Harlem started to gentrify in the early '90s, when two grads could buy a rundown brownstone for one dollar, signing a promise to renovate it for a huge deferment of time before interest payments on the mortgage were due. Incredible, give-away rates on the mortgages. Those were the pioneering Bennetton young tykes who jumped on that venture.
When Columbia was granted administrator of Empowerment Zone redevelopment funds, the university began to engineer, in earnest, the change of face you now see. In the interim, that same generation willing to ride and live north of 96th street began to purchase around W. 110 th. Being at the top of the Park, near the hospitals where many worked, and with easy access to the reservoir made 110 th an ideal transition point.
A couple of tips related to things folks have mentioned:
Veniero’s is great–I would suggest going in the afternoon for coffee and dessert–in the evening, especially on the weekend, it can get really crowded. When you’re in that area (East Village) you can also eat at one of the Momofuku restaurants. The last time we were there, we ate at Fuku, David Chang’s fried chicken sandwich place on First Avenue. Really good. One of our favorite sushi splurges is also in this area, Jewel Bako.
There are also some fun places to eat in the Lower East Side, like Ivan Ramen. That area has changed a lot, too.
Some of my college friends/their friends have already moved into the Grand Concourse area.
Main reason why it’s hasn’t gentrified as quickly is the perceived “long distance” inconvenience* and the critical mass of artists/musicians/night-life venues for them hasn’t happened yet. Just a matter of time though.
Same reasons why some college friends are reluctant to rent live in upper Manhattan...mosr of the friends living in lower Manhattan/trendy areas of Brooklyn feel it's too far to come up to visit/hang out. All are not NYC natives as what they consider "long-distance" is really a short subway/bus ride or a long pleasant walk on a nice day/night.
@cobrat:
Actually, it isn’t that far into Manhattan, if you take the D train, it is only a fairly short jaunt to midtown, and compared to the commutes people are making from Brooklyn (Park Slope for example isn’t that quick a trip) in some places, it is relatively easy, especially with the D train. I kind of laught at the idea that is far out, commuting from the burbs on a good day is 1.5 hours…the neighborhood I lived in in the northeast bronx via Metro north was about 20 minutes to grand central, the subway about 45:)
I agree that by the 1980’s the city had changed quite a bit from the 60s/70s, and was much safer. I lived in both Boston and NYC during parts of the 80’s, and I thought living in NYC was similar to living in many other cities - in certain areas it wasn’t smart to walk alone at night, walk quickly and confidently, if your subway car was deserted, good idea to move to one a bit more populated, etc. In some ways a lot of Manhattan seemed safer to me than some of the student areas of Boston. My car was stolen (twice) in Boston, in relatively nice neighborhoods. Then again, in Manhattan, I was flashed - also twice! (The second time I wondered if if was something about me …)
I lived in Park Slope, on Garfield Place between 5th and 6th Ave.,from 1978 to 1989 and I worked nights most of that time. I took the subway home and walked up the hill from 4th Ave. and never had a problem. Fifth Ave. was mostly filled with small stores owned by Puerto Rican or Dominican families who lived upstairs from the store.
So I am talking about Carroll Street between 5th and 6th and there was a huge difference between 1973 and 5 years later and then into the 80’s. The late 70’s is when the first huge increase in real estate pricing in that area took place. My friend still has one of his original tenants from 1973… she is still a tenant because except for increases in heating and taxes… he has barely increased her rent since then. DH and I actually saw a triplex plus one on a park block with the asking price of $125,000. We couldn’t afford that in 1977. That house today probably worth close to $4 million.
In those days we used to have dinner at Two Tom’s right by the Gowanus Canal, a noted Mafia place, conveniently located near the Brooklyn Casket Company. One night one of the guys came up to our table and demanded our car keys… they needed to move our car because a very important guy was about to arrive and they wanted him to be able to walk right in. Around the same time we had dinner in another restaurant in Little Italy when they closed the restaurant to the public, they let those inside finish up… but just as in a scene from “The Godfather” when the main guy arrived, people lined up to kiss his ring. Those days in NYC are gone for sure!!!