Home Girl: Building a Dream House on a Lawless Block

"Intoxicated by West Harlem's cultural diversity, and, more importantly, its affordability, Judith impulsively buys a fixer upper brownstone in the area. Little does she know what's in store."

The video trailer above is for a book, Home Girl: Building a Dream House on a Lawless Block, recounting the experience of a Judith Matloff, who impulsively bought a house on West 141st Street in Hamilton Heights after visiting the area in 2000. An area of Harlem the NYTimes, in a piece about the book and the neighborhood, reports at that time, "was considered by law enforcement to be a main distribution point in the Northeast for millions of dollars in cocaine...Much of that drug activity was centered on Ms. Matloff’s street." The story went on to report another consequence of living in the neighborhood, "Her son, Anton, grew up thinking he was Latino: he spoke only Spanish, identified himself with the brown dolls and had a fashion sense that 'veered towards bling,' as Ms. Matloff explained."

The video above is pretty humorous, and I'm dying to read the book. I can't tell if I will enjoy it or not, but at first blush it seems entertaining. The author has published some excerpts on her page, and they're hard to interpret. I liked the video trailer better. Below is from an excerpt of the Prologue (pdf),

"Leaving the subway platform, I ran up the stairs to the street where the Mexican vendor cried, 'Tamales, Tamaales' like a siren...What terrific street life! If I closed my eyes and ignored the police sirens – for some reason there were so many – I could imagine myself on a commercial drag in Santo Domingo. I almost bumped into a group playing sidewalk baseball with a broomstick. They shot me curious looks...Turning the corner of what would soon be my – my! – street, I passed a cluster of men who regarded me gravely. “Buenos tardes!” I called out cheerily."

Following is an excerpt from An Encounter With Police (pdf), recounting an experience of having armed police guard their house for protection,

"...We knew from experience in Africa that there’s nothing like an armed man to provoke another armed man. This was like sending out a beacon to the block that we were in cahoots with the police. Even more worrying was John’s explosive reaction. He was puffing up like a rooster spoiling for a fight. 'You’ll have to move,' John ordered the man in shorts. The cop looked longingly at the freedom of Broadway -- so close, yet so far. 'Can’t. Orders,' he said regretfully. 'Whose orders?' John’s voice dropped an octave. The policeman put his hand on his holster for greater authority. 'The commander of Manhattan North, Diaz. He says you need protection.'"

The Book, Home Girl, is available for purchase at Amazon.

Harlem Resident And NYC The Blog Reader Details His Own Recent Mugging On Nov 4th

NYC The Blog's report on a mugging around 145th st. last month, resulting in the victim losing his iPhone, prompted a reader to write in, saying, "Oddly enough, I read this blog post when it was first posted. Needless to say, it slipped my mind since, until I was mugged, same fashion on election night at 8PM on 147th, walking from St. Nick to Convent."

Pressing him for more detail via an email follow-up, Harlem Guy left a comment, noting in part,

"...It was around 8PM, and I was walking from the 145th ABCD stop on 147th from St. Nick to Convent. I was caught up in election excitement and was getting live updates from a friend of mine, on, you guessed it, my iphone."

Damn you iPhone! Didn't anybody read the helpful officers guide NYC The Blog posted on how not to get mugged?!

Luckily for Harlem Guy, although his assailants did brandish a gun, the police happened to be in eyesight. He continues,

"Essentially, I was walking, and a guy was rushing up the street yelling. At first, I ignored him, thinking it was NY as usual, until he put a gun on my back and yanked the phone and took off running down 147th to St. Nick. Luckily (I guess), the cops were driving up the street at the time and witnessed the before, during and after of my mugging--but due to a broken radio, were unable to catch the guys (turns out one of them was waiting behind for a lookout/assistance if needed). Had the cops not been there, it probably would have been a much worse outcome--I still have my wallet, well being, and bottle of champagne.

Needless to say, I was a little shaken--especially given the guy would still go ahead with mugging me with a cop RIGHT THERE (the cops said they hesitated when they saw the police car driving up the street but then went for it anyway). Also to be noted were the people hanging out on their stoops that did not raise a finger to help.

I filed a report with the police, although had to encourage them to do so (asked, when discovered it was just my phone taken, "You don't really want to file a report, right?") Looks like these guys are still at it. Be careful up there.

NYC The Blog contacted the 30th Precinct looking to verify the report, who referred me to headquarters downtown, who then referred me back to the 30th precinct. At this time neither of them could confirm or deny the report.

Harlem World

125th St looking east from Broadway

• The CW11's Lisa Mateo visits Talay -- a new restaurant in West Harlem, (not MePa.)
  <CW 11>
  
• How "Change" Sounded On The Radio (Or Didn't) <The Infinite Dial>
  
• The Mayor's budget cuts include "closing libraries for a half day, eliminating dental programs and closing a clinic in East Harlem" <NY Times>
• The local economy in the upper Manhattan neighborhoods of Washington Heights and Inwood continues to be fueled by growth in small businesses according to a report released Thursday by New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli. <Empire State News>
  
• CB12 Committee Asks DOT for Dyckman Greenway Connector Study <Streetsblog>
  
• Tonight and Tomorrow at Maysles Cinema, free screening of Rezoning Harlem <Uptown Flavor>
  
• Harlem Locals Still Confront Language Gaps <Columbia Spectator>

ATM Watch On 145th St. -- First There Was One, Now There Are Two

Yesterday's report on the first free-standing exterior ATM on 145th St might not have been entirely accurate, as this ATM machine that has appeared just a few doors down can attest. Neither were there last week, and which one arrived first is unclear, though they are both new. Either way, in one week 145th St has received two free-standing exterior ATM machines, bringing the street up to date with street furniture that is ubiquitous on streets having a high population of of people who have ATM cards, and like to use them, even it is on a corner known recently for forceful removal of your property.

145th St Gets It's First Free Standing Exterior ATM Machine

Hot on the heels of various assaults and muggings taking place in the vicinity, 145th St. has it's first, free-standing, exterior ATM machine. It is kept company by three payphones steps away from each other, with another two or three payphones in the subway station below. The ATM sits about 5 feet left of the subway stairs, and is blocked from sidewalk view on that same side by the subway stairs wrought iron fencing and advertisement display sitting atop it.

I snapped this photo, at approximately 12:30 am, moments before three people speaking with European accents used the machine. Whose backs were turned to the street during the transaction. On the corner of 145th and St Nicholas, in a darkened corner behind the ABCD subway station entrance.

SEE: NY Police Officer Offers Tips On How Not To Get Mugged, What To Do If You Do Get Mugged

Is gentrification like reading a book, with the next chapters having already been written and simply waiting for you to read them? If so, this neighborhood is at an authors reading.

Six years ago, 145th St east of St Nicholas Ave was rezoned, and the change that followed was swift and and dramatic. New condos, Starbucks, Banks, displacement, the whole sh-bang. Like the end of a fireworks display, that was a jaw dropping finale. A chapter was written and read.

In June of this year, a Dunkin' Donuts opened on the SE corner of 145th and St. Nicholas, in what had long had been a bar that neighbors had mixed feelings about. A T-Mobile store followed on Amsterdam shortly after. The bodega on the NW corner of the 145th and St. Nicholas received a months long renovation, replete with a grand re-opening as new deli. A juice bar selling five dollar juices opened next door. The Baton Rouge opened, closed, re-opened, and closed again, this time being sold to new owners.

Recently a group of three young kids moved in to an apartment in my building, musicians who I believe to be exiles from downtown Manhattan. A boyfriend of one recently came to visit, and couldn't get his significant other on the phone as he stood outside. He requested to be let in. "why don't you buzz her?" I asked.

"I dont know what apt. she is. I mean, I'm not trying to sneak in. I promise. She just moved in, she is not answering her phone, and I'm not sure what number she is." Inside, I rolled my eyes.

In sections of downtown Manhattan, Orchard St for instance, there can be 4-5 free standing ATM's on one block. Quietly, they make me angry inside. In a juvenile, reactionary, classist, selfish way. And now we have one on 145th, across the street from one in the deli and others in the bank. I've read this book once, and didn't really care for it. The ending broke my heart.

UPDATE: Exciting Developments Tomorrow!

Related:

• BREAKING::145th St Station. Found Travel Mug, Will Return.
• Kelton Hundredz Hustles His Demo On The Corner Of 145th And St. Nicholas, Harlem
• Subway Dancers On The D Train, From 145th To 161st
• [UPDATED] You've Got Mail, Harlem World Style

Harlem World

Photograph by Happy Dav

• A Church In E. Harlem, Then And Now <NY Times>
  
• Woman survives elevator shaft fall in E. Harlem <ABC 7>
  
• The Slow Transformation of E 96th Street <East Side Our Town>
  
• Artists Exhibit Personal Definitions of Harlem <Columbia Spectator>
  
• Blogger reviews the food at Talay, in MePa W. Harlem <Writing With My Mouth Full>
  
• West Harlem's CB9 District Manager Says Goodbye, Heads to CB13 <Columbia Spectator>
Talking with customer's of Sylvia's about the presidential candidates, "He (McCain) was a prisoner of war. How do you know he wasn't brainwashed? He might blow us all up,"
<The Austrailian>

Area Of West Harlem Needs Marketable Name, New Jersey Public Relations Firm Creates One

When the NY Times wrote about the newly resurgent area of 12th St. in West Harlem that runs along the Riverside Drive viaduct -which now features three nightclubs/restaurants seen in the photo to the right- they spent some time selling the area to it's readers as the newest hot spot, describing it as "pulsating" "something fresh" and noting the clubs are the attracting celebrities such as Keith Sweat and Tracy Morgan, as well as "long lines of curvy women."

What the area was lacking however was it's own brand name along the lines of The Meat Packing District, Soho, or the like, that could help make it marketable for real estate agents, developers, and public relation flacks. And of course, promoters who go by the name Blaze.

"Some of the club owners favor the 'new meatpacking area.' Others prefer ViVa, for Viaduct Valley, a reference to the viaduct," the Times wrote, quoting Carlos Saint-Hilaire, the owner of the nightclub Talay, as saying, "We want to do advertising about the area, but first we have to find our name."

Enter Amalia Parthenakis of Amalia Public Relations, a "Fashion, Lifestyle and Travel PR Specialist" based in New Jersey and handling PR for Body Restaurant and Lounge, who has been sending out press releases touting the location of Body in "the newly penned 'Harlem Meat Packing District.'"

Intrigued about all this new branding of Uptown, and curious about who has "newly penned" the area the Harlem Meat Packing District, NYC The Blog sent an email to Amalia Public Relations, inquiring as to who exactly "newly penned" the area, as a search of news and blogs online finds only references to the press release. It took a couple of emails to get a direct answer, and after asking pointedly, "Can you tell me who "newly penned" the neighborhood the Harlem Meat Packing District...Or is that just a term you created to market the area?" Amalia, seeming slightly irritated, responded "Yes," adding helpfully that "it is a marketing concept."

Phew! That was a close one. For a moment there I thought I was totally sleeping on a whole new neighborhood existing in West Harlem all this time right under my nose, and I didn't even know! But now I can go back to ignoring anything happening in the The Harlem Meat Packing District, because it doesn't actually even exist.

(photography of 12th Ave and the Viaduct by J Phillip O'Brien)

UPDATE: Curbed has asserted "The 'Harlem Meatpacking District' nickname for the burgeoning restaurant row/nightlife scene around Twelfth Avenue in West Harlem, a hot topic the past few days, simply will not fly." And their readers are on the case offering their own names for the area such as Produce Packing District, with Curbed allowing that publicists and brokers may now start using ProPack for short.

Not Related:

• Jon Oliver's Documentary Portrait Project Along 110th
• 8 Children From MS 45 In East Harlem Offer The News That is Important To The Community They Live In.
  
• New Jersey Resident Pisses On New York City, Literally

Rebranding Neighborhoods, Rebranding West Harlem. "The Harlem Meat Packing District"

SoBro, SpaHa, SoHa, and now the "Harlem Meat Packing District". Who advocates for the changing of a neighborhood name, who desires one, and why?

Boogie Downer, blogging about the South Bronx, asked, What's In A Name? and the commenters were largely opposed to the name SoBro as opposed to the South Bronx, with one commenter noting "it would sound silly (to my ears anyway) if someone were to actually reference the term when actually speaking."

City Room then batted around the topic in a recent post about attempts by some real estate concerns and at least one politician in the South Bronx to rebrand the neighborhood as Downtown Bronx. The Times writes that some civic and business leaders have been actively using the name in a variety of rebranding efforts, and made not so subtle insinuations about the class of people for and against such a name change.

Raphael Merino of NY Latino Journal commented on said post and added his take on the article from the perspective of a resident in E. Harlem, itself undergoing rapid change in the makeup of their neighborhood and the requisite rebranding that seems to follow a class shift in the population.

"Here, in El Barrio/ Spanish Harlem, we’re fighting a very similar battle. Although the generic moniker of "East Harlem" has gained more ground than "Downtown Bronx," El Barrio and Spanish Harlem designations are well respected, engraved in a large amount of small businesses, defended by local politicians and civic groups, and immortalized in popular culture. How do you turn your back on that? Some have tried...

You build on that kind of passion, you don’t paint over it."

West Bronx Blog picked up the article, offering more variety on the changing names of neighborhoods when they reported on a press release they recently received from Amalia Media, LLC on behalf of Body nightclub on 137th Street, near 12th Avenue in Harlem, a neighborhood soundly known as West Harlem. Amalia Media LLC apparently has other designs however, and claims in the release that area is "the newly penned 'Harlem Meat Packing District.'"

I was now sufficiently intrigued, as I do miss a lot of things and it's possible that I missed this "newly penned" name. Pissed over the possibility that the latest trend in Harlem passed me by, I sent an inquiry to Amalia Media LLC via email, asking just who exactly "newly penned West Harlem as the Harlem Meat Packing District", as the only reference I can find online are blogs repeating her release, such as this blog, West Bronx Blog, and Curbed, who also picked up the silly attempt at name changing.

Amalia Media LLC did not return a request for comment. Trying to visit their website to learn more about this very media savvy and hip Public Relations firm did not yield any results, as unfortunately the firm has no web presence to speak of aside from a profile ifreelance.com, where it claims 2-5 employees and New Jersey as it's home. According to a search of public records performed by NYC The Blog, Amalia Media LLC is not a registered business in the State of New Jersey nor the State of New York.

Harlem World

Looking North past 125 St From the elevated train line at the 123 Subway stop

• Columbia Students Release New Erotic Magazine <College on the Record>
  
• Thursday October 30th, the Jackie Robinson Recreation Center will be hosting the Halloween Children's Festival <Exodus Foundation>
  
• W.Harlem nightclubs are fly <NYTimes>
  
• "...West Harlem residents expressed concern that evictions and rent hikes would continue to worsen in the face of economic downturn and Columbia’s expansion into Manhattanville." <Columbia Spectator>
  
• John Kelley from the BBC visits the Dance Theater of Harlem <Talking America>
  
• Mulling over the new Target coming to E.Harlem <Geo/Graphi/Culture>
  
• Recollections of growing up in E.Harlem in 1940's <The History Box>
  
• ModSquad Bike Shop Sign is Up in Harlem <Harlem Condo Life>
  
• A Harlem man was gunned down early Saturday on a basketball court a few blocks from his home at 102nd St,. <Daily News>
• The First Line of Defence. Marker honors the 225th anniversary of The Battle of Harlem Heights fought on September 16, 1776, during the Revolutionary War <HMBD>
• Man in Harlem hit by SUV, dragged by clueless driver <Daily News>
• What happens when a secular Jew walks from Harlem to Ground Zero in a burqa?
  <The Comment Factory>

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Harlem World Short Stack

• Economic Struggles Hit West Harlem's Small Businesses; "I wish there was a bailout package for local businesses, because local businesses are what give money back to the community, Joseph said. "When we fail, it really has an impact on the community."<Columbia Spectator>
  
• Basketball takes center stage in this Harlem "dog show" <Columbia Journalist>
  
• Studio Museum in Harlem’s Schedule of Exhibits <Uptown Flavor>

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