East Harlem NEIGHBORHOOD GUIDE

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East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or El Barrio, is a diverse uptown Manhattan neighborhood. Like many uptown areas it's been going through transition, but gentrification isn't felt consistently across the neighborhood. So while brand new developments and renovated walk-ups offer housing to new, affluent residents, there are still sections of poorer tenement housing. East Harlem also has one of the highest concentrations of public housing in the city. Crime has fallen in many parts of this neigbhorhood but you should still exercise caution, particularly at night.

But overall East Harlem has a lot of pride and a strong sense of community. It was once a popular area for Italian immigrants until the 1930s, then became predominantly Puerto Rican for decades, and recent years have brought an influx of Mexicans, Dominicans, and New Yorkers fleeing more expensive parts of the city. Murals throughout the neighborhood illustrate its fluid history.

The neighborhood is a foodie paradise, with street stalls offering Mexican food next to impossible-to-get-into Italian restaurants. A number of highly rated burger joints dot the area.

The East River Plaza is a large shopping center with several big box retailers, including Costco, Target, and PetSmart.

East Harlem is bordered on the north by north and the east by the Harlem River, on the south by the Upper East Side, and on the west by Central Park and Harlem.

Commute:
Wall Street: 9 miles / 20-40 minutes by car / 45-50 minutes by transit
Rockefeller Center: 5 miles / 20-40 minutes by car / 30 minutes by transit
Jersey City: 25 miles / 40-70 minutes by car / 60 minutes by transit