Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
brownstones and quiet streets, was one of the first to attract residential development after
the elevated railroads were constructed - it remains a relatively exclusive neighbourhood,
with the likes of basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar living here (and Maya Angelou
before she died).
125TH STREET
Subway A, B, C, D, #2, #3 to 125th St.
MAP
125th Street
between Broadway and Fifth Avenue is the working centre of Harlem and its
main commercial drag. It's here that recent investment in the area is most obvious - note the
presence of numerous chain stores and fashion retailers - spurred by the establishment of
former president Bill Clinton's offices at 55 W 125th St in 2001. Looming over the whole
strip is the Brutalist
Adam Clayton Powell
,
Jr State Office Building
, commissioned in
1972 and built on the corner of Powell Boulevard. The building was named in honour of
Harlem's first black congressman, and his 12ft-high bronze
statue
was unveiled here in
2005. The
National Jazz Museum
(Mon-Fri 10am-4pm; free;
www.jazzmuseuminharlem.org
)
at 104 E 126th St near Park Ave, which organizes courses
and live jazz, and has a small exhibit of old jazz memorabilia.
THE STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM
144 W 125th St between Lenox and Seventh aves. Subway #2, #3 to 125th St. 212 864 4500,
www.studiomuseum.org
.
Thurs-Fri noon-9pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun noon-6pm. $7, free Sun.
MAP
The
Studio Museum in Harlem
has over 60,000 square feet of exhibition space dedicated
to showcasing contemporary African-American painting, photography and sculpture. The
superb permanent collection is displayed on a rotating basis and includes works by Harlem
Renaissance-era photographer James Van Der Zee.
THE APOLLO THEATER
253 W 125th St. Subway A, B, C, D, #2, #3 to 125th St. 212 531 5300,
www.apollotheater.com
. Tours
(min 20 people) Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri 11am, 1pm, 3pm, Wed 11am, Sat & Sun 11am & 1pm. $16 Mon-Fri,
$18 Sat & Sun.
MAP
From the 1930s to the 1970s, the
Apollo Theater
was the centre of black entertainment in
northeastern America. Almost all the great figures of jazz and blues played here along with
singers, comedians and dancers. Past winners of its famous Amateur Night (still running on
Wed at 7.30pm; from $20) have included Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, the Jackson Five,
Sarah Vaughan, Marvin Gaye and James Brown. Hip-hop diva Lauren Hill was actually
booed at her debut as a young teen. Yet the Apollo has also become the spiritual heart of
black America; James Brown's casket lay in state in the theatre, and when Michael Jackson
died in 2009, an official exhibit was arranged inside a few days later.
