The brownstones in Hamilton Heights once housed famous creatives like Ralph Ellison, Lena Horne and George Gershwin. The neighborhood is still home to a mixture of ethnic groups, including people from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Ethiopia, which lends to a blend of cultures seen in the fashion inside the neighborhood’s thrift stores, bus stops and delis. Grad students who attend City College or walk to the nearby Columbia University Manhattanville annex lend to young energy in local cafes such as Chipped Cup and bars like Harlem Public.
Harlem Public
Harlem locals say this place has the best wings in all of New York. Choose from flavors like apricot BBQ and garlic-Parmesan-ranch. The pub has more than a dozen beers on tap and is a popular after-work spot to watch a game or dine in the outdoor seating area.
Harlem Public, 3612 Broadway New York, N.Y. 10031
At the Wallace
Located next door to Harlem Public, it’s the best place to grab drinks and meet people in the neighborhood. If you like drinking cheap beer and eating grilled cheese sandwiches while wearing expensive sneakers, this is the place for you.
At the Wallace, 3612 Broadway New York, N.Y. 10031
One Stop Patty Shop
Some say the best Jamaican food is in Brooklyn, but this place challenges that theory. It offers not only traditional Jamaican meat dishes but also more vegetarian friendly options like lentils and vegetable coco bread. It always seems to be out of at least one thing — a testament to its popularity.
One Stop Patty Shop, 1708 Amsterdam Ave. New York, N.Y. 10031
The American Academy of Arts & Letters
Founded in the late 1800s to support creatives, the academy has 25,000 books by or about the members of the honor society. It puts on shows and exhibitions for the community and traveling academics. The permanent Charles Ives Studio is a place to see a replica of the composer’s 1950s workplace, with his piano still intact.
The American Academy of Arts & Letters, 633 W. 155th St, New York, N.Y. 10032
Hispanic Society Museum
Located on the border of Hamilton Heights and Washington Heights on 155th Street, the museum includes 18,000 works by ethnic groups from Spain, Portugal and Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking Latin America. You can grab a coffee and walk the Audubon Terrace — a complex of eight early-20th century Beaux-Arts and American Renaissance buildings.
Hispanic Society Museum, 613 W. 155th St. New York, N.Y. 10032
Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park
While biking, running or walking the uninterrupted trails in the 28-acre park, you can take in waterside views of the Hudson River and the Palisades. There’s also an abandoned red-and-white lighthouse that you can take photos in front of with the George Washington Bridge in the background.