Harlem

First settled in 1637, this neighborhood that stretches from river to river above 125th Street has a long and rich history. Named by the Dutch after its namesake region in the Netherlands, they initially settled in the 17th Century. Jewish immigrants arrived in the 19th Century, and thereafter, a wave of African Americans from the south arrived in the 1920s. During the prohibition era, Harlem developed a well-deserved reputation for good music, good food and great literature. Harlem's black writers like James Baldwin, W.E.B DuBois and many other artists spearheaded the cultural Harlem Renaissance and influenced matters throughout the U.S. After more demographic shifts in recent decades, the neighborhood continues to change and develop, both economically and culturally, and it deserves a few days just to explore its storied streets.