The cheapskate shuffle

Photographs: Michael Alexander Kolesnikoff

Start: 2319 Frederick Douglass Blvd
End: 2271 Third Ave
Distance: 1.5 miles
Time: 2 hours

1 Start your cheapo trek at Hue-Man Bookstore and Cafe (2319 Frederick Douglass Blvd [Eighth Ave] between 124th and 125th Sts, 212-665-7400), which stocks hard-to-find tomes and best-sellers from authors like Junot Díaz, Sapphire and President Obama. The café sells a fab $3.99 spicy-chicken sandwich lunch special, and on Saturdays, you can grab a $3.50 slice of ultramoist red velvet cake out front at Auntie Nana’s Baked Goods 2 Go food cart (212-876-6914).

2 Walk east till you hit Fifth Avenue, where an array of vendors hawk everything from Sasha and Malia snow globes to inauguration-themed mouse pads. Look out for the striking white neo-Renaissance Theresa Tower (125th St at Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd [Seventh Ave]), once the legendary Theresa Hotel. Until 1967, the “Waldorf of Harlem” hosted Apollo headliners, Fidel Castro and Malcolm X’s OAAU meetings.

3 For healing herbs, an Egyptian yoga class or a customized astrological profile, stop by the Black Gold Sacred Kultural Healing Center (70 W 125th St between Fifth Ave and Malcolm X Blvd [Lenox Ave], third floor; 866-239-5313). The store smells strongly of myrrh and stands in contrast with the sparse yoga and meeting room.

4 Marcus Garvey Park (Madison Ave between 120th and 124th Sts; 212-860-1380, nycparks.gov) features the famous 1856 Harlem fire watchtower, a dog run and a swimming pool. It’s also the nabe’s premier picnic spot and the perfect place to enjoy your Auntie Nana’s cake.

5 Soothe your spirits at the Greater Bethel AME Church (32–34 W 123rd St between Fifth Ave and Malcolm X Blvd, 212-360-5080), designed in 1891 by the son of a minister. Pastor Ella Brandon recommends the youth service at 11am every third Sunday of the month.

6 If you like your okra drenched in tomato sauce, swing by Edmonds’ Café (286 Malcolm X Blvd between 124th and 125th Sts, 212-410-4277). Service is fast, and proprietor Charlie Edmonds himself will bring you his “neighborhood favorite lunch special”: turkey wings plus two sides for $5.

7 Head next door to the Art Deco Lenox Lounge (288 Malcolm X Blvd between 124th and 125th Sts, 212-427-0253), where you can sit at the original banquettes from the club’s opening in 1939. Save your recession dollars for weekday nights from 5 to 7pm, when well drinks are just $3.

8 Tiny eatery Fresh Out the Box (62 W 125th St between Fifth Ave and Malcolm X Blvd, 212-289-0350) opened at the tail end of ’08 and serves the ’hood’s freshest Southern fare. Chef-owner William Livingston is from Charlotte, North Carolina, and says his half rotisserie chicken, fries and drink lunch special ($5) is his biggest moneymaker. Livingston often sees Bill Clinton in the nabe. “Southerners know how to treat other Southerners like No. 1, so if Bill comes in, I’m going to make him something special,” he promises.

9 Up the way at Ly & Ba 99¢ Plus (104 E 125th St between Park and Lexington Aves, 212-987-4500), you can buy anything from a smoothie to a Duracell AA-battery pack for less than a buck. Frugal gourmets will especially appreciate the six-pack of Ciao Bella Mango Sorbets for $1.99.

10 Discounted home goods—including bath rugs for $5.99—are hard to resist at Lot Stores (160 E 125th St at Lexington Ave, 888-568-5377). Here you’ll score basics like Hanes bras ($4.99) and Wrangler jeans ($11.99), but also fabulously frivolous items like Dark Side of the Moon shorts ($5.99).

11 Broke New Yorkers can strike gold at 99 Cent Rush (2050 Lexington Ave between 124th and 125th Sts, 212-876-9851), which shills Rose Art classic chess, checkers and Sudoku (each priced at $1.39); discontinued Calgon bath gels ($1.99); and even party favors, including silver Disney character balloons ($1.29 each plus 59 cents for inflation).

12 End your shuffle at Better Price Family Discount Store (2271 Third Ave between 123rd and 124th Sts, 212-426-7999), which may just have the city’s cheapest groceries. It’s not uncommon to find two pounds of frozen deveined shrimp for $11.99, an eight-ounce wheel of Camembert for $1.19 or a 20-pound uncut slab of beef for $40. And, hey, don’t be surprised if you bump into Ruth Madoff here, buying discounted razors to take to Bernie in the city clinker.

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