Today, while a second application of lethal fumes extinguished a second wave of pesky pests, I hung out with Harlem historian Michael Henry Adams (whose soon-to-be-published book Harlem: Lost and Found promises to be THE centerpiece of Black coffee tables from coast to coast, judging from the breathtaking galleys I've seen). I bumped into him as I was leaving my brownstone. He was headed somewhere, but we ended up back at his apartment to enjoy some frosty orange juice. Once I finished my glass, we went back into the extremely oppressive heat to catch a cab to go see his friend, Marvin.
Marvin Smith and his twin brother, Morgan (who passed away in 1983 at 83) are historic photographers renowned for their definitive portraiture of Harlem life in the 30s, 40s and 50s. Marvin is cared for in a nursing home that faces the world's largest cathedral, The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, on Amsterdam Avenue. Michael is a close personal friend of Marvin's; he visits him often. It was quite touching to see Michael show Marvin the rich photography featured in the aforementioned galleys; he showed them with such pride. On the way out, I gave Marvin a kiss and, of course, Michael playfully accused me of being fresh. I think it's just blatant jealousy *grin!* I hope to visit Marvin again very soon.
Michael was leaving town for the holidays, so we began to make tracks to the subway. On our way down 112th Street, we stopped by Labyrinth Books to enjoy the conditioned air and the sales table. After a quick trip to the bank, Michael treated me to a Coconut Creme Frappuccino at Starbucks. We chatted about his new book, our future project, Gladys Bentley, Harlem history (and gossip) and the upcoming Black Pride weekend while I cruised the cuties that fell up in there. I tried being covert, but when does THAT ever work? *LOL!*
We fought the heat again until we got to the subway. We hopped on the 1 train and chatted some more before we parted. I ended up in Chelsea to visit Gordon at his job. When I got there, he told me that his break was 45 minutes away, so I made myself scarce for a bit. I walked back down 23rd to visit the newly-relocated Tekserve. They're really great, even though they don't sell Canon's PowerShot S40. I'm sure they're not too concerned about Apple's new SoHo store (that opens during the Macworld Expo - clever!), they have a faithful customer base. I can't wait to see the Apple store, but I am more than a little disappointed that I got absolutely no response when I applied to work there. Not thrilled about that at all, but regardless, I might try to plan a trip to get a contingent of us up in there soon ... just so they see our faces - the faces of Mac users who are not white.
TO WHOM: 11-07-02 TODAY I SAW MICHAEL ON MARTHA STEWART’S SHOW. IT WAS TRULY,DEVINE INTERVENTION! AS I AM RESEARCHING OUR FAMILY, MY HUSBAND’S MOTHER GREW UP IN HARLEM, WE HAVE HEARD MANY STORIES OF THE AREA.WE LIVE IN KENTUCKY, SO I COULD NOT IMAGINE EVER GOING TO NEW YORK ! NOW ,OUT OF THE BLUE ,A BOOK, HOW WONDERFUL! I HOPE I GET IT SOON. I AM SEARCHING TO FIND IT,AND IT’S COST? ELEANOR C FREEBORN RESEARCHING SURNAMES_KENNEDY, LEWIS,ABRAMS, BUTTERFIELD AND FREEBORN
Time is the wisest counselor.
P.S. I hope the book will grace my coffee table, and I am white.
I’m white and am looking forward to receving the book (ordered just today). A lot of folks who are my color feel uncomfortable walking around Harlem because they’re in the minority. That’s their loss, I think. And maybe it’s good for us “honkies” to understand that feeling (at least a little bit) too.