Poets, photographers, and songwriters made these blocks famous, then fought to stay on them. Walk where they walked, from the ’20s to today.
I’m Debi Kops. I’ll be your guide.
Historian, and a Central Harlem resident for decades.
Debi was incredible. A passionate New Yorker who knew everything and made the tour ten times better, keeping us smiling all morning.
Rebecca, United Kingdom. Verified booking.
Who you’ll hear about.
Hazel Dukes
Hazel Dukes spent more than seven decades as a civil rights activist. She worked on President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Head Start program in the 1960s and served as national president of the NAACP from 1990 to 1992. She led the NAACP New York State Conference from 1977 until her death in 2025, at 92.
Bayard Rustin
Bayard Rustin was raised a Quaker and lived by nonviolence. He introduced Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Gandhi’s teachings and became a key strategist and adviser, helping shape King’s nonviolent approach. As an openly gay Black man, Rustin was often kept behind the scenes and denied public credit. In 2013, President Barack Obama posthumously awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, accepted at the White House by his partner, Walter Naegle.
Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie was a beloved American musician known for his signature bent trumpet. Alongside Charlie Parker, he became a major force in the birth of bebop and modern jazz.
What you’ll see.
- Soapbox Corner135th & Lenox, 1916
- Bill’s Place132nd St
- Schomburg CenterBaldwin photo by Avedon
- CosmogramHughes & Schomburg memorial
- Walker WayC.J. & A’Lelia Walker, 134th St
- Harlem Hospital WPA MuralsPursuit of Happiness
- Ruby Dee’s childhood home136th St
- Hazel Dukes plaque137th St
- Striver’s Row138th & 139th St
- Lafayette TheaterTree of Hope, 137th St
- Scott Joplin’s home131st St
- Rustin & Randolph’s office129th St
- The Alhambralast Renaissance ballroom
- Adam Clayton Powell Jr. statue
Dizzy Gillespie @ 135th Street
Double mural by Brandan “BMike” Odums and Marthalicia Matarrita
Sundays at ten in the morning.
The date, the tour and the number of seats are already filled in. Debi sees it come through and writes back the same day to confirm.
Your seats are held the second it goes through. Change your mind up to a day before, get everything back. If Debi calls it off, weather or otherwise, the refund lands the same day.
- Meet
- 10:00 a.m. at the southwest corner of West 135th Street and Lenox Ave, by the 2 and 3 subway.
- Ends
- 12:00 p.m. at the northeast corner of West 125th Street and Frederick Douglass Blvd, subway nearby.
- Price
- $50 adults, $25 children, valid only for kids no taller than a yellow cab. Up to 20 on a tour. Larger groups, let’s talk.
- Dogs
- Welcome.
- Note
This is a dog-friendly tour.
Cancellations need 24 hours notice.
Central Harlem Walk of Fame Tour
The Harlem Walk of Fame is one full block, tree-lined. Both sidewalks contain beautiful bronze plaques honoring Harlem legends.
- Saturdays at ten
- 2 hours
- $50, $25 for kids