As residents come and go, neighbourhoods change. An unknown area suddenly becomes a hotspot for food, drink, entertainment and culture and it’s fun to book in to a local hotel, explore on foot, spend time in pubs and cafés and listen to live music. Here are some great ’hoods with a new look and a new vibe:
NEW YORK’S CENTRAL HARLEM
New Yorkers are always looking for the next “in” place – and Central Harlem could be it. Stroll half-a-dozen blocks north of Central Park along tree-lined streets, past brownstone houses and low-rise apartment blocks and you’re in the hub of the city’s African-American community with main thoroughfares named for such heroes as Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Is there music? Of course! The National Jazz Museum in Harlem celebrates this All- American genre; at weekends, the Harlem Tavern is a must for jazz brunches.
SLEEP: The new Aloft Harlem
EAT: The Red Rooster reinvents Harlem soul food
DRINK: Elaborate cocktails at 67 Orange Street.
SHOP: Sharp designer gear at Harlem Haberdashery.
MUST VISIT: The Apollo Theater’s legendary Amateur Nights for talented young hopefuls.
PHILADELPHIA’S FAIRMOUNT
A cell block in Philadelphia’s 1829 Eastern State Penitentiary, now a major Fairmount neighbourhood tourist attraction
The west side of Philly’s downtown offers culture with a capital C. The biggest draws are the Museum of Art and the Barnes Foundation, but just up the hill is the Eastern State Penitentiary. The foreboding former prison stands on Fairmount Avenue, the heart of a new locale that is hip, foodie and fun. Check out the second-hand books at Bookhaven; chug local draft beers at Jack’s Firehouse, sited in a 19th-century fire station; choose from a million ways to enjoy coffee at OCF Coffee House. Off Fairmount Avenue are the parks, schools and brick rowhouses that add to the community feel.
SLEEP: The Logan Hotel on Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
EAT: Fare ticks the boxes – sustainable, local, organic, artisan.
DRINK: Bar Hygge’s own Hoppy Daze Pale Ale.
SHOP: Elegant vases, bowls and cups created on site at Neighborhood Potters .
MUST VISIT: Eastern State Penitentiary, home to some of America’s most notorious criminals, including Al Capone.
ATLANTA’S OLD FOURTH WARD
Atlanta’s Midtown Skyline
Visitors used to go to the Old Fourth Ward just to see where Dr Martin Luther King Jr grew up. Now they stay to explore such things as Ponce City Market, a former warehouse converted into flats, shops and the Central Food Hall’s wide range of restaurants. Up on the Roof, at Skyline Park on top of Ponce City Market, features retro fairground attractions plus food, drink and fantastic views.
SLEEP: Hotel Indigo Atlanta Midtown on the edge of Old Fourth Ward.
EAT: Modern American dishes at TWO Urban Licks .
DRINK: Go to church: Sister Louisa’s Church of the Living Room & Ping Pong Emporium – for beer, ping pong and organ karaoke.
SHOP: Locally-made soaps and lotions at Mama Bath + Body at Krog Street Market .
MUST VISIT: Dr Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Site .
BOSTON’S CAMBRIDGE
Boston
Across the Charles River from Boston, the separate city of Cambridge has five squares that are like mini-neighbourhoods. Harvard Square is home to Harvard University. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and numerous high-tech businesses are based at Kendall Square. Inman Square is known for the long-popular Ryles Jazz Club, and Central Square for more live music in the Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub as well as for Toscanini’s, serving Boston’s best ice cream. On the up and up is Porter Square, where Christopher’s is a tavern for the young and young-at-heart.
SLEEP: The new, affordable Porter Square Hotel .
EAT: Contemporary American dishes at Kendall Square’s Evoo .
DRINK: Killer cocktails at Central Square’s Brick & Mortar .
SHOP: Fine American crafts at Harvard Square’s Cambridge Artists’ Cooperative .
MUST VISIT: Harvard University on witty, irreverent walks of the area .
MIAMI’S CORAL GABLES
Coral Gables Historic City Hall
Miami is all about sun, sand and nightlife. But there is more – and that’s where Coral Gables comes in. Inland from the beach, the self-proclaimed ‘City Beautiful’ is a century-old planned quarter with broad avenues, huge banyan trees and handsome Mediterranean Revival homes. Open to the public, the 1920s Venetian Pool is like a Hollywood film set, while Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden provides a horticultural adventure. And the recent revamp of Miracle Mile, with its boutiques, cafés and galleries, brings the Gables right up to date.
SLEEP: The 1920s Hotel Colonnade offers 21st-century elegance .
EAT: Caribbean-influenced dishes prepared by celebrated chef Cindy Hutson at the Ortanique on the Mile .
DRINK: Margaritas at the Bulla Gastrobar .
SHOP: For bargains galore, hit the Shops at Merrick Park .
MUST VISIT: The Biltmore, so much more than a hotel.
SAN FRANCISCO’S HAIGHT ASHBURY
Painted Ladies Haight Ashbury
The 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love has reignited interest in ‘The Haight’, on the eastern side of Golden Gate Park. This is the place to rediscover your inner hippy – stroll along Haight Street and Ashbury Street; photograph the Victorian and Edwardian houses where the Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin once lived; pause to snap a selfie in front of a Jimi Hendrix mural; or shop at Positively Haight Street for retro psychedelic shirts and Piedmont Boutique for clubbers’ gear. At Free Gold, you can rekindle your pinball skills.
SLEEP: Travel back to the Sixties at The Red Victorian .
EAT: Pub grub at the Magnolia Gastropub with its own micro-brewery .
DRINK: Club Deluxe has live music every night .
SHOP: Sort through 100,000 new and used CDs, cassettes and records at Amoeba Music .
MUST VISIT: Join Stan Flouride on a Haight-Ashbury Flower Power Walking Tour.
