I really wanted to get the feel of Harlem, so I investigated if there was maybe a walking tour and there is! I had one day free to do what I wanted during my business meetings, so I thought, what a great opportunity to get to know and understand the history of a historical place. I contacted the concierge at one of the Top New York Hotels and ask if they could steer me to the right place. They could, and they not only arranged the reservations for me, they requested a private tour.
It was nice to be able to leave the buses and subways behind and walk the streets of Harlem to feel the sights and sounds that are the epitome of the Black Capital of America. I met up with my personal tour guide who actually works and lives in Harlem. This insiders view managed to transport me back to the days of the Harlem Renaissance. A period when Harlem was filled to the brim with talented artists, musicians, civil rights leaders and writers. I got to see speakeasies, churches (where I got to listen to the uplifting sounds of a gospel choir in practice), pristine neighborhoods, jazz clubs from the 1920′s. My favorite sight is the original Cotton Club. But, it was hard to choose which was my second most favorite sight. I liked the Langston Hughes Home, The Center for Research in Black Culture, the place where Madame Walker and daughter A’lelia Walker lived and the home of Wallace Thurman was especially nice.
My personal tour guide gave my photographs and made sure that I would hear Harlem Renaissance music. But what was most astounding for me was that here in Harlem is some of the most spectacular architecture in all of Manhattan; Harlem is soaked it amazing architecture. We were running out of time, but my wonderfully amazing guide managed to talk me to Sugar Hill. This is where some of the most famous heroes and heroines lived, like Paul Robeson, Malcolm X, Count Basie and WEB DuBois. I was stunned with how different the atmosphere was here compared to the Southern part of Harlem. The day ending with a dinner at one of the eateries in Harlem. A nice touch. I said goodbye to my guide and headed back to my hotel room feeling like I lived during the Renaissance of Harlem.
