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When traveling to New York City<\/a>, the obvious hot spots are Times Square, Grand Central, the Empire State Building, etc.\u00a0 With so much to see and do, it\u2019s hard to see the whole city in one trip.\u00a0 That being said, there is one neighborhood that most people don\u2019t make time for, but should.\u00a0 That neighborhood is Harlem.\u00a0 Luckily, a tour group called Free Tours by Foot offers a fabulous tour of the neighborhood.\u00a0 Home to a number of historically famous landmarks, Harlem has gone through several phases of gentrification and depression, as well.\u00a0 Originally a farming territory until the late 1800\u2019s, Harlem was a separate colony from Manhattan, connected by Broadway.\u00a0 If you have ever actually explored the neighborhood, you know how hilly it is.\u00a0 Those hills were once cliffs that now serve as sidewalks, roads, and parks. <\/p>\n
\nWhat really made upper Manhattan more accessible was the construction of railroads \u2013 namely the Metro North Railroad originating from Grand Central Concourse (now Grand Central Terminal).\u00a0 The first immigrants to begin settling uptown were the Germans and Jews in Yorkville, as well as Italians, all alongside the famous Harry Houdini who lived on 113th street and 7th avenue.\u00a0 This migration uptown lead to what we know as the Harlem Renaissance.
\nYou might be wondering how Harlem went from farming rural land to the urban metropolis it is today.\u00a0 Well, did you know that Manhattan was the second largest slave town in the world at one point?\u00a0 Only Charleston, South Carolina saw more slaves than NYC.\u00a0 They cut down all the trees on Broadway, and built sewers.\u00a0 1827, though, finally saw the end of slavery in Manhattan.
\nThis tour also highlighted some points of interest like famous churches, and the old Harlem Renaissance Ballroom.\u00a0 Two streets in particular stood out in the neighborhood as being exceptionally beautiful.\u00a0 Lined with trees and gorgeous brownstones, 138th and 139th streets are nicknamed \u201cStriver\u2019s Row,\u201d as the residents there strive to maintain the beauty.\u00a0 We also saw, from a distance, the Harlem YMCA, which was the front porch of the Harlem Renaissance.\u00a0 At that time, the facility had SRO\u2019s, or single room occupancies, one of which actually housed Malcolm X for about 4 months.
\nAfter riots ravaged the neighborhood from 1964-1968, the building owners had to come up with ways to get tenants back uptown.\u00a0 As a result, leases were sold for $1 and investors would have the buildings to do with what they pleased.\u00a0\u00a0 The city saw this as an opportunity to make some cash, and by 1993, the city of New York owned 60% of the buildings in Harlem.
\nLuckily, the neighborhood that we know and love today continues to gentrify and thrive.\u00a0 Harlem is a culturally rich neighborhood home to a diverse multitude of people.\u00a0 Sometimes it feels more suburban; with block parties in the 140\u2019s every weekend over the summer, and sometimes it feels super urban with street vendors lining busy streets.\u00a0 Whatever you fancy, Harlem is a perfect neighborhood to explore on your next trip to New York City, especially with Free Tours by Foot<\/a>.<\/p>\n