UPTOWNflavor

Tenant Filiberto Hernandez, Photo Credit: Jamie Lehane for the Indypendent

One year after British asset management company Dawnay, Day bought up 47 buildings in East Harlem, embattled tenants are claiming victory . Upon purchasing the buildings the new landlord made its plans clear that their returns on investment would come from emptying out as many apartments possible and renting them at market rate. Part of the strategy would involve cash payoffs or evictions of rent-stabilized tenants. The tenants organized and filed lawsuits for violation of consumer protection laws. What they had not counted on was that the current financial crunch would cripple Dawnay, Day’s efforts. The company has been forced to restructure and sell off all its assets. Score one for the little guy! [The Indypendent]

The production of Dreamgirls at Harlem’s Apollo Theatre has been slated for November 2009. Auditions for the show had been postponed out of respect for Jennifer Hudson who lost her mother and brother last month. The new auditions have been scheduled for this weekend. [NYTimes]

And the winner of the ‘Worst Elevator Breakdowns’ in New York City award is…drumroll…The George Washington Houses in East Harlem! This year elevator breakdowns in the housing complex increased to 787 up from 747 last year. The situation has many tenants worried, especially those who physically cannot use the stairs. The breakdowns are so frequent one resident said, “The Fire Department is right across the street and they are used to us.” [NYDailyNews]

According to Zubin Jelbeh of Conde Nast’s blog ‘Odd Numbers’, restaurants in Harlem actually get more favorable reviews than any other Manhattan neighborhoods that are typically known for cuisines such Tribeca and Soho. This is despite the fact that a lot more reviews exist for the other neighborhoods.  As he puts it either “the rich kids — the ones more likely to hop online and rate a restaurant — are only frequenting the best eats” in this gentifying neighborhood or “food critics like [Frank] Bruni aren’t quite getting the job done as far as alerting readers to new and off-the-beaten-path dining choices in Manhattan.” Imagine that! [Conde Nast Portfolio Online]