| Rating |
Date Attended [v] |
Reviewer |
Gender |
Age |
Where From? |
Group Type? |
|
Informative and enjoyable
|
| Sat, Mar 11, 06 11:00 AM |
thaifoodfan |
Female |
40-49 |
Unspecified |
Individual |
| I'm so glad I chose to do this walk. We had beautiful weather, and it was well-paced. Fascinating historical information.
Bring a big water bottle and wear very comfortable shoes! |
|
|
Comprehensive
|
| Sat, Mar 11, 06 11:00 AM |
jsiano3188 |
Female |
60-69 |
Local |
Group of Friends |
| Paul Blair has a true love for Harlem and jazz and it is evident when he walks you through historic areas. |
|
|
An absolutely wonderful, insightful, upbeat tour
|
| Fri, Nov 11, 05 10:00 AM |
myronalevine |
Male |
50-59 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Unspecified |
| The tour was fantastic. For anyone looking for an extensive, insightful look at the development of Harlem, with many references to the Harlem jazz scene and its glorious history, this is the tour! Paul's insights extend beyond music; he also points to numerous key sites related to Harlem's and New York's development and the community's political leaders. Paul is a fantastic guide--knowledgeable, friendly, enthusaistic, and upbeat! Be prepared to see a lot! It was well worth it--and a great education too. |
|
|
Excellent entreč to Harlem,architecture & jazz
|
| Fri, Nov 4, 05 10:00 AM |
janvdlippe |
Male |
50-59 |
International Tourist(s) |
Family Without Children |
| To those of us who last visited New York in 1970, this visit to Harlem was a surprisingly pleasant and charming experience. This part of the city now gives foreigners like us a feeling of complete safety.
We started off at 168th street and quickly found ourselves in the many charming, quiet backstreets of Harlem, where our guide Paul Blair was a constant source of small stories of the streets and some individual buildings, mostly linked to the jazz people of the past. Paul is a little weak on architecture and the different building styles and decorations which we observed, I am certain he can add this to his already strong repertoire of know-how.
When we passed Sylvia's Soulfood restaurant on 126th Street we felt that we had been walking for quite a while. However, as fans of the famous alto saxophonist Charlie Parker we were persuaded to continue south to see Minton's Playhouse at Dewey Square, where restaurations now are underway. We were told this place is opening soon with jazz music on the programme.
Here Paul rounded off the tour by giving the tour participants a CD with music connected to many of the people he had spoken of and many of the sites we had seen, the cover contained excellent notes on the music and of the sites and buildings. We left Paul and the group and took the bus uptown and had late lunch at Sylvia's, nice athmosphere, good food at reasonable prices, the menu is definitely different from what is being offered Midtown and Downtown.
In short, we had an enjoyable day in the company of Paul Blair of SwingStreets. When we return to New York we will certainly join him again for walks in other parts of the city. |
|
|
Excellent Jazz History Walk Through Harlem
|
| Fri, Nov 4, 05 10:00 AM |
crocon |
Male |
50-59 |
Local |
Family Without Children |
| This jazz walk through historic districts of Harlem was both enlightening and fun. Mr. Blair knows his history well and imparts information with an excitement for the subject and a sensitivity to his clientele. His love of jazz is palpable. I found the walk extremely informative. I highly recommend this tour for those interested in jazz, harlem or both. |
