I started walking north on Fifth from 110th. It was about 11 am, a Saturday, the weather was glorious. I take pictures of the Duke Ellington memorial. The Schomburg towers are on my right. From 110th to the Marcus Garvey Park at 120th, almost all buildings are new -- except for the low income housings on the West (King Towers) and East (Taft Houses) sides of Fifth from 112 to 115. There are some people on the street. It is not crowded. Multi-racial.

On the North East corner of 116th, the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostle Faith (in what looks like an old movie theater). 116th, looking West, is almost completely rebuilt.

At 119th, on the west side, walking north

• the Ebenezer Baptist Church (store front)
• the Paul Institute of Mainstream Services (store front)
• the Church of God (store front)
• the sales office for "Fifth on the Park," the condominium tower being built across the street (on a lot that used to be owned by a church, I remember from a news stories. The design for the tower appears to incorporate a church at ground level)

As I look at the sales office, I see a White couple in a Mercedes stop, a woman gets out and enters the office while the man drives away. I cross the street and am buzzed into the small and crowded sales office, with a model of the building, two or three groups of people (all Whites). I approach the desk behind which are two women, one White, one Black. The latter tells me if I have an appointement and that, if I had, I would have been able to spend 15 minutes with a sales representative that would explained the building. I ask for a brochure and she gives me one.

I cross the street into Marcus Garvey Park and climb to the top of the hill. On the way I cross two or three couples of Black young men. We (I but do appear to participate) work at not noticing each other. On my way down east, I see a basketball court with young men playing, some older men just sitting on benches, a young white couple with their dog. Then I see a dog run with more white men. On 120th, I see a young white woman with two dogs.

On the south side of 120th between Fifth and Madison, there is a very large building (an old school?) "Bethel Gospel Assembly." A sign on a side door says "Helen Fuld College of Nursing."

Walking east, I reach Madison. Looking south it appears to have been completely rebuilt.

Walking north on Madison, one passes first Public School 79 (scaffolded), and then North General Hospital.

The blocks between 123rd and 125th are partially rebuilt. At least three groups of pigeons are performing loops in the sky.

[Actually, 125th is the worst looking street of this area. There are finally few new buildings between Lenox and Park. ]

East on 126th from Madison (I had walked the block between Madison and Park earlier)

• S - Renovations, brownstone on the south side
• S - Eluzai Pentecostal Temple (brownstone)

Crosses Fifth

• N - Pilgrim Cathedral of Harlem (large institutional building)
• N - Royal Orleans Hotel (bed and breakfast, small building)
• N - New Hope Community Church (brownstone) - Note the e-mail address: newhope4theworld@aol.com
• S - Transfiguration Lutheran
• S - Baptist House of Prayer

North on Lennox

Flea market in the narrow empty block by the Church of Christ (at 127th)

East on 128th to Madison

The door to the Mormon church is propped open.

• N - Christ Communicaty Church of Harlem
• S - East Mount Olive
• N - Shiloh Church of Christ

On the north side, two ex-housing site have been made into gardens/parks. There are several signs and pamphlets. This is the "Rev. Linette C. Williamson Memorial Park Association" described as a "non-sectarian non-profit ... partnership with Bank Street." It is written that volunteers are welcome. There is also a "job-annoucement" for the "Summer Youth Program."

{This would be a good place to investigate -- though I suspect we will bump into people from Bank Street. In the long run, we will have to deal with the presence of all these institutions in the area-- from Columbia, its schools, its faculty members (Kinnock, us...)}

I walk back west on 128th and cross Lenox. On the block to Powell

• West Harlem Community Organization - Head Start (a large building)
• House of God
• Glendale Baptist
• Create Young Adult Center
• Metropolitan Baptist (a church bulding facing Powell)

On Powell, 128th is blocked by the St. Nicholas Houses

I walked south and then east on 127th. The south side is filled by PS 154 ("Harriet Tubman Learning Center")

By the time I reach Douglas , I find myself the only white person in sight. There are many boarded up buildings and empty lots (no renovations in sight). The place is "grittier" and much more crowded (though the fact that it is now past noon may have something to do with it).

Same through St. Nicholas (with turn-of-the-century PS 157). Then things get quieter and I notice several "Columbia student types" (young, white men and women). I pass the Missionaries of Charity Queen of Peace Homes (St. Joseph convent).

I have lunch on Broadway and 129th, in "Floridita" a diner like restaurant advertising itself for its "Cuban cuisine." Mix of Columbia students and more "local" people, including a family group with a child in First Communion dress (this is the season).