Blue train: a day to pack up my East Village digs and a day to move to Harlem. It’s been like Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumble-Bee,” in a jazzy sort of way. But here I am in Harlem; and where I move, so does TripTie (or does it?) So why Harlem? Not only is it the “Mecca of a New Negro,” but Kelli’s partner in crime (the crime being making irresistible and delectable desserts), Kathryn, owns a brownstone on 127th Street. It’s a five-story building and Kelli and I will be living on the bottom two levels. It’s way more space for a bit less rent, and a great incubator for two fledgeling new businesses (TripTie and Amai Tea & Bake House).

What makes this move even more interesting is Harlem itself. Two years ago, before I lived in the East Village and even before I lived in the Upper West Side, I almost moved into a place in Harlem. The allure of Harlem is the history, the culture, and the struggle between change and those that want it to stay the same.

It’s probably a consistently debated topic, but many consider Harlem to be where Jazz really took hold. When I think of Harlem, I automatically think of Art Kane’s famous 1958 photograph, “The Harlem.” It’s a black and white photo of 57 jazz musicians on a brownstone stoop on 126th Street (just a block away, actually). Think: Buster Baily, Count Basie, Dizzy Gilespie, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, Lester Young, and many more of the greatest, all in one photo. That’s Harlem at 10 o’clock in the morning. At noon, it’s 125th street a’bustling: beauty salons galore, clothing, music, incense, and shea butter. Dinner is at Sylvia’s for ham, macaroni & cheese, candied yams, and collared greens. A night at the Apollo is to follow.

Today’s Harlem is also about real estate as much as it is about gentrification: change. The last I heard, Marriott was opening up a hotel near the Metro-North tracks. Old Navy and H&M are now staples of the neighborhood. There is a Starbucks and a Citarella. A couple of blocks from these mega-franchises are still run-down and vacated buildings, but that will soon change. Block by block, buildings are being gutted or torn-down, replaced with the new and shiny, but still a bit in keeping with the old. As Harlem grows up, for better or worse, I will grow up with it for this brief period in time at least. I turned 28 this past monday and opened a door to shock and splendor.