Harlem

Day two of our sightseeing adventures found us in Harlem. Kris (Brian's Mom) wanted to go see the building that her father lived in when he was a child. Her Grandfather was called to be the mission president of the Eastern States Mission and the Mission Home was located in Harlem. This was in the early 1900's so Harlem then was much different than Harlem today. Mission boundaries where very large back then as well. The Eastern States Mission included New England, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, District of Columbia and Maryland. That's a lot of area to keep track of.

We took the subway up to 125th Street in Northern Manhattan. After some wandering we found the right address. The original building that he lived in is gone and a newer building sits in its place. I took a picture anyways.

While we were snapping a picture of the building, a lady on the second or third floor opened her window and began shouting at us to stop because we were invading her privacy. We tried telling her that we just wanted a photo because Kris' Dad lived here once, but it didn't help. Then a lady walking by us joined in repeatedly saying, "He probably stole it." So we just left. Looking back, I guess we got an authentic Harlem experience.

Brian was feeling a little tense from being in Harlem, so he decided that it was time to go and eat. He led us all the way across Harlem walking on 125th Street to find the place where he wanted to eat. Along the way we saw the Apollo Theater. Before it was the Apollo it was a burlesque theater. Kris' Grandfather rented rooms in the top floor. They held church services in those rooms.

The Apollo is famous because that is where music artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin got their start.

We also passed the Cotton Club, a reincarnation of the famous Cotton Club jazz night club that operated from 1923 to 1940. It was a white only club, but many African Americans performed there.

Source

We finally found Dinosaur BBQ, Brian's choice for lunch. We had a bit of a wait, but it was totally worth it. We ordered a family style dinner where they serve you helpings of pretty much everything. It was all amazing. There wasn't one thing that I didn't like. At one point I had BBQ chicken, ribs, brisket and pulled pork all on my plate at once. I also tasted my first fried green tomato, which was delicious. It was a pretty awesome lunch.

After eating, we wanted to walk down to see the Cathedral of St. John the Divine because it was closed the day before. We ended up on a path next to the Hudson River in Riverside Park. It was a gorgeous day and the blooming trees and sunlight glinting off the river made it even nicer. We ended up walking pretty far because the double freeway running next to the park cut us off from crossing over and out of the park. So beware when walking on Riverside Park, once you're on it, you're there for awhile.

Kris and I really enjoyed the walk, but the menfolk were a little grumbly.

All in all it was another great day. We love having family in town!

P.S. The next day, Sunday, we went to visit some friends that live in the Bronx. As we were walking to their apartment, Kris commented that the area reminded her of East Germany. That about sums it up.