Just when you are beginning to feel as though you know all there is to know about New York, something is brought to your attention that serves as a reminder that you may never fully know everything about the city, and isn't that what makes it exciting to live here - the discoveries? One such discovery happened this weekend when my pal Cami invited me to the Hamilton Heights/Sugar Hill section in Harlem to go on a house tour. I jumped at the invitation as I am a design junkie - er, enthusiast(sounds better) and so is she. Thankfully, these kind home owners open up their homes for people like us who simply must know what lies beyond that beautiful facade - although, sometimes in NY, what's on the outside is deceptive. I've been in homes that look beat on the outside and the inside is unspeakably gorgeous! Question for all fellow design "enthusiasts", do you often find yourself on a walk - mostly at night and gently peer into a window to see how a home is furnished - this is not an admission on my part - simply a question!:). This time we were invited in for a small fee that the Hamilton Heights Homeowners Association donates to a local beneficiary - in this case, The Children's Art Carnival. Hamilton Heights has quite an illustrious history with mostly residential properties that were grand estates and country retreats for the wealthy.
Alexander Hamilton, the nations first Secretary of Treasury, once resided in this neighborhood where his house still stands and is now a museum. Cami was there when they moved his home from it's previous location to a new locale just around the corner where it now abuts The City College campus of CUNY (City University of New York). For a fun and brief history of the area, look here. Here are a few snapshots of those homes that we most loved.
As if the tour of these amazing homes didn't offer enough fun and stimulation, Cami then suggested that we visit her friend and one of her favorite places in the neighborhood, GlobeTrippin. GlobeTrippin is self-described as a coffeehouse, bookstore and kazbah - but it's so much more! The owner, appropriately named Georgia has created an environment that is more than magical. I entered her shop thinking that we were just going to grab a coffee and a sweet treat - I left hours later feeling like I had just left the home of one of my most beloved friends. Since Georgia's eclectic mix of teas and coffees are so popular, she was out of the one that I wanted to try and suggested her strawberry chocolate iced tea - DELISH! What was also amazingly delicious were her kool-aid marinated pickles that she graciously offered us while we were all talking about books and other things. This conversation included a series of people who flowed in and out of her place and one exceptional young lady, we now know as Bethany, who had just moved from Texas a week ago, landed a job in publishing and managed to bypass Starbucks and find one of the coolest establishments in her new neighborhood -we anointed her as one of our sheroes!. Georgia is also a shero, she wrote for the New York Times, has written a couple of books and is in the process of writing another. When I mentioned that I was thinking about what to get for dinner, Georgia (although young) reacted like a loving grandmother would and suggested her chutney marinated loin of pork with seasonal vegetables and rice which I reluctantly shared one bite with Cami. Speaking of sharing with Cami, we ordered something I believe is called the ooey, gooey cake - I can safely say that this cake lives up to its name. We all had a piece and as I attempted to finish mine and since I'm a slow eater, Cami swooped in and grabbed mine before I could protest and ate it - since this is my blog, I get to tell my version of the story:). I left Hamilton Heights, with my spirit soaring and my stomach and heart full. Run, don't walk!
