How to Be Outside, Inside featuring Latoya “Toya” Coleman

Harlem gets its due this week. Latoya “Toya” Coleman, historian, podcaster, and activist dubbed the Anthony Bourdain of history, uses IG and her show That Wasn’t In My Textbook to make the past feel present and relevant. Back uptown after a five-year L.A. detour, she shares how she soaks up the NYC energy without getting overwhelmed. Taking in the sights at Harlem Meer, dipping into Black-owned cafés, and early museum trips fill up her New York days. 

 Okayplayer: When you want to be “outside” without being OUTSIDE, where do you go in NYC?

Toya: When I want to be “outside” without really being outside, I’m usually leaning into my only-child tendencies and half-introverted side. If it’s summer or fall in Harlem, you’ll catch me walking to Harlem Meer, posted up on a bench with my dog, Lenox, and a good book on my Kindle — or wandering through one of my favorite corners of Harlem, the Conservatory Garden.

Harlem is my birthplace, so I know the spots where people can soak up the city without sensory overload. I want to gatekeep them, BUT I’ll share a few. Generally, I like to keep it close: pulling up on friends, sliding into a house gathering, or popping into one of my favorite Black-owned cafés. NBHD Brulee is a go-to with good music, great food, and sangria options, while Ginjan Café is where I always order the Legume Bowl or yucca fries. You also might catch me grabbing the Chairman of the Board flavor at Sugar Hill Creamery. 

Where do you go when you want to be around people, but not overwhelmed by crowds?

If I want to be around people without getting overstimulated, I’ll usually pop into a museum, ideally early, on a Thursday or Friday morning before the rush hits. I gravitate toward the museums uptown that don’t get as much shine, like El Museo del Barrio or the Museum of the City of New York — life hack: if you buy admission to one, you can visit the other for free on the same day. I also love the New-York Historical Society, which claims to be the city’s first museum. Right now, they have a new exhibit that will be there until March 2026 called The Gay Harlem Renaissance. These museums let me feel connected to people, stories, and history, but still give me the quiet and breathing room I need.

What does your perfect NYC day look like, from morning to night?

Oftentimes, the perfect NYC day finds you. It’s the kind of day that unfolds naturally, with a really loose schedule, that might even stretch into the next morning.

For me, that looks like a slow start and a long walk with my dog, Lenox, as long as it’s not too cold. I’ll grab a matcha from Mushtari, a coffee shop tucked inside a little plant oasis, and then see where the day takes me, maybe popping into a museum, wandering through an art gallery, or visiting a friend’s place. Dinner and a bar usually follow.

A perfect day always involves good food. My Uptown go-tos are Cascalote, a family-owned Mexican spot that never misses and always has great specials; Alison’s, where I’ll go for the bottle-of-wine-and-oysters special or bottomless brunch; The Good Good, which has a DJ on Thursdays; and Vinateria — one of my mom’s favorites. I’d wrap up the night at Bixi with a nightcap and some good music.