Every now and then something happens on the road that you haven't sought out but are glad to find. Our night at Temple M was one such event.
Couch surfing tends to make travel more social. At one of their events I met an Aussie girl who was living in New York and who invited me to a violin recital at a place called "Temple M" in Harlem. New Yorkers will tell you that Harlem is where the scary black people live. Considering I'd spent an hour the previous evening in a Harlem laundromat, listening to these allegedly scary black people have one of the most intelligent and respectful racism discussions I'd ever heard (while various lads took it in turns talking to me about Australia, the book I was reading and helping me operate the washing machines), I figured I was safer with the scary black people than with the overly suspicious, nervous twitchy white people. With two friends from the hostel in tow, I wandered through the dark, gloomy, smelly streets of Harlem, arriving finally at the mysterious Temple M. It didn't look like the jazz club we were expecting, it looked more like someone's home and when we pressed the single 'm' on the doorbell, we realised that's exactly what it was.
The professor from Back to the Future answered the door. Honestly, the same hair and everything, except this was the French version. He told us that we'd missed the recital but there were still some people inside and we were welcome to join them if we'd let them share our wine. In we went.
Temple M is the dream of the Back to the Future guy. He moved to New York many years ago and bought a huge, freezing, rundown apartment on a dodgy street in Harlem. Being somewhat of an aesthetic, he collected a group of friends and together they restored the place into a beautiful, open, warmly decorated mecca of peace. Antique floor rugs, a large area for the various performances and classes that take place there, books upon books, stunning French furniture and beautiful floorboards - the place was imposing yet welcoming and incredibly comfortable. We felt instantly relaxed in the company of our welcoming and happy new friends.
We stayed long past midnight, dancing around the living room waving colourful flags designed for that purpose, laughing at the Mr Bean style dancing of one of our new friends, drinking and commenting on the terrible Californian wine, talking about whatever we felt like and swapping phrases in our respective languages. By the time we left, we were breathless, laughing, delighted at what we'd discovered in such an ugly part of the city and chatting to each other about what this or that person had said. It was a beautiful night with interesting people and a prime example of what people love about New York - the anythingcanhappen-ness of a city so full of people and grit and life.
Couch surfing tends to make travel more social. At one of their events I met an Aussie girl who was living in New York and who invited me to a violin recital at a place called "Temple M" in Harlem. New Yorkers will tell you that Harlem is where the scary black people live. Considering I'd spent an hour the previous evening in a Harlem laundromat, listening to these allegedly scary black people have one of the most intelligent and respectful racism discussions I'd ever heard (while various lads took it in turns talking to me about Australia, the book I was reading and helping me operate the washing machines), I figured I was safer with the scary black people than with the overly suspicious, nervous twitchy white people. With two friends from the hostel in tow, I wandered through the dark, gloomy, smelly streets of Harlem, arriving finally at the mysterious Temple M. It didn't look like the jazz club we were expecting, it looked more like someone's home and when we pressed the single 'm' on the doorbell, we realised that's exactly what it was.
The professor from Back to the Future answered the door. Honestly, the same hair and everything, except this was the French version. He told us that we'd missed the recital but there were still some people inside and we were welcome to join them if we'd let them share our wine. In we went.
Temple M is the dream of the Back to the Future guy. He moved to New York many years ago and bought a huge, freezing, rundown apartment on a dodgy street in Harlem. Being somewhat of an aesthetic, he collected a group of friends and together they restored the place into a beautiful, open, warmly decorated mecca of peace. Antique floor rugs, a large area for the various performances and classes that take place there, books upon books, stunning French furniture and beautiful floorboards - the place was imposing yet welcoming and incredibly comfortable. We felt instantly relaxed in the company of our welcoming and happy new friends.
We stayed long past midnight, dancing around the living room waving colourful flags designed for that purpose, laughing at the Mr Bean style dancing of one of our new friends, drinking and commenting on the terrible Californian wine, talking about whatever we felt like and swapping phrases in our respective languages. By the time we left, we were breathless, laughing, delighted at what we'd discovered in such an ugly part of the city and chatting to each other about what this or that person had said. It was a beautiful night with interesting people and a prime example of what people love about New York - the anythingcanhappen-ness of a city so full of people and grit and life.
