City Tour North Side,Harlem

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Awoke this morning to find it reasonably bright so decided to do the city tour north towards Harlem past Central Park. However within 1/2hour down came the rain fortunately only light rain. As we approached Harlem the rain stopped. interesting Harlem is the only area on Manhattan Island where the roads are not laid out in a grid system more like Europe all higgledy-de -piggledy we past a very impressive Roman Catholic Church (aren’t they always ) and onto the famous area where there are theatres where many of the great musicians started their careers. Then spotted some local bikers from there we viewed the Hotel Theresa where Castro stayed as a snub to the Yanks when he went to New York 40odd years ago for talks, they expected him to stay at the Waldorf Astoria or similar, brought all his own food for fear of being poisoned, hundreds of live chickens running around the hotel ,the stink must have been horrendous. Then past some property that was up or rent or sale ,that’s if you have mega bucks ,not as much has Manhattan but Harlem is now becoming the “In Area” so prices sky rocketing.
Then past somewhat of an enigma a synagogue turning into a Mosque!
Followed by the Fire Factory a fire station that has attended more fires than any other in New York hence the name.
Onto where you can get alternative forms of transport, best on a real sunny warm day. Then back past Central Park past the Dakota building where John Lennon a shot and Yoko Ono still lives.then back to Brodway and Times Squareto explore more then onto the Portland Hotel in 42nd Street which will be my final hotel before leaving for the U.K.

Phileas

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Photos

The starting stage
Many of the great Players started here

Another starting stage
Many of the great jazz players started here Duke Ellington ,Sacmo, Ella Fitzgerald to name a few

Hotel Theresa
This is the hotel that Castro stayed in his visit many moons ago .A real snub to the Americans ,they expected him to stay in swanky Manhatten .And to make it awful in the Hotel he brought all his own food ,worried about being poisened .Can you imagine 100´s of live chickens running around the hotel

Mansion Houses
To buy even in Harlem runs into millions dollars

The Fire Factory
So called because it has attended more fires than any other staion on New York

Alternative transport
Freezing cold

Dakota building
This was where John Lennon was murdered.Yoko Ono still lives there. 3 bedroom apartment in excss of $10milion

Museum of Art
One of the 157 muesums in N.Y.

Pie Scale -12 !
spotted on Broadway

Comments

[benjamin]

correction
The mosque pictured above was not originally a synagogue, rather it was a casino

[Phileas]

response from Phileas
two things . 1.sorry for the long delay in replying.It seem it was forever ago I have only just gone back on the blog looking for some data 2.Thank you for putting me right ,The City Bus Tour guide during his spiel gave me the information .Probably thoght it would embellish it for the punter Phileas aka Roger Port