Uptown To Do List - Week of March 3, 2025
An ever changing list of things to do above the park
Hello and Happy Monday! As always, our key for events:
👋 - We are going to this event, so come by and say hello!
🌟 - We wish we could go, but you should go and tell us how it is!
EATS AND DRINKS
This week is focused on Ethiopian eats!
Awaze (2288 Federick Douglass at West 123rd Street): Despite trying really hard to learn about this restaurant and its history, we came up short. The website doesn’t say much, neither did the woman we spoke to when we called—though she was very friendly. What we can tell you is that we went here on a lazy Friday evening. The doro wot (chicken), collard greens and spicy lentils were our favorites but are not always our favorites at all Ethiopian restaurants. The service was super friendly, accommodating and we were not rushed at all, which we really appreciated it. We also really appreciated that the restaurant, which serves wine and beer, allowed us to consume our non-alcoholic wine bottle (Proxies) with our meal, which made our meal even awesomer because we are usually relegated to water if we’re not drinking! Thanks, Awaze!
Benyam (2795 Frederick Douglass (between West 148th and 149th Streets): The food at Benyam is outstanding and they are doing some really interesting stuff, like breakfast (sometimes) and mushroom tibs (love a meat alternative). When we went, we went a prime dinner time and, while the dining room wasn’t full, it looked like this poor restaurant had to deliver food to most of Hamilton Heights. The result was that our senses were bombarded with delicious food for a long time before we got to actually eat it. (It was worth the wait.) The New York Times did a write up on this restaurant, which made perfect sense to us having been there—except they apparently did not serve alcohol when the Times was there. They did offer a few alcohol options when we were there but the options were limited, so you may wish to skip the booze and focus on having enough room to try all the deliciousness they make!
HAPPENINGS
It’s March. Madness is around the corner. In case you want to do a little test drive before you commit to your tourney spot, here are three places you can check out games: Ouaga Sports Bar (2280 ACP between West 134th and 135th) will be offering a free shot with draft beer from 6-9pm. This is not your dad’s sports bar—it is brought to you by the team from Yatenga. Looks a little meh from the outside, which is why we waited so long to check it out, but decidedly not meh on the inside so don’t make the same mistake! Get there! At the Wallace (3612 Broadway at West 149th Street) has an objectively underwhelming website but good food and drinks and specials on the reg! Farther south, The Fox (2224 Frederick Douglass at West 120th Street) is always a solid option and, while their beer options are more limited than we had hoped, their wings excellent (really, truly, we believe the best thing they make)! Pro tip: there is a happy hour menu but note that it is smaller portion sizes than the regular menu, so everything is not really discounted, you can just buy it in smaller quantities at happy hour—be guided accordingly in your ordering.
If bball is not your thing, head on over to the Wallach Art Gallery at Columbia (615 West 129th Street, west of Broadway) for Ruben Ortiz-Torres: Zonas de Colaboracion. The exhibit feels a little Brooklyn, so it is sure to be fun. Ortiz-Torres has been living and working in Los Angeles since 1990 and became a professor at UCSD in 2001. He was raised in Mexico City by parents who founded a band called Los Folkloristas. A lot of his art is on car parts, which conceptually is already pretty cool, but you should totally go check it out for yourself because there is way more than that to the exhibit. Gallery hours are Wednesday-Sunday 12-6pm. The exhibit will run through March 16, 2025.
If you need more art after hitting up Zonas de Colaboracion, the Harlem Arts Stroll will be rolling through again on Saturday, March 8th from 1-6pm. The stroll will begin at Refettorio (37 West 119th Street) where you can pick up your map of all the very cool places you can stop by. The latest info says the stroll covers 99th to 155th Streets, so there should be something for everyone!
Still not full of art? Urban Bush Women: Legacy, Lineage, Liberation is ongoing at The Apollo Stages at the Victoria (233 West 125th Street between ACP and Fred Doug). The event is a visual exhibition with pop-up performances on select dates. The exhibit is open Tuesdays-Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and the last pop-up performance of the season will take place on Saturday, March 8th at 4pm. Also, in case you forgot, the Apollo is really cool and has Half off for Harlem tickets, so if you live or work in Harlem, here’s your passport to discount awesomeness.
🌟 - To make sure you’re well-rounded, definitely check out the Women’s Jazz Festival, which opens on Monday, March 10 at 7pm at the Schomburg Center (515 Malcolm X between West 135th and 136th). The festival was founded in 1992 by then-Harlem resident Melba Joyce. It will be held on March 10, 17 and 24. Opening night will feature the artist known as Somi, who has a Grammy but also was the first African woman ever nominated for a Grammy in any jazz category. Tickets are $35 for the general public (plus fees of about $4). Get yours here.
👋 - Because you know we love ourselves some United Palace, here’s a plug for the next installation of Movies at the Palace will feature Satisfied with Renee Elise Goldsberry on Monday, March 10, 2025. Doors at 6, show at 7. A talkback with Lin-Manuel Miranda will follow the movie. Tickets are free but must be reserved in advance (and they go quickly, so you should consider reserving them as soon as you can). Pro tip: seating is general admission, so you’ll want to get there early on the day of to get the best seats. If you are a member of Movies at the Palace, you get access to early tickets and you get to cut the line for seating, plus you get some other cool benefits too. Feels like a deal at $65.
With slightly rising temps, it is also for sure time for ice skating at Riverbank State Park (Riverside Drive at West 145th Street). Regular rink hours are Fridays, 6-9pm, Saturdays and Sundays 1-4pm and 6-9pm. Wednesdays there is a special power hour for seniors and groups with disabilities from 10:30-11:30am. Last minute updates to the schedule are available on IG. It costs $5 for adults to skate, $3 for kids under $12 and $6 to rent skates.
DID YOU KNOW?
Toni Morrison had a longstanding relationship with the Schomburg Center in Harlem and her official papers are located there, including personal files, her correspondence, writings, professional files and a whole bunch of articles and newspaper clippings of Morrison’s appearances. The NYPL has written a short piece about Toni Morrison’s connection to the Schomburg Center. It includes reference to some pretty cool audio books maintained by the Moving Image and Recorded Sound Division of the Schomburg Center. If you’re interested, they seem totally worth checking out!