THE HARLEM WALK

Seen Harlem yet? Really seen it? Not if you've just ridden quickly down a couple of its principal avenues atop a double-decker tour bus!

Harlem's most gorgeous residential blocks truly reflect uptown elegance, 1890s-style. 

To fully experience this neighborhood, you simply must explore the quieter side streets, since that's where most of Harlem's architectural beauty and historic distinction lies.

Our Harlem strolls allow you to do just that.

This walk takes in a whole series of beautiful streetscapes. In fact, we'll pass through four landmarked districts in just a little over two hours.

We begin in Harlem's northern reaches near Manhattan's oldest residence, located in the remarkable Jumel Terrace Historic District. Then we meander down St. Nicholas Ave. through the neighborhood long known as Sugar Hill. (You had to have lots of "sugar" in your pocket to live here.)

Next, it's the Hamilton Heights Historic District, with blocks along Convent Avenue as lovely as any in the city. A remarkable variety of architectural styles is apparent in these homes, most built during the 1880s and 1890s, when Harlem was still almost entirely white. Thanks to extensive restoration efforts and a strong sense of community, these districts are once again highly desirable places to live – for those who can afford to move in!

Once we reach the flat portion of central Harlem (we've been walking down a gradual slope since we began), we stroll along famous Strivers Row – and witness still more evidence of the remarkable neighborhood renaissance now underway uptown. Some of Manhattan ’s most beautiful churches lie along this route. So do numerous sites associated with the civil rights struggle.

Along the way, we pass the locations of more than two dozen jazz clubs, as well as the former homes of numerous jazz notables: Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Coleman Hawkins, Billy Strayhorn, Johnny Hodges, Harry Carney, Dinah Washington, Jimmy Rushing, Lucky Roberts, Bud Powell, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Mary Lou Williams, Fletcher Henderson and many more.

Langston Hughes, Marcus Garvey, Madam C.J. Walker, Father Divine, Scott Joplin, W.C. Handy, Eubie Blake, Jelly Roll Morton, Billie Holiday and Fats Waller all lived here. Joe Louis welcomed patrons at his own tavern. The Collyer Brothers’ famously cluttered townhouse made headlines around the world. And Pig Foot Mary sold so many home-cooked snacks out of a baby carriage along the sidewalk that she retired a wealthy woman.

For jazz lovers especially, this part of Harlem is filled with historic interest. The Cotton Club and the Savoy Ballroom were here. So were Minton's, Sugar Ray's, Connie’s Inn, Smalls’ Paradise, the Renaissance, Count Basie’s Lounge, Monroe’s Uptown House, the Gee-Haw Stables, the Lickety Split, the Elks Rendezvous, the Capitol Palace, the Yeah Man, Snookie’s Sugar Bowl, Showman's Bar, Club Baby Grand and the Hot Cha. 

In fact, one notorious stretch of W. 133rd Street contained so many after-hours spots (among them, the Nest, Basement Brownie’s, Mother Shepherd's, the Log Cabin and Pod & Jerry’s Catagonia Club) that it was known to slummers from downtown as “Jungle Alley.”

After a look at 125th St. (most famous for the Hotel Theresa and the Apollo Theater), we end with a stroll through the Mount Morris Historic District just west of Marcus Garvey Park that was once home to the city's second largest Jewish community. In this highly desirable residential quarter, row houses now routinely sell for well over $1 million – and empty shells can cost as much as $750,000 each.

Along the way are New York's only surviving fire watchtower...Alexander Hamilton's country cottage...a century-old church cobbled together from the discarded parts of three other buildings... the Tree of Hope...two onetime casinos...an entire street lined with old-style wooden front porches... and the celebrated whites-only nightspot where both "Ain't Misbehavin'" and "Honeysuckle Rose" were first heard.

Other pleasant surprises in this area include the revitalized Lenox Avenue shopping district...an apartment tower favored by tap dancers...a Turkish cigarette factory...the Malcolm X mosque...a couple of Ethiopian temples...Marcus Garvey Park...the stoop where that famous “Great Day in Harlem” photo was taken...and a bronze Duke Ellington held aloft by nine naked maidens.

Want to experience the very best of Harlem? Come along with SwingStreets!

Reservations are required. Tours often sell out well in advance.

Check available dates and purchase tickets online.

To purchase tickets by phone, call Zerve at 212/209-3370.