New York City

John Legend performing in the World Trade Center Transit Hub; credit Silverstein Properties
New York City, the Big Apple, has a backstory deeper than Hip-Hop at the Apollo and broader than New Year’s Eve Celebration. It’s the heartbeat of the world’s economy married to avant-garde arts.
History
It’s impossible to understand the tragedy & triumph of American History without 1619 New York City
Cultural Sites
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is a masterpiece of intellectual pursuits
Restaurants & Nightclubs
NYC checks every box for breath of cuisines and quality of offerings
Harlem
The penultimate event in Harlem is still Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater
Black Theatre & Dance
Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte met in NYC Black Theater

Comedy Club night at the Apollo Theater in Harlem; (c) Robin/UN
Broadway Theatre
Where Denzel Washington chooses to recharge his acting batteries
Blacks On Broadway
August Wilson opened doors for Black Playwrights & Directors on Broadway
Heritage Sites
To complete your family ancestry research, African Burial Grounds commands a bucket list visit

Sleeping Gypsy painting at Museum of Modern Art, NYC; credit Henri Rousseau
Places of Worship
Abyssinian Baptist Church has few peers in its spiritual leadership
Spas
Lotions, potions, a manicure, and a pedicure are just the start
General Attractions
Rockefeller Center features outstanding architecture from top to bottom, inside and out

Girlfriends cherishing their Big Apple shopping nirvana; credit FG Trade/iStock
Museums
Only a great fashion show could momentarily upstage the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Family Attractions
When in doubt, there’s always Central Park
Civil Rights Movement in NYC
Adam Clayton Powell, the unbroken political difference-maker in Congress
Soul Music
Every time you hear Soul Music in the Big Apple, remember the great Luther Vandross

David Dorsey & Thomas Dorsey of Soul Of America atop the Empire State Building
Marcus Garvey in NYC
The book on Black economic self-sufficiency has a very large Marcus Garvey chapter
Malcolm X in NYC
Even today, Malcolm reminds us that some Black folk have been had, bamboozled, and led astray
Trivia & Famous Residents
Includes notable Black achievers from the Harlem Renaissance to Present Day