This morning I got up bright and early (well not that early, but early considering the fact that I am on vaca), and got ready to go somewhere that I have been on numerous occasions. One of my dearest friends who is always on time kept her word, and picked me up at exactly 10:10 am. A 5 min car ride, three trains, and some good conversation later we were at our final destination; Harlem, NY.
Yes Harlem! Home of the Harlem Renaissance, rich art, music, literature, Black history, the Apollo, great architecture, a plethora of black owned business, good food, lively people, and so much more. Although I have been to Harlem on numerous occasions, today was a little different.
Sous (no one else better call her that) simply just being her, had our whole day planned out. Starting off with a tour of her soon to be Alma Mater City College; it was great seeing Sophia in her element as she showed me where she runs the Black Student Union on her campus. We then took a stroll down 125th making a couple of stops along the way. The Hue-man bookstore, a bookstore devoted to showcasing Black authors and publishers. Two Vendors on the sidewalk, had to restock on my Shea butter and Black soap. An African Fabric store, I got these CuTe headbands, some other goodies, and a quick history lesson. A Huge hair store, where Sous had a little too much fun trying on wigs, I just had a good time watching/laughing. Two Beautiful murals, that Sophia and her friend who walk down 125th all the time had never noticed. And, of COURSE we had lunch ( I get excited about good food!) that was really good.
As we strolled down 125th I spotted a Double Decker tour bus. I then learned that tourist now have the opportunity to tour Harlem on one of these buses. At first I was a little taken aback by the fact that a bright red tour bus was rolling down 125th, but then it got me thinking! Today I was a Tourist, but unlike the traditional tourist I was just in a familiar place. For the first time I was able to see and appreciate Harlem for what it truly is, a place full of such rich and vibrant culture.
What if we all took the time to be Tourist in familiar places once in a while?
So very often we get comfortable and sometimes even complacent with the things in our life. Things that include but are not limited to the places we go, and the relationships we form. Due to this we sometimes fail to recognize the beauty, richness, history, uniqueness, and culture in the places we go or in the relationships we form.
As I Wrap up this post I encourage you all to take a look at the places you frequent, the people in your life, and Dare to be a tourist in a familiar place, and Discover something new!
Since I know you really want to see some pics from my day, here they are!
* The Group Committed that I talked about in my last post WON!!!!....see what happens when your Committed!
**Don’t forget to check your reaction below, or comment!!
Oh my, this is my favorite for a multitude of reasons...some for more self absorbed reasons like i got mad special shoutouts in this one lol... but this piece as well as our entire Harlem Appreciation day was certainly eye opening. It is important to keep even the mundane things sacred and special, and see them for their full potential and authentic beauty. I appreciate you for your ability to see such a dynamic place like harlem for what it is. I could not have done that with all my friends, I actually was asked my a dear friend, "what the hell r u gonna do in harlem?" sometimes its just beautiful to be around like minded pple...It was a beautiful day indeed, and I plan to be a tourist around the world someday with my tashy..... Round of applause for this one!
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p.s. that food was bangin, and glad to hear about committed!
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