It’s pretty amazing how little I knew about the rich history of Harlem, especially since I’ve spent months living here. I enjoyed the entire tour, but two moments stood out most to me.

The first was when our group stood before a seemingly uninteresting Popeye’s. This Popeye’s used to be the Big Apple Nightclub — the place to party roughly fifty years ago. I could just imagine the fabulously dressed people walking in and out of an old-timey club. It’s pretty crazy how quickly neighborhoods change and evolve. Plus, I’m sure a tour group standing in front of a Popeye’s was a bizarre sight for any pedestrians walking past.

The second moment was when we visited Strivers’ Row, or two blocks of gorgeous Brownstones. I thought it was unbelievable that when they were first put on the market, in the early 20th century, out of 140 homes that were built less than twenty sold. However, even then these homes were for the wealthier New Yorkers, hence the name Strivers’ Row. It seemed out of place in the relatively lower-middle class neighborhood. And as my fellow classmate said, quite dreamily, “Imagine if these were CCNY’s frat houses.”