There’s a feature in the Sunday NY Times that I enjoy, called “Routine.” It’s an interview of sorts, where the person being profiled explains what they like to do on a weekend day. One that caught my attention recently was a “Routine” with Wendell Pierce, an actor that I enjoyed seeing on the Tom Clancy Jack Ryan television series on Amazon Prime. Pierce explained that he likes going to the Frick Museum, an African Market in Harlem, and out to jazz clubs. I’ve been to the Frick, and enjoy jazz clubs, but the African Market is something that made me curious, as I had never heard about it before.
Fast forward to today, I was looking for something to do, and I remembered this mention of the African Market. I figured that I should find a few other things to do in the area, so I did a search for “art in Harlem.” One search result was for the Hispanic Society of America, a museum on West 155th Street, which one could argue is technically in Washington Heights, although I see other suggestions that 155th Street is the northern border of Harlem.
Neighborhood designations aside, I have fond memories of visiting the Hispanic Society of America a couple years ago, and thought that would be a great addition to the day. I called up my girlfriend and said that we were going someplace new today and that I would pick her up soon, without an explanation or any specifics. In my mind, we were going to get a feel for Spain and Portugal first (as that is the artistic focus for the Hispanic Society, stating a mission of a “study of the Spanish and Portuguese languages, art, literature, and history”), followed by a feel for various countries in Africa, by going to Wendell Pierce’s recommendation of the African Market.
You may ask, the blog title says “three countries in one city,” what’s the third country? We’ll get to that in a minute. I also have to clarify that I’m fully aware that Africa is a continent, not a country, maybe this post title is short a few countries, as I don’t know how many different countries are represented at the market – maybe we actually experienced ten or more countries with that perspective!
Upon arriving at the Hispanic Society of America, one enters the museum complex through a central courtyard, and eventually happening upon this large scale equestrian statue. This sculpture is by Anna Hyatt Huntington, an artist who was married to Archer Milton Huntington, the founder of this museum. It depicts El Cid Campeador, an 11th Century Spanish military leader who conquered the city of Valencia in 1094 and ruled it as an independent leader until his death in 1099. The way it is presented in this setting and the style of architecture certainly brings back memories of the various equestrian sculptures I saw in Madrid last year.
Once inside the museum, another favorite section was the room dedicated to the Spanish painter Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida (1863-1923). This room features 14 paintings grouped together that cover the diverse customs of Spain, and was specifically commissioned for this museum by Archer Milton Huntington (mentioned above, as the founder of the museum). The paintings are all around 12 feet tall, and have a combined length of nearly 200 feet! I was fascinated to learn that the artist Sorolla toured Spain and chose specific locales to paint, including Navarre, Aragon, Catalonia, Valencia, Elche, Seville, Andalusia, Extremadura, Galicia, Guipuzcoa, Castile, Leon, and Ayamonte. At each location, he recruited locals to serve as models, getting them to pose while wearing local costumes, and painted the works outdoors with the models before him. It took him 6 years to complete this project, and it’s mind-boggling to think of the logistics involved!
After enjoying the museum, we hopped on the subway and went down to 125th Street, to take a walk through Harlem on our way to the African Market on 116th Street. We were both feeling a bit hungry, and as we looked around, there were plenty of options, but something different caught my eye: a restaurant simply named “Yemeni Restaurant,” featuring food from the country of Yemen. Neither one of us had ever tried Yemeni food before, so we gave it a try … and it was fantastic. As you can see from the picture below, there’s a large-scale mural inside the restaurant, which helps transport one’s imagination outside of New York City, which brings us to our second “country” of the day, Yemen. More on the food below …
We ordered a dish called “Fahsa,” which is a traditional Yemeni stew made with lamb that is slowly cooked in broth with spices, then shredded and served sizzling in a hot pot, and served with a side of Yemeni bread, which came out presented on a sombrero-like serving platter. We also ordered a shawarma sandwich, which had sliced, seasoned meat that is roasted on a vertical spit, then wrapped in a flatbread with a variety of toppings. Both were fantastic, and a great way to be introduced to Yemeni cuisine – I would happily return for another meal if I find myself in the neighborhood again.
Now fully content and re-energized after this meal, we made our away over to 52 West 116th Street, which is the location of the “Malcolm Shabazz Harlem Market,” which includes vendors hailing from countries like Senegal, Nigeria, Kenya and Ghana, all crammed into tight booths filled with masks, carved wood statues, textiles, jewelry, and much more. We now felt transported to our third “country” (or – perhaps more correct to say third cultural experience) of the day, all in one city, New York City.
I have a small collection of masks and textiles already, so to see all of these offerings in one place had me anxious to scoop it all up and bring it home. My wallet objected to that idea, but we certainly enjoyed looking and taking it all in.
It was a pretty great day, to get three distinctly different experiences all in Manhattan, feeling immersed in different cultures. It’s certainly the beauty of New York City, a melting pot of countless cultures, to be experienced on any given day.