfurling behind every rain. What are you becoming for us?

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Photos by GHazard

CERT NYC Welcomes It’s Largest Graduating Class

New York City just acquired a record 192 volunteers who eagerly trained to become their newest helping hands in citywide disasters. Under  the NYC Office of Emergency Management (OEM), volunteers from all five boroughs underwent a comprehensive 10-11 weeks of training from NYFD/EMS and NYPD to aid first responders. After graduation, the new recruits will join their neighborhood Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) to educate their neighbors on the importance of emergency preparation before and when disasters strike. Present at the ceremony were OEM Comm. Joseph Esposito, NYFD Chief of  Department James Leonard, NYPD Chief of Patrol Carlos M. Gomez, NYC Chief of Service Paula Gavin, and Ms. Abby Solomon, representing the family of John D. Solomon.

A highlight of the evening was the recognition of team leaders in each borough who showed above and beyond service to emergency preparedness in their communities. In Harlem, JoLinda Ruth Cogen, Team Chief of Central Harlem CERT 10North, received the John D. Solomon Award as the Manhattan finalist. JoLinda was instrumental in organizing the first Harlem CERT after she saw the horrific aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in mostly poor neighborhoods. She leads her team tirelessly in the goal of making Harlem residents ready for emergencies and ready to help others, too.

JoLinda Ruth Cogen earns John D. Solomon Award

 

OEM urges New Yorkers to get involved in planning for emergencies. Check the website:  http://www.nyc.gov/html/oem/html/get_prepared/ready.shtml for ways to safeguard yourself and your family. Then consider becoming involved by applying for membership in your local CERT so that you can also learn how to help others in your area. When disasters strike, you need to be ready to carry on until help can get to you. The best time to prepare is before the emergency – Are You Ready?

   

What’s Your Plan?

 

 

Sunday Morning at The Edge

This past Sunday, a sparkling autumn morning, a stroll up lower Edgecombe Avenue became more interesting. There was a handsome dark-paneled frontage with stylish signing of The Edge right on the corner of 139th Street. This eatery replaced a former bodega on this site.

Inside was warm and modern, a nice mix achieved with bared brick, wood dining tables, black ceilings and glazed cement floor. I sat at a table on one of the leather padded benches along the window just before the official brunch started at 11 AM. The friendly waitress took my order promptly. The café had four other patrons besides me, so it was a good time to soak in the quiet, the sun coming in the front windows, and the jazzy vocal standards playing in the background. Locals stopped in for take-out as well.

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Chic, cozy ambiance aside, the highlight of course came when my order of bagel with cream cheese and a cup of coffee arrived. After one or two bites of their incredibly light and lightly toasted bagel, I had to inquire if they baked them on site. The waitress said they get their bagels from a French bakery. As a native New Yorker, I am fond of our local chewier variety, but this bagel was an instant favorite. It was so light one almost had the urge to eat it quickly or it would float away! Fanciful, yes, but next time I will ask for cream cheese on the side so I can appreciate it even more.

I met two of my neighbors as I was finishing. They were also eager to sample the newest coffee shop in Harlem’s Strivers’ Row area. The Edge is the second coffee shop on lower Edgecombe, with the popular Manhattanville Coffee Shop 2 blocks north which opened about a year ago. Starbucks holds court further up, on 145th Street and Bradhurst Avenue.

I will be returning to The Edge soon, as it becomes the local favorite it’s destined to be. I didn’t notice if there was wi-fi but truly I hope not. Let it be the unique cafe that caters to those who actually want a place to eat good food, drink good coffee and chill with a friend for a spell.

And I’m thinking to try more on the menu; the jerk cesar salad sounds quite appealing…

Poem on wall at The Edge. photo GHazard

National Night Out Against Crime – Step Out with Harlem’s 32 Precinct

Harlem’s 32nd Precinct once again sponsors it’s annual National Night Out Against Crime on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2014. Held on the first Tuesday of August, the event encourages residents to be active on their own streets in the evening, joining their neighbors and the local police precinct for fun and entertainment. Beginning at 5 PM and ending at 9 PM, West 135th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. and Frederick Douglass Boulevard will be closed to traffic so that residents can bring their children to play various games, have their faces painted, and enjoy a free BBQ. And the favorite of the evening, the Jazzmobile, will be on hand with featured performer Cynthia Holiday. Come early, and bring your own chair – seating is limited.

National Night Out, “America’s Night Out Against Crime” began in 1984 by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW). The goal was to promote community and police partnership by staging a ‘lights on’ evening vigil that would symbolically deter criminal activity. Residents would ‘take back’ their streets with picnics, parades, games and other entertainment as well as receive education on staying safe and encouraging community participation.

National Night Out logo – photo from NNO

“While the one night is certainly not an answer to crime, drugs and violence, National Night Out represents the kind of spirit, energy and determination to help make neighborhoods a safer place year round.” – NATW’s Executive Director, Matt Peskin.

There’s no lack of fighting spirit in Harlem! Most precincts in the city will host their Night Out celebrations. Everyone’s welcome, or find your nearest police precinct and join others in the community to unite for a safer neighborhood.

 

HARLEM IN BLOOM

Just strolling through Edgecombe – Eighth Avenue blocks and spotted pots of living color all over the place.

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Many thanks to the homeowners who diligently coax these beauties that brighten up our neighborhoods.

DOT Comes Through for Harlem’s Dorrance Brooks Square Park

After several years of enduring ever-increasing collisions at the intersection of W. 136^th Street and Edgecombe Avenue, the Department of Transportation (DOT) installed a traffic turn signal on St. Nicholas Avenue. Following up with the DOT’s Comm. Margaret Forgione’s visit with the Dorrance Brooks Property Owners and Residents Association (DBPORA) in April, the turn signal aims to deter the inclination of drivers to ignore or miss the stop light when turning left onto eastbound W. 136^th Street.  A car coming north on Edgecombe Avenue on a green light is often struck by car drivers who do not see the red signal when they turn left onto W. 136^th Street.  Accidents have occurred at all hours from early mornings when nearby Percy Sutton Educational Complex is opening, all the way to late evening hours.  Thus far no fatalities have been noted but block association members feared that was only a matter of time. At least one resident ‘s parked car was totaled in one of the accidents, and the construction overhang has been shored up at least twice since it was put up two years ago.

 

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DBPORA is pleased that the DOT took their concerns seriously and has acted so quickly after the meeting. Thanks to the careful, persistent photo documentation from Dr. Keith Taylor, president of the DBPORA and the Hon. JoLinda Ruth Cogen, association secretary, the DOT has been updated on each incident. It is understood that traffic flow on St. Nicholas Avenue will be affected by this; however the alternative is to stand by while accidents happen frequently. The DOT’s timely response is an indicator that Mayor de Blasio’s ‘Vision Zero’ is receptive to community concerns without waiting for a fatality.

It is also an example of the community’s responsibility to advise their agencies of their concerns and keeping the pressure on when the need is clear.

Read http://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/301-14/mayor-de-blasio-signs-package-life-saving-traffic-safety-bills#/0

TUSKEGEE AIRMAN MONTGOMERY HONORED IN HARLEM’S DORRANCE BROOKS SQUARE PARK

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In the historic PFC Dorrance Brooks Square Park in Harlem, a living participant of African-American military history was honored for his role in WWII. Tuskegee Airman Dabney N. Montgomery was honored by the Dorrance Brooks Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 528 and the Dorrance Brooks Property Owners and Residents Association (DBPORA) on Saturday, June 14, 2014. On the balmy Flag Day afternoon, Harlem took a moment to recognize and pay tribute to one of its own who braved a war on two fronts: racism and imperialism. He survived one overseas and then the other at home to become an example of the heights of heroism that African-American servicemen are capable of.

The activities began with  the mistress of  ceremonies, JoLinda Ruth Cogen of DBPORA.  Comdr. Guy deVeaux, PFC Dorrance Brooks VFW Post 528 introduced the program, followed by an invocation by Rev. Tisha Jermin of nearby St. Marks United Methodist Church. Comdr. DeVeaux led the singing of the Star Spangled Banner, Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing (Black National Anthem) and America the Beautiful. Dr. Keith Taylor, president of DBPORA, conducted the dedication of the Dabney Garden Patch, placed with the PFC Brooks plaque at the park’s north end.  Airman Montgomery then related his experiences as a man of color in the segregated US military. His I-was-there account of fellow black soldiers’ heroism, all but erased on their return to the brutal racism at home, still hits an emotional chord  today.

Commissioner Col. Terrence Holliday of the Mayor’s Office of Veteran Affairs regaled the attendees with a talk entitled “The Importance of the Military to African-Americans.” His lighthearted commentary underscored the seriousness of the plight of men like Airman Montgomery who only sought to fight for their country – as Americans. His knowledge of African-Americans in the armed forces was broad and he encouraged everyone to find out more about the subject. The dedication ended with recorded music of the WWII era’s 369th US Infantry “Hellfighters” Band.

Dr. Keith Taylor with honoree Airman Montgomery (G Hazard)

This is the second event sponsored in the historic PFC Dorrance Brooks Square Park by the DBPORA in conjunction with the Dorrance Brooks VFW Post 528. The first, held two years ago, rededicated the Park in honor of PFC Dorrance Brooks of the US Army who served with distinction in Harlem’s 369th Infantry Regiment – The Harlem Hellfighters. DBPORA hopes to continue to honor the rich history associated with the park’s name, and keep the memory of brave African-American soldiers vibrant in the place they called home.

 

Handsome Face-lifts on Harlem’s Uptown Restaurant Row

Just in time for the warmer weather, face-lifts adorn the avenue north of 125th Street on Malcolm X Boulevard.

With a quaint frontage reminiscent of it’s neighbor, Lenox Social, Lenox Saphire has emerged as a bar and restaurant, taking over the corner of 127th Street as well as its former Les Ambassades space.

New becomes newer – Lenox Saphire, formerly Les Ambassades (G Hazard)

While a block south, Cove Lounge opens a generous outdoor seating space to court customers looking for open air dining.

Cove Lounge expands it’s outdoor seating – photo by G Hazard

 

This stretch just keeps getting more lively. One can only wonder what the area’s energy level will be like when Lenox Lounge reopens.