UPTOWNflavor

Bedding Down in Harlem

I’d always figured that tourists tended to ignore my Harlem neighborhood, but turns out I’m just a damn fool. I recently read that 30 percent of visitors to New York swing by Harlem at least once, which I guess explains all the Japanese girls I’m always playing eye hockey with at the Lenox Lounge. Trying to snag some of Billie Holiday’s reflected glory, I reckon.

Still, not enough tourists actually decide to make Harlem their headquarters. That’s their loss, considering our abundance of (relatively) low-price bed-and-breakfasts, typically housed in century-old brownstones near Marcus Garvey Park (formerly Mount Morris Park). After the jump, a trio of inns that beat the Hyatt any day o’ the week.

The Harlem Flophouse on 123rd is owned by a pair of artists, and it ain’t a flophouse by a country mile. Ask for the Chester Himes room.

Crystal’s Castle on 119th is, alas, not named after the classic Atari game. It’s run by a family of musicians, and charges a ridiculously low (for New York City) $54.31 per night for a single.

Efuru Guest House is on one of Harlem’s prettiest blocks, right down the street from an awesome Ethiopian-run Italian bakery. They’re running a special through month’s end—$95 per night for a studio with full kitchen, and you get one night free.

The extra bonuses to sacking out uptown? Well, you might run across Clinton, whose office is on 125th. And I’ll totally meet you for a shot of Jack Daniel’s over at the Paris Blues Bar.

The Harlem Flophouse [official site]
Crystal’s Castle [official site]
Efuru Guest House [official site]

Source: Gridskipper.com