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Old 01-20-2014, 04:41 PM
 
Location: West Harlem
6,885 posts, read 9,880,898 times
Reputation: 3060

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Quote:
Originally Posted by SLIMMACKEY View Post
Ha Ha (In my Denzel voice). Do you actually live in Harlem? Or still live up here? Just asking. Your post always seem so......magnanimous about Uptown. Not trying to pick or call you out, but it seems as though you never have ANYTHING nice to say. That makes your opinion seem all-the-more disingenuous. And I wouldnt necessarily say that the whole of Harlem or the borough in its entirety is an oasis, but is it at least nice on your block? Or at least your building?? (OK, now I'm being cynical)
"Call me out" for what ?

We both have family here, which means that in a sense we will always be here.

Convent Avenue is very nice, as are many of the houses - and buildings as well I think.
We do not like the lack of amenities and quality-of-life issues, litter and garbage being a big one.
In addition, funny how people ask, "Is it safe ?" about many areas, yet never consider whether they would want to live around the adolescent shooters even if they probably would never be the targets.

Any case, we do not want to live around that, or alternatively, be prisoners in even this very nice home.
Perhaps when we are older.
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Old 01-20-2014, 05:44 PM
 
1,058 posts, read 1,983,155 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Harlem resident View Post
Impossible to know what you mean by that.

Most of the "new" Harlem folk are also "new New Yorkers," transplants who are determined to live out the current post-racial America dream. The same population usually comes out with a vengeance, emperor's-new-clothes-esque arguments about most areas in Harlem. The underlying logic is simple. If you observe a problem, and its author is someone you might designate as "black," pointing out aforementioned problem means that you are a racist.

Which is amusing to a point and then annoying, finally. I warned the OP about precisely this.

I'm with you and that goes for other parts of the city too... people think it is "cool" as a young white female to live in a predominately black area.... I am the furthest thing you could find from a racist but I would not let my daughter live there. I would say 125th st is your northern boundry.
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Old 01-21-2014, 09:15 AM
 
Location: Formerly NYC by week; ATL by weekend...now Rio bi annually and ATL bi annually
1,521 posts, read 2,230,486 times
Reputation: 1040
Quote:
Originally Posted by Harlem resident View Post
"Call me out" for what ?

We both have family here, which means that in a sense we will always be here.

Convent Avenue is very nice, as are many of the houses - and buildings as well I think.
We do not like the lack of amenities and quality-of-life issues, litter and garbage being a big one.
In addition, funny how people ask, "Is it safe ?" about many areas, yet never consider whether they would want to live around the adolescent shooters even if they probably would never be the targets.

Any case, we do not want to live around that, or alternatively, be prisoners in even this very nice home.
Perhaps when we are older.
Read my post again. Thats what anyone could potentially call you out for. But I stated that my intent was not to. But it seems like everytime you speak about Harlem, you do so in a very ingenuous manner. IT IS great to see that you at least like your block or building. As do the rest of us. Convent ave is nice; though it is not the only nice block in Harlem. That is the point I am trying to make. Crime in NYC is not isolated to Harlem.
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Old 01-21-2014, 11:05 AM
 
18 posts, read 23,535 times
Reputation: 18
I just moved from this area to Brooklyn.

I went to City College and lived on 141 and ACP Blvd.
Had to walk about 13 minutes home every night at 8pm from class to my apartment, which included walking by an entire avenue of projects.
I am a very pale 23 year old latina and looking at me, you would think I am white.
I really never had any problems. The only time I got spooked was coming home from the gym, my block was tied of by the police because a stray bullet had hit a woman. This fight had originated at the projects that I lived across from.

Now I live in Crown Heights and on my walk home from work at 6pm, I heard three gun shots and a group of men running down my block. This scared me more than anything that I ever saw in Harlem.
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Old 01-21-2014, 01:58 PM
 
Location: West Harlem
6,885 posts, read 9,880,898 times
Reputation: 3060
Quote:
Originally Posted by SLIMMACKEY View Post
Read my post again. Thats what anyone could potentially call you out for. But I stated that my intent was not to. But it seems like everytime you speak about Harlem, you do so in a very ingenuous manner. IT IS great to see that you at least like your block or building. As do the rest of us. Convent ave is nice; though it is not the only nice block in Harlem. That is the point I am trying to make. Crime in NYC is not isolated to Harlem.
I don't need to read your post again. I am familiar with the perspective. In fact ... thank you for exemplifying the very problem I set out in that post.

And hey, do help yourself. The big turnaround and all.
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Old 01-22-2014, 01:24 PM
 
Location: Formerly NYC by week; ATL by weekend...now Rio bi annually and ATL bi annually
1,521 posts, read 2,230,486 times
Reputation: 1040
Quote:
Originally Posted by Harlem resident View Post
I don't need to read your post again. I am familiar with the perspective. In fact ... thank you for exemplifying the very problem I set out in that post.

And hey, do help yourself. The big turnaround and all.
And what point did you set forth? Did I state that there were NO shady areas? Did I give an unqualified opinion as to the safety of the area at all? No. I merely asked of YOU a simple question. Or two. And, Just as people are tired of individuals post "is it safe here" threads on CD, peole are also weary of individuals such as yourself whom would claim that nowhere is safe, not even their home....so it may seem. And yes, I too own a home in Harlem, just as you purported in a long ago post on here somewhere. And at least I will give an honest qualified opinion if someone asks.....

And what type of person would I be if I bashed the area that I chose to buy/live in? Like you do....or do you really???

Anywho, I digress...and to the OP, the best advice is to always scout the area, and get a feel for it yourself.
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Old 01-22-2014, 01:38 PM
 
Location: West Harlem
6,885 posts, read 9,880,898 times
Reputation: 3060
Quote:
Originally Posted by SLIMMACKEY View Post
And what point did you set forth? Did I state that there were NO shady areas? Did I give an unqualified opinion as to the safety of the area at all? No. I merely asked of YOU a simple question. Or two. And, Just as people are tired of individuals post "is it safe here" threads on CD, peole are also weary of individuals such as yourself whom would claim that nowhere is safe, not even their home....so it may seem. And yes, I too own a home in Harlem, just as you purported in a long ago post on here somewhere. And at least I will give an honest qualified opinion if someone asks.....

And what type of person would I be if I bashed the area that I chose to buy/live in? Like you do....or do you really???

Anywho, I digress...and to the OP, the best advice is to always scout the area, and get a feel for it yourself.
I still derive some amusement about the defensiveness about Harlem. What's the point. Does it make anything less true ?

This is another one of the things we disliked about central Harlem, but I have said that before. It is also one of the biggest tendencies holding the area back and this is unfortunate.

Not so common west of the park.
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Old 01-22-2014, 01:46 PM
 
Location: West Harlem
6,885 posts, read 9,880,898 times
Reputation: 3060
Quote:
Originally Posted by SLIMMACKEY View Post
And what point did you set forth? Did I state that there were NO shady areas? Did I give an unqualified opinion as to the safety of the area at all? No. I merely asked of YOU a simple question. Or two. And, Just as people are tired of individuals post "is it safe here" threads on CD, peole are also weary of individuals such as yourself whom would claim that nowhere is safe, not even their home....so it may seem. And yes, I too own a home in Harlem, just as you purported in a long ago post on here somewhere. And at least I will give an honest qualified opinion if someone asks.....

And what type of person would I be if I bashed the area that I chose to buy/live in? Like you do....or do you really???

Anywho, I digress...and to the OP, the best advice is to always scout the area, and get a feel for it yourself.
I do not live in central Harlem, the area about which the OP inquired, and I am therefore not bashing a place where I now live. We did live in central Harlem, for some time, which is why I can share actual experiences and related opinions. We could not wait to get out and this orientation was shared by many of the people we met there - who had also given it a "try," as they say. If you do not understand that Convent Avenue stands in a quite different area, one might only wonder whether YOU actually live anywhere near.

When I encounter it, I still derive some amusement about the defensiveness about Harlem. What's the point. Does it make anything less true ? This is another one of the things we disliked about central Harlem, but I have said that before. It is also one of the biggest tendencies holding the area back and this is unfortunate. To fix problems, you must first get over the denial that the problems exist.

Somehow, two posts ? Don't know what happened. Odd.
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Old 01-22-2014, 02:25 PM
 
Location: Formerly NYC by week; ATL by weekend...now Rio bi annually and ATL bi annually
1,521 posts, read 2,230,486 times
Reputation: 1040
Quote:
Originally Posted by Harlem resident View Post
I do not live in central Harlem, the area about which the OP inquired, and I am therefore not bashing a place where I now live. We did live in central Harlem, for some time, which is why I can share actual experiences and related opinions. We could not wait to get out and this orientation was shared by many of the people we met there - who had also given it a "try," as they say. If you do not understand that Convent Avenue stands in a quite different area, one might only wonder whether YOU actually live anywhere near.

When I encounter it, I still derive some amusement about the defensiveness about Harlem. What's the point. Does it make anything less true ? This is another one of the things we disliked about central Harlem, but I have said that before. It is also one of the biggest tendencies holding the area back and this is unfortunate. To fix problems, you must first get over the denial that the problems exist.

Somehow, two posts ? Don't know what happened. Odd.
Where is a statement of mine refuting that Convent ave is nice? Please share with me. I actually stated it was nice, did I not? And then I also followed that statement saying that there are other areas that are nice also. I do believe those were my exact words. Come on, do not try and make it seem as though you are the only one who has lived in more that one block/building in Harlem. Surely you jest.....

No defensiveness about HARLEM here. I took issue with the fact that your responses to Harlem questions are at least 90% negative yet you live in Harlem. I find that truly odd. So please do not try and subliminaly take jabs....for I care not. You live here for your reasons as do I. Do you own an apartment or Brownstone? Others may want to move to an area for their reasons, and not just because they are so called transplants. And I quite clearly remember stating that my intent was to not call you out but it is obvious. So you like West Harlem more than Central? OK. Congrats. Just so happens Im on the West Side also.

My question is that since there is a true disdain for Harlem within you, why don't you sell and move? Since it will never be like midtown or lower Manhattan in your eyes. Or maybe its not the neighborhood, maybe its you.

Last edited by SLIMMACKEY; 01-22-2014 at 02:33 PM..
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Old 01-22-2014, 02:29 PM
 
Location: West Harlem
6,885 posts, read 9,880,898 times
Reputation: 3060
Quote:
Originally Posted by SLIMMACKEY View Post

And maybe its not the neighborhood, maybe its you
Again ! It cannot possibly be that someone has an opinion. It must be the person ... they must be this, that, whatever. They must have an "agenda" - which everyone has, by the way. In a previous post you stated that I must not live here. Really ?! Because I know plenty of people who are even more critical than me and some have left. This is such a typical Harlem attitude.

I can add ... if you do not agree, then do not read my posts. Because when someone asks about an area with which I have familiarity, I will give my opinion and I do not care how many people disagree. I wish people had talked to us more honestly about central Harlem before we moved there. But only our black friends did and we though they were being overly snobbish, a bunch of Brooklyn types who would never live in Harlem.
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