Is East Harlem really that bad? (Lexington: to rent, dangerous, shop)

[Sarah2k9]

It is nice to hear some one from the neighborhood provide some insight. Do you know any hot zone that should be avoided?

[WillowG]

Originally Posted by SuperMario

Not to be rascist or anything but I always thought the worst of Harlem was the black part.....meaning central and west. I never tought that the spanish section was the worse, in fact I tought it was the best. All these clips of Harlem ghetto's you see have mostly black thugs....not mexican/puerto ricans........

When I think of Harlem, I think of a black ghetto.........not a spanish ghetto.

Think again.

[WillowG]

City College is not in Spanish Harlem. Definitely not.

[NYer75]

[tceffo]

Back in the 70,s- to early 90.s Spanish Harlem was a different scene. Dope spots were all over , crime was bad, cops had thier hands full. The nieghborhood had a real edge to it- graffetti was all over every building and subway stations - -
If you were white and spoke only english, you were probably there for a illegal reason.
*******************************
Now its diversified. The nieghborhoods have been fixed up nicely- -Ok its not Park Ave , but its a pretty safe and decent area. Its still on the poor side of the scale ,but the noticable changes are there.

Things are much different- for the better. The dope spots have all but disappeared. (Cell phone business ,I guess)- - the area has adjusted and cleaned up nicely -
They refurbished the L at 125th and park (but you still have the Lee blg there- with its 8 floors dispensing methadone every day)- the differece is now these people leave instead of hanging out in the area all day & the community is now willing to accept the fact that its a medical facility not a haven for derilicts-
They built a brand new Pathmark up on 3rd ave and 125th. The rents are reasonable for Manhattan- but remember its still $$Manhattan$$
Of course you still cant let your guard down- -but the changes have been positive
Traffic on the Harlem River Drive can get bad- but what do you expect??- On a good day ,you can take 1 of the avenues ,if you want, all the way downtown
- Going to the Puerto Rican parade is fun- if you like to sample different foods.
They close the HRD on the 4th of July ,& its a good spot to watch the fireworks display

I always felt this area would rebound faster than central and the west side of Harlem. Hopefully that will be next

[Chichappens]

Harlem rocks...it has been gentrified and is very up and coming

[HellUpInHarlem]

Originally Posted by AnnMontgo

One of the things Ive heard about East Harlem, is that it is tough to find produce at the grocery stores... I've heard that people have a difficult time with the food, but that otherwise it's a great option for inexpensive rent, that's still in Manhattan. The community is also pretty tight-knit...

Very true. Gradually were starting to see more fresh produce stands pop up throughout the area. I know of two who are always out there on 116th and 1st avenue, and 106th and 2nd ave.

[paddy belfast]

To be honest with you all, i recently had the pleasure of living in east harlem for a month and it really has got a lot more nice people than bad, i walked about regardless of what time of the night it was and the only people causing me any concern were the police,compared to where i have lived all my life i would prefer harlem any time.

[paddy belfast]

To be honest with you all, i recently had the pleasure of living in east harlem for a month and it really has got a lot more nice people than bad, i walked about regardless of what time of the night it was and the only people causing me any concern were the police,compared to where i have lived all my life i would prefer harlem any time.

[raecino]

It cracks me up when people hype East Harlem/Harlem up like it's Mogadishu. Harlem is relatively peaceful. I've walked around at 3 in the morning with no problems to speak of