Harlem
The heart of Black New York, with the Apollo Theater, Sunday gospel services, soul food and brownstone streets.
- Price
- Free to wander; Apollo shows and tours are ticketed
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Best time
- Sunday morning for gospel services, then brunch.
- Address
- Apollo Theater, 253 W 125th St, New York, NY 10027Google MapsApple Maps
- Getting there
- 125 St (A, B, C, D) for the Apollo and 125th Street, or 125 St on the 2 and 3.
- Accessibility
- Flat streets; the Apollo has accessible seating.
- On site
- Soul food, cafés and bars along 125th Street and Lenox Avenue.
Why go
Harlem was the center of the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and remains the heart of Black culture in New York. 125th Street is its main street, home to the Apollo Theater, where Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown and many others were discovered. The side streets have some of the city's finest brownstone rows, and the neighborhood is known for gospel churches and soul food.
Tips
- Visitors are welcome at many Sunday services, but they're worship, not shows: dress respectfully and stay for the whole service.
- Look for the brownstones of Strivers' Row on West 138th and 139th Streets.
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