This is a 4-story house. The first floor has an updated kitchen with French doors, which opens onto a garden. There is also a laundry room, powder room and spare room.

On the second floor, there’s a large living room with a computer, telephone, two sitting areas, dinning table and powder room.

The upper two floors contain the four bedrooms and four bathrooms.Two of the bathrooms have showers, one has a Jacuzzi and shower and one has a separate tub and a shower.

This building is one block from the subway. There are four trains that stop here, two local and two express. Either of the express trains, the A train or the D train will get you to different parts of midtown in 10-15 minutes or downtown in 20 minutes.There are also buses that run on Convent Ave. and Amsterdam Ave.

This is a safe area to walk around day or night and taking the subway is no problem for you or your children. The subway runs 24/7.The address of this building is 408 Convent Ave NYC. Click here for the Goggle map search and you can see photos of the area. There is enough space for 15 people.

You can cook your own meals in the kitchen and eat at the table in the garden.There is a supermarket one block away.
There are also restaurants and the famous nearby jazz and blues club, St Nicks Pub.

Most of this tedious paper work was done by the contractor.I was advised however that I needed a new roof and that would cost as much as the the solar panels.The good news was that I would able to get a low interest loan from Neighborhood Housing Services.This is a non profit bank that provide loans for repairs to home owners and that includes the PV installation.They also assist those in foreclosure.After getting the loan and getting off to a bumpy start with a roof contractor,I found a roofing company in Brooklyn called Greene Roofing.They did do a good job on the roof but I practically had to beg them to come do the work.

One problem that we encountered was Con Ed that pesky power company in NYC,that hates competition.As you may know, everything electrical must be UL rated,so everything from the panels to the wires to the inverter is UL rated,but this is not enough for Con Ed,they want the whole system to be UL rated as a kit.There is a company near Kingston NY,called SunWize that sell these kits so we got our PV panel kit from them.However as we approached the time of installation,Con Ed decided that this kit should be UL rated installed,which meant that they would need their inspectors to be able to check PV panel installation.But their inspectors don’t know how to inspect PV installations,so they organized a special class for the inspectors to attend,in order to learn how to check the installed UL rating of a solar panel installation.The problem is that they made the class voluntary and nobody showed up.In the end we paid an outside contractor $1600 to come and inspect the installation.

The paperwork took 18 months and the installation took about 2 weeks.The contractor did a fantastic job and if you are a client of Duce,for Christmas you get a bottle of Dom Perignon Champagne and an invite to their Christmas party.So don’t forget that old adage,”act globally,shop locally”In this case it was a great success and we are very proud of our solar panels that will still be generating power long after I move on into the next dimension,unless one of those satelites that periodically fall out of the sky,happens to land on my roof.

The food that we serve at Sugar Hill is organic.No human growth hormones in our milk,no factory farm eggs.Our coffee and tea is fair trade.We have a delicious multi grain bread from a very well known gourmet food store on the Upper West Side called Zabars

There is a garden that is mostly composed of trash. Old wood beams and red brick from nearby construction sites that have debris left over from demolished buildings.We found a large table base made from angle iron that was made to cut rebar and then dumped on the sidewalk, outside a building site.Two weeks later we found a piece of glass leaning up against a lamp post 2 blocks away.It made a perfect table top. In order to create a garden,we brought in soil and some old tree trunks and bark, moss and plants that were taken from the woods in an area south of Woodstock in the Catskills.We have built a wall from tree bark that was striped from fallen trees and we are growing wild Virginia creeper on it.

All the food waste is put on our compost which is mixed with leaves.Almost any organic material is suitable for a compost pile. The pile needs a proper ratio of carbon-rich materials, or “browns,” and nitrogen-rich materials, or “greens.” Among the brown materials are dried leaves, straw, and wood chips. Nitrogen materials are fresh or green, such as grass clippings and kitchen scraps.

Two years ago I did a course on bio-sustainable agriculture in Costa Rica.My teacher was a man called John Jeavons .Unfortunately my garden is too tiny to grow much food but I learned a great deal about seeds and composting and I bought some heirloom seeds from him.Every year I grow cayenne prized for thousands of years for its healing power. Folklore from around the world recounts amazing results using cayenne pepper in simple healing and in baffling health problems.

As well as having worms in the garden we also have another type of worm that is kept in a container in the kitchen.This type of worm is called a red wriggler we feed these little critters scraps of food and the worms produce a very rich soil from their castings.Referred to as intestines of the earth, earthworms are one of the best soil builders on the planet. Earthworms consume one half to a total of their body weight in organic matter every 24 hours. Earthworms eat organic matter such as table scraps, yard and garden waste, leaves, grasses and manure. In its place, earthworms deposit a water-soluble, ready to use casting 5 to 11 times richer in nitrogen, phosphates, calcium and magnesium than the organic matter they consumed. The earthworms powerful gizzard grinds the matter while the intestinal tract secretes chemicals which release the major as well as micro plant nutrients and then deposit them directly into the soil where plants can readily feed. Redworms will not harm live roots or foliage, they will however, consume anything organic that falls to the ground and convert it into a wonderful fertilizer.

To clean our rooms,we use Mountain Green. This is a non toxic,green cleaner,that is used to clean the bathrooms kitchens, floors,and other surfaces.We also use Mountain Green,laundry detergent.These cleaners are never tested on animals. Green cleaning is using environmentally safe cleaning products, equipment, and methods that do not endanger our environment, employees, or the guests. Traditional cleaning chemicals are often made with chlorine, ammonia or other toxic chemicals. Traditional cleaning products have been linked with skin irritations, respiratory infections, and other serious health problems. Sugar Hill Harlem Inn offers eco safe cleaning products and green cleaning methods to ensure healthy, clean, rooms for our employees and guests.

We have done some research on grey water systems but we have found that automated systems for flushing toilets with grey water are complex and expensive. Flushing with untreated grey water will result in fouling of the tank and fetid anaerobic smells. Treatment is expensive. The $650 Homestead Utilities system (s16), which is the cheapest I’ve heard of, would take 23 flushes a day—if you had a restaurant it could earn its keep.Extreme economic unfeasibility can indicate extreme ecological unfeasibility; the earth would be way better off if I just waste the water than if I wasted all the plumbing, pumps, tanks, filters, and electricity needed to make this sort of system work.

Here finally is a list of green activities in NYC

Harlem walking tours. Click here
There are 3 theaters within walking distance of Sugar Hill.
Harlem Stage Aaron Davis Hall Classic Theater of Harlem
There are also restaurants and jazz clubs.I am not sure how that would benefit the environment,but having fun sure helps the atmosphere.
Bicycle tours.Click here.Or bicycle rental click here
There is a park on the block.
There are 2 botanical gardens,Brooklyn and the Bronx
For a list of free museums Click here
For green markets.Click here
Walking, whether it is a stroll through Central Park or a walk across Brooklyn Bridge is great fun and great excercise
Every Monday during the summer there are free outdoor movies shown in Bryant Park.

And lastly we have gospel music.The church that is nearby that we recommend is called the Convent Avenue Baptist Church .So if you are feeling that all is lost and we are not doing enough,you could always try praying………and good luck with that option.It sure did not help our President.

Most all of these activities are done by the guests,without my input beyond advising them on the most earth friendly activities and for the most part are free,including many of our museums.

The whole building is light and airy and there is central air throughout. The house is similar to the 460 W141st location ,which was built around the same time.It is a limestone Victorian row house on a tree lined street,mostly Ginkgo. It was almost completely gutted and rehabbed in 2006,so the inside is more modern than the main house.Throughout the building all the hardwood floors are new,all the electric and plumbing and light fixtures are new as are all the bathrooms.

Unfortunately many of the original details are gone.There is only one fireplace,but the original staircase is there with some interesting details in the front entrance including 2 floor to ceiling mirrors and some stain glass windows.This main entrance floor is known as the parlor floor.It is a large room,15′x50′ with high 11 ft ceilings and hard wood floors.

Although this is a large beautiful space, it is not used so much by the guests so we have functions there,for weddings,showers,parties and corporate meetings etc.There is a computer on this floor and a telephone,that is there for all to use.There is a small bathroom on this floor.A staircase leads downstairs to the garden floor where there is a dining area and a sitting room area, a large,fully equipped communal kitchen with a built in island table, and doors that lead out into a small garden.There are laundry facilities available also on this floor.Bamboo floors have been installed throughout.The house has 4 floors and 2 of the floors have 2 bedrooms on each floor,each with a private bathroom.One of the bathrooms has a jacuzzi,and one has a separate tub,the other bathrooms just have showers.

The address of the new building is 408 Convent between 147st and 148st.It is one block from the subway which is an express subway stop for 2 trains,the A train and the D train.If you click map you can see where each of these trains take you.The A train,the blue line takes you from Inwood all the way at the top of Manhattan down the west side past 42nd st following 8th ave.From the Sugar Hill and Convent Ave. to Times Sq takes only 10-15 minutes as the train only stops 3 times once at 125th and once at 59th,the bottom of Central Park and then 42nd st.By the way the subway is most always refered to as the train.The A train continues into the West Village,also called Greenwich Village,then on to SoHo and Canal St.,speeding along past Wall st and under the Hudson River to Brooklyn Heights into Queens and as far as Howard Beach where you can catch a free bus or pay $5 to take the Air Train to JFK.Yes you can actually get to the airport for $2,not too bad,but I still say FREE is much better and you can click here to read more about that idea

The D train,the orange line, follows the same path as the A train till it gets to 59th st.Then it turns east to 6th Avenue, (Avenue of the Americas),then it heads south passing Rockefeller Center,and Radio City Music Hall,42nd st,West Village,where it veers off to the East, into the Lower East Side,China Town and on into Brooklyn and eventually Coney Island.

It costs $60 to take a cab from JFK,including tip and toll.This is the easiest way to travel to Sugar Hill.It is also the most expensive.Unless you take a limo or a helicopter.

The cab will take you up the Van Wick Expressway to Grand Central Parkway.You are in the borough of Queens.There is little beauty on this road,as a matter of fact,this is about as ugly a drive as you could take anywhere.If ugly scenic drives are your thing, there are some industrial zones in New Jersey that are worse,and I can certainly show you how to find them.If you look up you will see a narrow concrete tresel bridge.This is the bridge for the Air Train.Instructions for taking this are below.

When you get to Grand Central you will see a large park with a lake on your right,this is Flushing Meadows Corona Park.The name Flushing has nothing to do with toilets.It was in fact taken from a Dutch word that hopefully means something else.Corona is a part of Queens whose claim to fame is that Louis Armstrong lived there.His house is now a museum.

You will soon pass by Shea Stadium on the right and then LaGuardia Airport.Hopefully the highway is just that,and not a parking lot, and all this passes you by like a blur.Soon you will pass through Astoria and start the steady climb onto the Triborough Bridge.If you look to the left you will see Manhattan looming in the distance,I am not sure what your feeling will be, probably excitement and awe.It does not matter how many times you see this sight,you cannot help but stare and perhaps wonder at humanity’s madness,to create something so intense,so concentrated.

You will now be above Randall’s Island and Ward’s Island.On the left you will see Manhattan’s Psychiatric Center,a scary looking building with bars on the windows.You will then pass through the tolls and enter Harlem.

You are now officially in Manhattan and more important,Harlem,the most famous district on the entire planet.Tell the cab driver to take 125th street,not 126th,because you want to go up Amsterdam Ave, not St Nicholas,or you will have to carry your bags across the 141street.Go straight along 125th past the Apollo on the right and make a right on Amsterdam.You are now climbing the biggest hill in Manhattan.At the top of the hill is City College.Make a right on W141.We are in the middle of the block.Look for the house with all the wood and plants.There is also a large pear tree outside.

If you are going to 408 Convent,you should take St.Nicholas Ave. to 149th.Make a left, go one block and then take another left on Convent.We are between 147 and 148th on the right side just on the other side of the bus stop.Please call us from your cell phone,when you reach Harlem to let us know that you are nearby,so someone can be there to meet you.

Do NOT take the supershuttle

If you don’t have too much luggage and stairs are your thing,You can take the Air Train to Howard beach,$5,or there is a free bus that can take there, and then take the A train to 145th st.($2). The subway trip should take about one hour.We are a 5 minute walk from the subway.Walk up the hill along 145th st ,one block, to Convent Ave.There is a limestone church Convent Avenue Baptist Church on the left.If you like gospel music,you can go there Sunday morning at 11am.Make a left and walk down Convent Ave. to 141st.You will notice some beautiful brick and brownstone townhouses on the left.The house on the SE corner of 144th street is of particular interest.The movie,The Royal Tenenbaums was filmed there.You may see a yellow wooden house between 141 and 142, squashed between a large building and a church.This is a museum.It was Alexander Hamilton’s country house,but the museum is closed and this house is going to be moved,in the spring or fall of 2008, to St.Nicholas Park,just one block away.
Make a right and we are in the middle of the block on the south side of the street.Look for the house with all the wood and plants and a large pear tree outside.You have arrived.

If you are going to 408 Convent,make sure you get onto the front of the A train and take the 147th street exit at the 145th street stop.Walk one block west to Convent Ave.Cross the street and make a right and walk until you see the first tree.This is a ginkgo biloba tree and it is right outside the house.

Did I mention…….Do NOT take the supershuttle

May I ask – what do you have against the Super Shuttle?!!

People complain about it,because it sometimes drags you all over the place dropping people off and if you are coming from JFK you could be the last to be dropped off,because JFK is south and Harlem in the north.If you were landing at LaGuardia it would be different,because LGA is in the North.But if you are going to take a bus from LGA you might as well catch a city bus and pay $2.
It costs $20 from JFK,so 2 people is $40 and a cab is $60.My bookeeper calls me “bargain Bob”,but I’d rather pay $60 for a cab,than sit on that bus for 2-3 hours.

I know that most likely, friends are questioning your decision to stay in Harlem and between the history of Harlem and that which is depicted in the movies,it would seem to be an irresponsible act to bring yourself and your loved ones into a dangerous situation.Let me reassure you that if you were to walk in this neighborhood you would immediately see that this is not just a safe neighborhood but a fascinating place to see.The architecture is remarkable and very unusual.There are jazz clubs,theaters,museums,parks,restaurants and bars.

The subway is at 145th and St Nicholas,so it is less than a 5 minute walk,there are 4 trains that stop here, the A train and the D train,both of these are express trains and they will take you to midtown in 15 minutes.The B train and the C train are local trains and will stop at all the stations that the express trains skip.NYC is the only subway system that have express trains,so even though our trains are much dirtier than yours,they are much faster.

Midtown may have the advantage of being “convenient” because it is close to Times Sq.but if you are staying in NYC for a week then I presume you wish to see more than Times Sq. and I hope you intend to venture outside of midtown.It is really not such a great place to stay.Few people live there.After the hustle and bustle,of Times Square when you go back home, you may need a vacation!

The standards for accommodation can be both expensive and sub standard and your NYC experience may be limited in your cramped hotel room and the standard tourist agenda.
The sights of NYC are spread out all over Manhattan Brooklyn and the Bronx…..and Harlem,so you will have to take the subway every day.

My guests who come to visit are thrilled by the chance to have a real NYC experience to be part of the neighborhood,to be able to ask the opinion of someone where it is best to go and see,someone who has lived here for 30 years and had businesses,I used to be in retail,all over the city.I know this city intimately.

I would like to share with you some of the reviews of people that stayed here. TripAdvisor and Bedandbreakfast.com

Of course if you still do not wish to make a reservation,I respect your choice and I certainly wish you the very best for your NYC trip.This is an incredible city and I am sure you will enjoy your visit here.Manhattan is by far the most popular destination of anywhere in the USA.Every one of my guests who come here are thrilled by their New York experience.

When I first arrived here in August 1977,I just wanted to be able to say that I saw this city and even though I only stayed for 3 days I never forgot the experience.By some random, unforeseen chance I found myself in Melbourne,Australia and for 2 years kept thinking about this place I wanted to call my home.

The great adventure of the New York experience is the diversity.The acceptance of who you are is universal.This is what I recognized immediately in those 3 days.This remains New York’s finest attribute,and it is this that attracts all the people that make this city the great place that it is.Some of you may wonder how a fascist like Mayor Giuliani,fit into this portrait and my guess is that he cheated and stole the 2 elections and just to prove my point,decided that New York needed him beyond what the term limits allow and tried to stay in office for an additional 3 months,using 911 as his excuse.

In August 1979 I returned.I have spent my years here moving from neighborhood to neighborhood in search of that zone that I found in 1977,the real New York,but it keeps changing,gentrifying,so I keep moving.Harlem is one of the places where the spirit of New York can be found.There are other places too,but I don’t think the soul of New York can be found in a midtown Manhattan hotel.

We don’t have any fixed price for breakfast.I just leave this in place because you would get a substantial discount for the weekly rate,so if you still want breakfast and the discount,why not?I want my cake and I want to eat it too.All I ask is that you give Bernadette a generous tip.It makes her very happy because she feels appreciated and the money puts the icing on the cake, and then we all get to eat cake.

Perhaps if Marie Antoinette had put it that my she would have kept her head.

One way to find out is to look at crime statistics.Our precinct # is 30 and if you click here you can see the crime statistics for this district and you can compare them to other areas in the city.

However that ugly concrete building that you see on the website is 10 blocks north of here and this is an entirely different neighborhood.You can even see a distinct difference if you just walk up the hill across Amsterdam Ave. and down onto Broadway.It is a 5 minute walk but you feel like you are in the Caribbean.You see older men sitting on stools,on the sidewalks playing dominoes, the streets are filled with Latin music,mostly salsa.

Over on this side of the hill and further down the area is quiet with mostly middle class African Americans,and some new arrivals that are both black,white and Asian .You will see architecture that looks like this on Convent ave or like this on Hamilton Terrace.There is a museum just half a block away,Hamilton Grange,a memorial for Alexander Hamilton, the first secretary of the treasury,and one of the founding fathers.There is also a fairly large park St.Nicolas Park,just 2 minutes walk the from Sugar Hill.City College starts at 140 st and Convent and fills the entire area from Amsterdam to the park and down to 135st.There are 3 theaters within 5 minutes walk from Sugar Hill Harlem Inn. The Classic Theater of Harlem,The Gate House and Aaron Davis Hall

I hope this gives you an idea of what the area is like.Bernadette is a 60 year old woman and she has never had any problems walking in the neighborhood.I feel very safe walking around day or night.

I often go upstate to an area,called the Catskills, near Woodstock.I go walking in the woods and look for different wild plants and pieces of dead wood that I bring back to my garden in Harlem,but I have to be very careful.There are ticks everywhere.The whole country side is infested.Unfortunately they carry Lyme Disease and I got it twice last summer. Yes I feel considerably safer in Harlem than up in the woods in the Catskills.

At Newark Airport Train Station, take a NJ TRANSIT or Amtrak train to New York Penn Station.

It takes less than 1 hour and is great if you are arriving at a time when there is likely to be traffic heading through the Lincoln Tunnel (which is unpredictable, but almost always backed-up midweek at 8:00am-10am and 4:30pm-6:30pm).

Fare is about $14 and is probably the best and most economical way to get to NYC from EWR.
You can then take the A train from Penn Station.It is only 4 stops and will take about 15 minutes.

Bus- there is a large coach bus that travels from Newark to either Port Authority, or Penn Station; Fare is $14/each way ($23/RT) and buses depart every 10-15 minutes
Here is the link to the bus service that will take you to Port Authority,(slightly better than Penn Station)

Taxi- travel time can vary widely depending upon traffic… 1 hour is a good guestimate, but can be as quick as 45 minutes or as long as 1 1/2+ hours! Rates are fixed depending upon destination. Base rate for one stop is $56+ $6 toll . There is also a $1 charge for each oversized bag.

Supershuttle This may be OK if you are landing at LaGuardia.Otherwise do not choose this option.By the time you get here it will be time to turn around and go back home.