Jim L'Hommedieu wrote:
> PS- You can jump into this series anywhere and still get something. ... (I
> learned that Harlem is almost next to Manhattan, separated only by Central
> Park.)
Hi Jim,
This sounds like a very interesting series. I don't know how the geography was
explained on the show, but this little incorrect detail caught my eye, and
since you seem to be in learning mode, figured I'd straighten it out.
Manhattan is the entire island and Harlem is one of the neighborhoods, in the
same way that Chelsea or the Upper East Side or the West Village or Soho are
neighborhoods within Manhattan. The general boundaries of Harlem are 125th
Street to about 150th Street, from the Hudson River to 5th Avenue, so it's on
the west side of Manhattan and above Central Park. Each neighborhood has its
own unique characteristics resulting from which group of people settled there,
which is how areas become defined as "neighborhoods" in the first place. I
don't know much about the history of Harlem, but think it's always been an
African-American, primarily middle and upper class community, and is now known
for having beautiful brownstones, some great restaurants and a bakery that
people from all over the city go to buy pies from. The Apollo Theater, where a
lot of performers got their start, is also there.
Ok, NYC geography lecture's over, unless there are questions from the audience
:-).
Debra Shea,
who is very pleased that I've now caught up on all the joni messages from the
past week, except for the political/religious ones. Thank god for subject
headings. Maybe I'll read those sure-to-be-provocative posts tomorrow... maybe
not.
