Angry Bagel

The gentrification backlash here in Harlem is making news headlines overseas. Publications in Australia and Europe have picked up the story about last week's angry protest over former President Bill Clinton's Harlem office.

Organized by the Harlem Tenants Council, approximatley 40 African Americans demonstrated outside the 125th street building that houses the former president's staff, charging that his move here has increased the price of homes beyond their reach; They say rents have risen by as much as 100 percent.

Boxing Bagel (Part 2)

I was happy to see that my bad-boy boxing dreamboat of a boyfriend has made his way into this week's New York Magazine. While I've never met Dmitriy Salita, the Hassidic professional boxer from the Ukraine who now resides in Brooklyn, I've written about him before and will admit to fantasizing a bit about those big boxing gloves.

The article profiles Salita and his upcoming fight this Thursday night at the Hammerstein Ballroom in midtown Manhattan. It seems the 24-year-old will be fighting for his life, and like any good girlfriend, I'll be cheering him on; whispering sweet nothings to him from my fantasy V.I.P. lounge back-ring.

While I've never boxed, I've been in the dating ring with several Jewish men since I last posted on the "Kid Kosher." Salita's ability to blur the line between the nice Jewish boy and the badass boxer puts all my rounds of relationship knock-downs into perspective. At times I think none of those matches amounted to much more than a box o' matzah, particularly when stacked up against a a guy who "looks Russian, prays Jewish and fights Black."

After being beaten down and bruised in his last fight earlier this year, he's coming back for more tomorrow night. His profound faith is inspiring. Things get messy in that ring but Salita proves its worth the fight.

Free Burrito Tuesday!

There's no better way to beat this sweltering heat than with a big, hot free bagel. But when you don't have a bagel in your neighborhood, sometimes you have to take what you can get. And in this case, it's the free burrito in midtown.

Chipotle is giving away free burritos today at its new location on 48th between 6th & 7th Aves. The folks at Midtown Lunch have been counting down the minutes:

That’s right…. the day has finally arrived. The Chipotle on 48th St. between 6th and 7th avenue is opening to the public- and to celebrate (as all new Chipotles do), Tuesday is free burrito day. That’s right. On Tuesday, from 11am to 8pm, everyone willing to wait in line for god knows how long, will be rewarded with a free burrito and soda.

And a free soda!?! Good times indeed!

Back to the Dorm? .... No Thanks

It's the #1 most emailed New York Times article today, pushing "What Shamu Taught Me About a Happy Marriage" down into the #2 slot. (Say it isn't so!) The New York Observer is reporting on it. Curbed has a post on it. Me? I don't get it.

Why would anyone spend $700-$1,200 a month to live in a Harlem dormitory?

The story, "Out of College But Now Living In the Urban Dorms," doesn't pinpoint where these dorms are except that they are near "'big old Beaux-Arts buildings, built for wealthy families' ... from 145th to 155th Streets near the Hudson River." While they might be "slightly less of a gamble than a Craigslist share," isn't the notion of using a public shower every day terror-inducing enough to rustle up a friend or two and split the cost of a cheap two-bedroom?

People: according to the Real Deal, Harlem is the cheapest Manhattan neighborhood in which to rent - the median cost here is $1,500. So I'm unclear as to why a person would want to share their toilet with 59 strangers when they can have a little privacy to do business uptown.

Is it the lure of a possible late-night keg party? The hope of meeting a cute post-grad in the hallway and inviting him or her back to "your place?"

Whatever it is, I'm out. The mere thought of going back to the dorm makes me have to hole up in the bathroom for ahwile. I'm glad no one's around to disturb me.

The Happiness Epidemic

As I was thumbing through New York Magazine's cover story on happiness, joy of all joys! I discovered a full-page advertisement for the Rhapsody on Fifth - a former church here in Harlem currently being converted into condominiums. It is fitting that the ad refers to the Rhapsody thusly:

"If happiness is a state of mind, Rhapsody is a state of living."



And there's more happy talk on the Rhapsody Web site...



The writer of the happiness article, Jennifer Senior, pointed out that one of the reasons New Yorkers are unhappier than most is due to all the choices we have here; that the person who only has two options for dinner, for example, is actually much happier than the person who has 12.

So do we go for bliss or delight? Contentment or euphoria? Go ahead and pick your happy! There's plenty to buy into here in Harlem...

Summer Bagel

Apologies for the longer-than-expected bagel break. After a short vacation, Mama Bagel came to town and I've been busy reverting back to being a teenager. This always happens when Mama Bagel is around, but particularly in the summertime.

In the seventh grade, I used a wonderful product on my hair called Sun-In. I would spray this chemical concoction promising "natural highlights" on my tresses before lazing around an Indiana swimming pool, where the mane magic would happen. It made my dark hair a light shade of orange. I thought I looked good but my mama told me, and I quote, that I "look like a Puerto Rican hooker." Mama Bagel doesn't hold back.

So why should this summer be any different? Mama Bagel is staying through the end of the month and thus far the conversation still gravitates toward my hair (it's a little long and should be pulled back), and now encompasses my sex life (it's a little loose) and my career (it's a little ill-defined).

Sigh.

In any event, what better way to divert attention from my personal angst than with the woes that accompany a brand new condominium going up in Harlem? Feast your eyes (below) on the new 50 West 127th Street condominium, being marketed by Brown Harris Stevens.

The structure appears pretty out of place with the rows of brownstones lining the block (between 5th and Lennox), but it's too soon to tell as building completion is scheduled for 2007. Although the Web site isn't yet up, the banner in front of the building assures area residents that they too can have a piece of the Harlem condo pie for 500K and up. There are parking spaces available under the building as well.