. a blogumn by Jersey Joe Up until a few weeks ago, I had never visited any of the streets above the 100’s in New York City.  The opportunity came when I was invited to celebrate a friend’s birthday with a jazz tour of Harlem.  I had no idea what to expect.  Sure, I had stereotypes of what that neighborhood is like.  I’ve seen the negative news reports on crime and drug busts.  But, I have to say looking back on the evening; it was a truly great time.  I am going to share with you my experience and maybe you can consider it the next time you’re looking for a different type of fun in New York City. Unknown to me at the time, our birthday boy’s wife had planned this all as a surprise and had hired Gordon Polatnick from bigapplejazz.com, a tour guide and Harlem jazz clubs expert . Gordon is a middle 40’s white man who doesn’t look like he belongs in Harlem, but he knew exactly where to go, what to do to, and how to get there.  He had spoken with our group’s organizer earlier in the week to set up a so called itinerary.  His fee of $300 ($75 an hour for 4 hours) got you his services, which helped get your group around, get into the different clubs, and in some cases get seats and even food! We took the uptown A train and started at the American Legion on W. 132nd Street.  This is your standard American Legion club; however they have a small stage setup in the front with a large patio in the rear.  The music was definitely great and the club had a laid back atmosphere.  A long wooden bar was off to the...