PIX 11 NEWS

By Steve Kuzj

The pandemic has been crushing for so many businesses, perhaps for none more than local restaurants, which have always depended on customers dining in. 

When health departments shut down indoor public spaces across the country, enormous amounts of business dried up immediately for our local restaurants.

Last year, New York State lawmakers put together a $25 million fund aimed at helping restaurants replace some of that lost business by paying them to provide meals to citizens in need. It was called the Restaurant Resiliency Program.

State officials say 175 New York City restaurants were approved for the program, but less than half that number, only 64 restaurants, was actually given a portion of the money. For those who were lucky to get funds, it was transformative.

“The RRP really helped Uptown Veg in a big way,” Jasmine Myrick, an entrepreneur at Uptown Veg, said. “We were able to feed a lot of NYCHA residents.”

A group of New York City restaurants, the food relief organization Food Stream Network, along with the state and local leaders are calling for the restaurant resiliency program to be refunded with another $25 million in the new state budget.

THE NEW YORK TIMES

By Ana Ley

Residents have been waiting almost a century for new stations. Some aren’t sure they’ll be built.

Politicians have long promised to bring East Harlem a new subway line that would give this historically neglected community better transit access to the rest of New York and shift passengers away from some of the country’s most crowded train lines.

The idea appears to have gained renewed momentum, with Gov. Kathy Hochul vowing to finish the project within a decade and transportation officials saying the $1 trillion federal infrastructure bill passed last year can help cover half the estimated $6.3 billion cost of what would be one of the world’s most expensive transit projects.

Funds from the bill could help finance a more than $3 billion grant request from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the subway, that the Federal Transit Administration is moving closer to approving. Transit officials hope to break ground by the end of the year.

“Things never looked better for getting the Second Avenue subway to East Harlem,” said Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, a Democrat and the majority leader.

Still, given the long-awaited project’s many starts and stops, the latest announcements have been met with skepticism in a heavily working-class neighborhood where 71 percent of residents use public transit to get to work, compared with a citywide average of 56 percent, according to Census Bureau data.

“I think that it’s sad that it’s taken this long,” said Princess Jenkins, who owns The Brownstone, a clothing store on East 125th Street a short walk from the subway line’s proposed path. “We want people to be able to access this community.”

The Second Avenue subway line was envisioned to stretch north along the Upper East Side of Manhattan to East Harlem, and south to Lower Manhattan. So far only one part of the plan, along the Upper East Side, has been completed. Here is a look at where the project stands.

STREET ART NYC

By Lois Stavsky

The Grandscale Mural Project, one of my favorite public art projects in town, brings vitality, color and intrigue to East Harlem. Since this past summer, I’ve revisited its current reiteration several times, always delighted by its diversity and charm.

PIX 11 NEWS

By Greg Mocker

HARLEM, Manhattan — Everyone’s invited to the party this weekend at La Marqueta in East Harlem.

From pies to bow ties, small businesses are showing their merchandise and foods at the Harlem Night Market on Saturday and Sunday.

Local music and DJs keep the energy up at the complex along Park Avenue, underneath the Metro-North tracks — dancing isn’t required, but plenty of attendees couldn’t help but bust a move Friday night.

Artist and vendor Jocelyn Marie Goode created original portraits for people on the spot.

“I believe everyone should have art,” she said.

PIX11 News also caught up with chef Maryam Boodie, the owner of Maryam’s Yum Yum.

“Times are difficult,” she said. “Being together is important.”

Harlem Night Market is one of the newer markets across the city. which are popular during the summer and holiday season. It was first held in 2019 and scaled down last year because of the pandemic.

This year, 75 vendors are participating.

“Myself and others vendors pride ourselves on being in the community,” Sean Perez, the owner of King Beard Care, said.

The market is checking vaccinations and identification at the door. Masks are required inside, except when eating and drinking.

The event runs from 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday, and on Sunday it begins at 3 p.m.

PIX 11 NEWS

By Greg Mocker

EAST HARLEM, Manhattan — Kitchens are always busy this time of year, but there’s no such thing as too many cooks at La Marqueta.

It’s a make-or-break season for small businesses trying to survive during the pandemic, and La Marqueta’s shared kitchen helps keep some chefs going. Businesses lease space there at the complex under the Metro-North railroad tracks.

It’s also a place that’s hosting some preparations for the return of the Harlem Night Market Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Maryam Boddie, the chef and owner of Maryam’s Yum Yum, said her business made it through 2020 with connections to community groups ordering meals. She said she looks forward to expanding more next year.

The staff at La Fonda, a restaurant on East 106th Street, has also been using the space to prepare its unique Puerto Rican specialties.

Maryam’s Yum Yum and La Fonda were just a sample of the dozens of vendors ready to return to the market at East 116th Street and Park Avenue.

Uptown Grand Central started the event in 2019, but it was scaled back last year.

THE CURIOUS UPTOWNER

After a one-year pause, the trailblazing Harlem Night Market is returning to East Harlem bigger and better than before.

The indoor festival highlighting local businesses, which launched in 2019, will stretch across three lots on Park Avenue this year.

This includes the block-long La Placita between 115th and 116th Streets where the market first launched as well as the historic La Marqueta between 114th and 115th Streets and the Urban Garden Center between 116th and 117th Streets.

Expect food, drinks, and artisanal goods from up to 75 vendors, including uptown favorites like Harlem Biscuit Co., Sugar Hill Creamery and Harlem Seafood Soul.

There will be activities for kids, too, including Three Kings Day crown-making with El Museo del Barrio, plus photographs with Santa (the family activities will take place at the Urban Garden Center on Saturday 4pm-6pm and Sunday 3pm-6pm).

Music will segue from live performances from groups such as Los Pleneros de la 21 and Sing Harlem Gospel Choir to tracks by DJs Stormin' Norman and Ted Smooth.

A note for anyone who might be confused: This is a separate event from last summer's Uptown Night Market in West Harlem.

The dates are this Friday, December 17 5pm-9pm; Saturday, December 18 4pm-9pm and Sunday, December 19 3pm-8pm.

PATCH

By Nick Garber

EAST HARLEM, NY — A popular market that took Harlem by storm two years ago is back after a pandemic hiatus — just in time for the holidays.

This year's Harlem Night Market will open on Dec. 17, spanning three days during the last shopping weekend before Christmas. (It's not to be confused with the Uptown Night Market, an upstart event in West Harlem that just wrapped up its inaugural season.)

Like in 2019, it will be based at La Marqueta, the shopping complex under the Metro-North tracks along Park Avenue. To accommodate even more vendors, this year's market has grown to cover three lots of La Marqueta between 115th and 117th streets.

Vendors will include Harlem Biscuit Company, Black Rican Vegan, Au Jus BBQ, Taco Africana and Cafe Ollin — joining dozens of others on the long and growing list.

The Harlem Night Market will run from 5-9 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 18; 4-0 p.m. on Saturday, and 3-8 p.m. on Sunday. Like last time, it was put together by Uptown Grand Central, TBo Harlem, Union Settlement and NYC Public Markets.

Entry will be free, but visitors can register in advance online. Proof of vaccination and an ID will be required to enter.

"All of Uptown and the Bronx remembers that their aunties and grandmas went to La Marqueta to do their shopping," Uptown Grand Central director Carey King said in a news release.

"The Harlem Night Market is about bringing the next generation of shoppers and vendors back to this historic complex that is the heartbeat for small business and culture in the neighborhood."

When it opened in 2019, the event billed itself as the first night market in Manhattan, joining similar concepts in Queens and the Bronx.

During the night market, stalls in La Marqueta's historic retail market building will come alive with food, drinks and craft vendors, while the recently renovated La Placita Event Space will feature performances by Los Pleneros de la 21, the Sing Harlem Gospel Choir, and D.J.s Ted Smooth and Stormin' Norman — plus graffiti artists creating live art and other food and craft vendors. Finally, the Urban Garden Center across 116th Street will host a small family space decorated with wreaths and garlands, with family-oriented vendors and cultural activities by El Museo del Barrio.

"The return of the holiday night market at La Placita is exactly the cultural and economic programming needed at this time," Councilmember Diana Ayala said in a statement.

PIX 11 News

By Kirstin Cole

Patrick Griffin is the owner of Au Jus Oklahoma BBQ in East Harlem, which is part of Harlem Restaurant Week. Making his briskets is a 14-hour process.

Harlem Restaurant Week is two weeks long, with a grand finale event this weekend called the East Harlem Tasting Tour. A $15 ticket gets you samples at a dozen international restaurants along Lexington Avenue.

FOX 5 NY

By Christal Young

It’s the 12th annual Harlem Restaurant Week. It encompasses restaurants from 96th Street to 155th Street, river to river.

To give you an idea of how much diversity you can find, one block in East Harlem has a Thai place, a Mexican place, a French Moroccan place and a barbecue.

“You can literally travel around the world in Harlem without living the neighborhood,” says Nikoa Evans-Hendricks, the director of Harlem Park to Park. “East, West and Central Harlem come together to showcase the international cuisine that we have available in Harlem, and the wonderful vibes and experiences you can have.”

At Bar Goyana, Brazil and Belgium are attached. Owner Jaqueline Quieroz created a bar that features Brazilian feijoada on one side, and chocolate mousse on the other. “It’s fabulous to be part of these initiatives that bring so many people to Harlem,” she says.

Around the corner, you’ll find Lexington Pizza Parlour, which feels like a hidden gem. Says owner Charles Devigne, “We like people from other neighborhoods finding out about all the exciting things that are happening here.”

And when your sweet tooth calls, let Harlem Baking Co. answer. Located inside the pizza parlour, it offers desserts in jars to take home.

“The area around Lexington and the lower 100s, we’ve got everything,” says Carey King, director of Uptown Grand Central. “As you can see, Italian, Brazilian, Thai, seafood, everything you could possibly want. And up around 116th Street, we’ve got one of the largest concentration of Mexican restaurants, which a lot of people don’t know about.”

HARLEM WORLD

The Association for a Better New York hosted a tour unveiling new murals created as part of its citywide, community-based arts program “Together, We Are New York” on Sunday, October 24, on East 125th Street.

As part of the program ABNY sponsored multi-disciplinary works of art in all five boroughs to celebrate the City’s resilience as it emerges from the pandemic.

Together, We Are New York focused on neighborhoods that were deeply impacted by COVID. The artists and projects were selected for each neighborhood by local community-based organizations.

Along East 125th Street in Harlem, NY, the not-for-profit Uptown Grand Central worked with local artists Menaceresa, Andre Trenier, Kristy McCarthy, Kron, and Lostbreed Culture to create murals on storefront security gates.

This walking tour included conversations with the local artists, CBOs solicited input on the project, and small business owners volunteered the space for the murals.

Stops along the tour included:

· 125th Street Pizza and Melover Wine & Liquor (256 East 125th, b/t Second & Third);

· The FDNY Firehouse (at 124th St & Third);

· Q&N Food (107 East 125th St, b/t Lex & Park);

· The old Wendy’s/Samaritan Village (79 East 125th Street, b/t Park & Madison), Jahlookova (51 East 125th, b/t Park & Madison); and

· Harlem Fresh (10 East 125th, b/t Madison & Fifth).

· The event concludes at Marcus Garvey Park.

For 50 years, ABNY has worked as a catalyst to bring business, political, labor, and non-profit leaders together to address problems facing the economic and social well-being of the city.

Under the leadership of Chair Steven Rubenstein and Chief Executive Officer Melva M. Miller, the organization continues to carry out its mission by providing forums and programs that work to build a better New York.

Photo credit: 1-5) ABNY.