Islands in New York orthe Caribbean, they makefor hot destinations. M4

Everyone can hail this50th anniversary of theNational Seashore. M5

Summer night highlightsglimmer all over, dinner todrama to music. M5

INSIDE

EXPLORENEW ENGLANDCAPE COD

JANET KNOTT/GLOBE STAFF/FILE 2006

TravelBOSTON SUNDAY GLOBE JUNE 5, 2011 | BOSTON.COM/TRAVEL

M

By Susie WoodhamsGLOBE CORRESPONDENT

GALVESTON — While the East End Historic Dis-trict of this island claims one of the country’s largestconcentrations of well-preserved Victorian-style archi-tecture, Donna Leibbert knows her home is far fromthe grandest.

Compared with the stone turrets of the Bishop’sPalace and arcaded verandas surrounding MoodyMansion, the features of her 1894 house are demure.A lilac wood porch leads to the original oak door,adorned with an ornate bouquet cut in beveled glass.

Impeccably maintained, the house still reflects thelate-19th-century period when Galveston, 50 milessoutheast of Houston, was a booming port city andcotton trade gave the island the nation’s second-rich-est per capita income.

Yet when three cars and a school bus full of seniorcitizens took turns idling at her curb on a springmorning, passengers armed with cameras were notfocusing on the house.

Their target? The remains of Leibbert’s 100-year-old live oak, whose sprawling branches once reachedas high as neighborhood electric wires. Last year, shehad it carved into a life-size geisha, while an upperportion of the tree was sculpted into two divergingangels and placed closer to the house.

‘‘That’s a constant, the buses, tour groups,’’ Leib-bert, 63, said. ‘‘And it’s all good.’’

Interest in her sculptures, and 34 others scatteredmostly throughout the neighborhood, typify a kind ofrejuvenation for this island nearly three years since

TEXAS

JOHN A. MOLLICK

The dog is one of 36 sculptures carved from trees killed by Hurricane Ike.

After Ike, a delugeof reinvention

GALVESTON, Page M3

he cookie taxed the imagination.Would it be cooked through? And how many calo-

ries are in a fist-sized hunk of dark chocolate speck-led with peanut butter chips anyway?

Yes, to the first question. A slight crisp on theoutside yields an ever-so-gooey center. As for thesecond, no matter. Hefting the dense ounces to ourlips practically counts as exercise.

We’re munching and moaning on a bench outsideof Levain Bakery, the new uptown outpost of a longtime Upper West Sidefavorite. My husband, Garrett, and I have been to Harlem many times, sam-pling its art (exhibitions at the Studio Museum) and food (slabs of red velvetat Make My Cake). Recently, though, we spent two full days exploring and, ofcourse, eating.

Perhaps no other area in New York so eagerly honors its history as Har-lem. Streets have been renamed for Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., andAdam Clayton Powell Jr. North of the bakery, a 10-foot-tall, 2-ton statue ofHarriet Tubman leans forward, like the prow of a ship about to sail into thegreen ocean of Central Park.

Despite the interest in what came before, these days Harlem seems utter-ly future-oriented. Over the past few years, several restaurants, bars, andeven a hotel, the first in four decades, have opened on or near FrederickT HARLEM, Page M2

Clockwise from left: On a Sunday in May, Roz Beauty sings gospel at theRed Rooster on Lenox Avenue; pedestrians on Malcolm X Boulevardnear 125th Street; fried chicken and waffles at Amy Ruth’s, wherepatrons waited on 116th Street; and a nearby storefront mural.

B Y J E S S I C A A L L E N | G L O B E C O R R E S P O N D E N T

Cookies to cocktails, row housesto restaurants, Harlem makes a visitor feel and taste its forward movementUPTOWN

PHOTOS BY ESSDRAS M SUAREZ/GLOBE STAFF

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Douglass Boulevard. Attuned tomarketing opportunities, somereal estate agents champion ‘‘So-Ha,’’ or South Harlem, as the lat-est ‘‘it’’ location. We wanted tosee how the new was getting onwith the old.

The previous night, we hadsampled the locally brewed Sug-ar Hill Golden Ale at one of BierInternational’s communal tables,then stopped into a speakeasycalled 67 Orange Street. Openedin late 2008, it is named for theaddress of a black-owned, 19th-century bar.

Dressed in suspenders andsoft, saggy denim, our bartenderwould have fit right into the orig-inal, sartorially speaking. Bicepsundulating, he shook up a CorpseReviver #2, which we ordered forthe moniker, a mix of gin, lemonjuice, tequila, Lillet Blanc, andabsinthe. The Upper Manhattan,which we ordered as a nod to ge-ography and because we wantedthe brandy-soaked cherry, hadrye, bitters, and vermouth. Eachwas eye-poppingly strong.

Our choices disappointed thewoman next to us. ‘‘You shouldhave had a Cleopatra’s Lust,’’ shesaid, laughing. As her husband,an off-Broadway playwright,looked over the bartender’s head-shot and asked about his experi-ence on ‘‘Law & Order,’’ she got totalking.

‘‘I’m from Brooklyn,’’ she said.‘‘But walking around this neigh-borhood is like walking aroundthe world.’’

On a map, Harlem cuts a wideswath: from 96th Street on theeast side and Central Park Northon the west, curving around Co-lumbia University’s campus, andextending north to 155th Street.Certainly its reputation goes farbeyond those boundaries. And itattracts people from everywhere.

Along 125th Street, predomi-nantly African vendors sell sheabutter, incense, and T-shirts thatread ‘‘I [heart] Harlem.’’ Boom-boxes blast reggae and soul, as ifiPods never happened. LatinAmerican women shave flavoredice into Dixie cups or carve freshmangoes to look like pinecones.European tourists pose in frontof the famed Apollo Theater.

This main thoroughfare hasoutposts of Applebee’s and TheBody Shop, in addition to the of-fices into which former PresidentBill Clinton moved in 2001(earlier this year he announcedthat he is decamping for the Fi-nancial District). In the 1990sand early 2000s, such arrivalshelped signify an end to the

blight of previous decades andthe beginning of gentrification,which continues fueled by risingreal estate prices and changingdemographics.

Nowhere is that better exem-plified than at Red Rooster Har-lem, a supremely popular restau-rant serving global comfort food.So hot, in fact, that a $30,800-a-plate fund-raiser for PresidentObama was held here in March,three months after the placeopened.

During our early dinner, suit-ed professionals sip gin and juice,dashed with bitters and marma-lade, at the bar; families stop infor early appetizers, wedgingstrollers next to high-top tables;and diners young, old, and multi-racial nosh on the signature friedyard bird (chicken, in the slang ofold Harlem), marinated in ablend of coconut and buttermilk,served with hot sauce and itsown shaker of spices.

Marcus Samuelsson, the Ethi-opia-born, Sweden-raised, ‘‘TopChef Masters’’ season two-win-ning chef-owner, draws inspira-tion from his own history as wellas that of the neighborhoodwhere he now lives. Créole red

grits are a cheesy mess of shrimp,crab, chorizo, and grains, whilecrispy chunks of injera and sourcherries liven a typical bar snackof mixed nuts. Not surprisingly,to find an appropriate appella-tion for his endeavor, Samuels-son looked backward: The origi-nal Red Rooster was a chi-chinightery nearby.

The next day, we breakfast atAmy Ruth’s, a soul food institu-tion, and climb to the top of Mar-cus Garvey Park. Looking out,Garrett and I try to imagine whatthe original inhabitants saw. In1658, Dutch settlers christenedthe area Nieuw Haarlem. Gradu-ally fields gave way to construc-tion sites; the gleaming towersand cranes we spy demonstratethat trend’s persistence.

Side streets feel more human.Several times we are told to ‘‘havea blessed day’’ as we wanderaround admiring the gorgeousrow houses and brownstones,some of which belonged to theburgeoning black middle class ofthe 1920s and ’30s, an era knownas the Harlem Renaissance. So-called Strivers’ Row, with itslandmark brick buildings andwrought iron accents, still hassigns admonishing visitors to‘‘Walk Your Horses.’’

Following the crowds, we stopat Jacob’s Restaurant for lunch.Although it opened in 2009, the

unpretentious buffet feels as ifit’s been around forever. Kids el-bow their way onto communaltables to make signs for an anti-violence rally while flat-screen

televisions play a loop of footagefrom a concert in South Africa.

We select a mélange of Carib-bean, West African, and South-ern flavors: tender ribs, potatosalad, jerk chicken. Beneathframed drawings of SojournerTruth and Nelson Mandela, wedevour the cornbread, outlinedin a caramelized crust. Only a su-per long line stops us from get-ting seconds.

Bellies full, we decide to feedour brains. At Hue-Man Book-store & Cafe (‘‘A SKU for EveryHue’’ goes its tagline), we pagethrough Jonathan Gill’s just pub-lished ‘‘Harlem: The Four Hun-dred Year History From DutchVillage to Capital of Black Amer-ica.’’ The past is always present,and the only constant is change.Hanging out here shows thetruth of both claims.

Regardless of where we walkor what we eat, our weekend canonly conclude with one activity:jazz. Harlem offers plenty ofplaces to hear live music, fromthe historic Lenox Lounge to thehipper Shrine. We want some-thing a little more intimate, a lit-tle less frequently mentioned inguidebooks, so we head to Amer-ican Legion Post 398.

The basement space has nocover charge or drink minimum.No dress code, no carefully craft-ed libations. Other than signingthe guestbook, there’s no require-ment to watch the show, but theaudience tends to buy food or adrink. Garrett opts for friedchicken; I choose the fried white-fish, along with collard greensand red rice. All arrives on Styro-foam plates.

Sundays, Seleno Clarke playshis 350-pound Hammond B3 or-gan with some members of his

Harlem Groove Band and anyoneelse who cares to jam, on a stagethat’s about 4 inches off the floor.Except for us, everyone knowsone another.

Crewcut, in a blue Oxford,saxophonist Peter Valera takes adeep breath, shuts his eyes, andblows. The mild-mannered ap-pearance slips away. At onepoint, he follows a waitressaround, then serenades her fromhis knees as she tries to take or-ders. Later, a patron will leanacross the cymbals to kiss drum-mer Sean Cameron goodbye.He’ll keep playing.

Sliding an arm around myshoulders, our waitress askswhether we would like some rumcake. I shake my head. Next time.

‘‘OK, y’all, what we doing . . .it’s how you feel,’’ Clarke booms,before beginning another song.

We feel great.

Jessica Allen can be reached atwww.jessallenica.com.

In a global mix, with all eyes on the futureº HARLEMContinued from Page M1

PHOTOS BY ESSDRAS M SUAREZ/GLOBE STAFF

Hailing taxis on Lenox Avenue; hearing organist Seleno Clarke and his Harlem Groove Band mates at American Legion Post 398.

Where to stayAloft Harlem2296 Frederick Douglass Blvd.212-749-4000www.spg.comThis minimalist Starwood prop-erty is Harlem’s first new hotelin 40 years. Queens and kingsfrom $260 per night.Where to eat anddrinkAmy Ruth’s113 West 116th St.212-280-8779www.amyruthsharlem.comTry the Reverend Al Sharpton atthis beloved soul food restau-rant: a waffle topped withsmothered or fried chicken,made juicier by a big pour ofmaple syrup. Waffles $7.25-$15.25.Bier International2099 Frederick Douglass Blvd.212-280-0944www.bierinternational.comA cash-only Biergarten, whichopened in 2010. Pints andbottles $6-$14.Jacob’s Restaurant373 Lenox Ave.212-866-3663www.jacobrestaurant.comOne hot buffet, one cold buffet,no frills and delicious. $4.99-$5.99 per pound.Levain Bakery2167 Fredrick Douglass Blvd.646-455-0952www.levainbakery.comBest known for its mammothcookies, including chocolatechip walnut and dark chocolatepeanut butter chip. Cookies $4.Red Rooster310 Lenox Ave.212-792-9001redroosterharlem.comReservations are recommendedfor Harlem’s most happeningrestaurant, serving globalcomfort food. $14-$33.67 Orange Street2082 Frederick Douglass Blvd.212-662-2030www.67orangestreet.comThis speakeasy-style bar has acasual vibe and artisanaldrinks. Cocktails $13-$16.What to doAmerican Legion Post 398248 West 132d St.212-283-9701www.colchasyoungharlempost398.comSeleno Clarke and his band playevery Sunday evening startingaround 7.Hue-Man Bookstore and Cafe2319 Frederick Douglass Blvd.212-665-7400www.huemanbookstore.comOne of the largest African-American bookstores in theUnited States.Marcus Garvey ParkEast 120th to 124th streets,between Madison Avenue andMount Morris Park WestAn outdoor pool, two play-grounds, plenty of benches, anamphitheater, and an 1857cast-iron fire watchtower makethis park worth a stop.Strivers’ RowWest 138th and 139th streets,between Adam Clayton PowellJr. and Frederick DouglassboulevardsTwo streets full of 19th-centurybuildings, some designed byMcKim, Mead & White.

If you go . . .

JAMES ABUNDIS/GLOBE STAFF

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4. 67 Orange Street2082 Frederick Douglass Blvd(at 113th St)

5. Jacob’s Restaurant373 Lenox Ave(at 129th St)

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DetailWHAT’S HAPPENINGSee Harlem’s neighborhoods

blend old and new in a video tourat www.boston.com/travel.