Living in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City - whats it like?

Harlem is just on the apex of getting there. It's not gentrified yet but it is slowly becoming so. That's either a good thing or a bad thing depending on which side of the line you stand. Personally, I stand on the line of not wanting to live there until it's a little more commercially developed. There aren't a ton of restaurants or bars and it's still pretty scary at night, in my opinion. It looks really run down in most areas and while there's a lot of energy, it's also pretty dirty. You get a lot more for your money, apartment-wise, but the trek isn't worth it to me. I'm not a huge fan of Harlem. I just think a way to go before I would consider it safe or fun.