Harlem, New York —
Last year at this time, we were hosting a couple of German students here in Queens and I thought that a great way to tackle some of the sights of Manhattan would be to tag along for the last few miles of the New York City Marathon.
On race day morning, just as Duke Ellington suggested, we took the A-Train to Harlem and headed over to the Abbysinian Baptist Church for a little spiritual strength and music. I had no idea what a hot and worldly ticket these services are. The line for visitors resembles a soup kitchen for European tourists. It winds around three corners and all along its length you can practice your French, German, Italian, Russian, Swedish etc.
I could not imagine that the church could hold a fraction of these interesting white folk, so we abandoned this plan and headed over to Silvia’s for a quick brunch. Unfortunately, there was no music here either (too early) so we carbo-loaded on grits and finally caught up with the marathon at 125th Street and 5th Avenue.
This has got to be one of the most enjoyable places to experience the race. Wandering down the avenue, the stoops are packed with families and friends cheering the runners along. Every other block or so, there is an impromtu DJ or rapper or band to lend a little rhythm to the proceedings (music finally!) Check out the experience on my pathetically amateurish youtube video.
One thing you’ll notice. Marathoners pose a severe littering problem.
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