Glory Be Gospel (Bus Tours)

Member Name: tuftyclub

Product:	Bus Tours
Date:	11/06/01 (93 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: great music

Disadvantages: there ain't none!

Harlem Spirituals are a New York Organisations who organise Trips
to the areas of New York which less tourists see. Now they do varying trips of
various durations and costs, but they vary from a Soul Food extravaganza to tours of the Bronx by the way of gospel choir days. Generally I tend to travel alone and see things without the aid of a tour bus, but the carrot of a gospel service was too much to resist so I forked out my $40 for a ticket.

The office is at 690 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10036(between 43rd St. and 44th St.) and you generally have to pop in before to pay for and pick up your ticket. It's not a main shop, but up a flight of stairs so you have to look out for it, it doesn't jump out at you.

The tours are well organised catering for most European Languages, the coaches are well equiped and the route designed so that you see lots of things on the route up to Harlem. Now Harlem gets bad press, and it really isn't a bad area, there are some beautiful areas such as Sugar Hill where a lot of gentrification is going on, prices for similar houses are maybe half of Manhattan, so a lot of people are moving back. Like everywhere else there are bad areas, but hopefully things will improve for the folks there too.

There isn't anything on the tour that you couldn't get to independantly, but you don't need an hour to see Duke Ellington's house or any other the other things you whizz by. You could easily walk into the gospel service uninvited, but as the company give donations to the various churches and choirs your payment does have some bearing on the 'wealth of the choir' The choir I saw were an 'addicts recovery choir' and were very moving, they were all ex heroin addicts so certainly had something to sing about! The quality of the music was excellent and the whole service was enjoyable- it wasn't packed full of only tourists though, lot of 'normal' people at the service
too. Remember to dress appropriately, it is a church service regardless of anyone's personal beliefs.

You also get a look at the Apollo and time for a wander round Harlem,perfectly safe -and you are actually encouraged to take the subway back one day and come on your own.

A worthwhile and interesting experience. More info is at www.harlemspirituals.com

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