Halloween in Harlem

First, check out this wonderful series of "Halloween in Harlem" photos by photographer Amy Stein. (I am having some difficulty with the link to the first photo in the series, by the way, so if that doesn't work for you, try this.)

Second, here are Halloween events uptown (Harlem or above) that sound kid-friendly, to the best of my knowledge:

• The "Halloween Family Disco", co-sponsored by Harlem4Kids and Mocha Moms, is sold out.
• Saturday in Morningside Park there will be an annual Halloween Event from 2 to 4. It's free. (Unrelated to Halloween but good for our collective enjoyment come springtime, there will also be planting that same morning from 10-12).
• Central Park Conservancy’s 18th Annual Halloween Pumpkin Sail will be Saturday 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm at the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center (inside the Park at 110th Street between Fifth and Lenox Avenues). It's free.
• Halloween Night at the Apollo (for the big kids, presumably)
• Halloween Toddler Party, 10:30 am on Halloween at the 124th Street library
• 4th Annual Halloween Little Tykes Bike Race and Costume Parade in Inwood Hill Park, Sunday 1:30-3
• Halloween Festival at the Inwood Hill Nature Center, Sunday at 7.
• And I gather Harlem's purported Only Haunted House is apparently 172 Lenox, between 118th and 119th. It's geared at kids 6 and over. Apparently 86 West 119 Tenant Association is hosting something there and invites kids to visit this Saturday.

Have a ghoulish time (and as usual, please let me know what I've missed)!

Green your brownstone!

Okay, the event is in Brooklyn, but Harlemites who own brownstones and are interested in saving energy or just living greener may find this to be of interest.

Stuff to Do Uptown this weekend

Other than the usual stuff, this weekend uptown there's

• a chance to volunteer at St. Nicholas Park for It's My Park day on Saturday
• a chance to volunteer at Morningside Park for It's My Park day on Saturday (plant daffodils!)
• Harlem Goes Veg[etarian] on Saturday
• free skating at the Claremont Playground on Sunday
• Uptown Treasures on Sunday

Also tickets for next week's Halloween Family Disco, which will be next Saturday at Tribal Spears Gallery (2167 Frederick Douglass Blvd. bet. 116th & 117th Sts.), can be purchased this Saturday at the weekly Harlem4Kids storytime (9:30-11:30, also at Tribal Spears).

Did I miss special events uptown that would be great for kids and families this weekend? Please let me know. Thanks!

Is SoHa the new Greenwich Village?

I have resisted the term SoHa for a long time, primarily because the term was stolen from certain other neighborhoods (as far as I can tell, in its original coinage it referred to areas south OF Harlem, rather than South Harlem, i.e., a part of Harlem), but my resistance is waning as I think the term is gaining currency as a recognizable term describing my little corner of Harlem, and the word "Harlem" by itself refers to such a huge part of Manhattan that the narrower term seems useful.

Anyhow, this article from today's Sun argues that we are substantially on the way to being the new Village (or SoHo?).

As someone who is quite fond of both Harlem Vintage and the Winery, I am heartened by the implication in the article that the potential rivals seem to view themselves as evidence of the area's robustness, not cut-throat competitors.

(Incidentally -- can't resist mentioning this, since I am after all Uptown Mom: I ADORE the Winery and shop there regularly -- unbelievable fabulous decor and price point -- but forget about getting a double stroller in there. Not that they're unfriendly -- there's just no way it is going to fit. At least not when the store has lots of people in it -- I haven't tried when it's empty, but I don't think it would work even then, it is just so tiny. At Harlem Vintage -- also a great store, although pricier -- I have attended tastings and events with some portion of my rugrats in tow and have felt quite welcome.)

Ambassade: Yummy Senegalese - but careful with the stroller set

Ambassade has the distinction of having already been in place the day, almost 4 years ago, that I first came up to Harlem to look for a house. We actually hated the house that we saw, but after we were done looking, we made our way under lots of scaffolding (which I believe surrounded structures that were to become Brownstone Lane, the Larkspur and the Douglass) to Ambassade, where we were pleasantly surprised to find excellent croissants and pains au chocolat. And there we talked about whether we wanted to come back and look some more (we did).

The croissant and pain au chocolat are still great, the egg sandwich is an incredible deal ($3 , big enough for 2 people and delicious), and the vegetarian dishes they've added to their dinner menu are a welcome addition. But we have stopped taking our brood there during anything but the most empty times of day, because they do not have highchairs, and when the place is remotely crowded, that is a deal-breaker for us. (EARLY Sunday mornings, when it's not yet crowded, we actually sit on the couch or cushiony chairs and let the babies crawl around by our feet while we eat. It's fun but a bit too much of an adventure to seem like a good idea -- with babies constantly reaching and making a break for it, I really wish there were a way to strap those little guys in.)

2 Yum's: Yum Yum!

A note on my restaurant reviews

My angle is kid-friendliness. I want to help other parents have fun with their kids. I have no desire to issue blanket criticisms of restaurants that serve my community. Therefore, if I just don't like the food, I probably will just refrain from reviewing it on this blog.

So when I review a restaurant, I will give it between one and four Yum's depending on how welcome my kids are. In general, 1 Yum = definitely not welcome, 2 Yum's = kids tolerated, 3 Yum's = they have highchairs but still don't seem all that keen, 4 Yum's = they appear to be thrilled to have my kids there making a big mess.

Zoma: Awesome, kid-friendly Ethiopian

On a recent visit to Zoma, we brought all 3 boys -- twin babies and our 4.5-year-old. They had highchairs for both babies, and they fawned over all 3 kids. Since our big kid was hungry and was going to have trouble waiting for the meal, we asked them to bring an extra order of injera right away, and they were extremely accommodating about bringing it along with more substantive food for him (took some convincing to keep his extra food vegetarian). All the food was, as usual, delicious, and all the kids enjoyed it too. (The big boy wants to add: "I like injera a lot. And my two brothers like injera too.")

4 Yum's: Yum Yum Yum Yum!