A lot of the old retail establishments have closed, which is a real loss (please, don't bring up Sylvia's -- the place was always over-rated). Basically Harlem won't be Harlem anymore...
That's very true...but NY has *always* seen this kind of transformation...the Jews and the Irish and the Italians all had enclaves that blossomed and faded...why should Harlem's ethnicity be any different?
I could tell you stories of Harlem in the 70s that would curl your toes.