Harlem is the historic capital of black American culture, but like many New York neighborhoods, it is rapidly changing.

Condos can go for $1 million. Big retailers like Old Navy, Starbucks, Payless, Staples and Blockbuster are ubiquitous. On 125th Street near Fifth Avenue, bulldozers clear a vacant lot for an upscale hotel.

Old-timers worry that redevelopment will wipe out mom-and-pop stores and affordable housing, along with the area's distinct character. But boosters say commerce and construction bring jobs, safe streets and new cultural and retail venues that complement famous landmarks.

Certainly Harlem's appeal to tourists has never been stronger. Double-decker sightseeing buses cross 125th Street every few minutes. Japanese visitors queue up at Sylvia's, the famous soul food restaurant.

"There is an image of Harlem that is indelible around the world," said George Fertitta, CEO of NYC & Company, the city's marketing and tourism organization. "But that image is maybe more stuck in the past - the music scene, the Cotton Club, the Apollo Theater. You think about these things because they're iconic. But Harlem is a wonderful, thriving community. It's bigger than any building, bigger than any iconic representation. And there are so many things to do."

But how does a visitor find the real Harlem amid all the changes? And what is the real Harlem anyway?

Here are some answers, along with ideas for where to go when you exit the subway at 125th Street.

"Harlem is not hard to find. Anywhere you walk in the community is history," said Clarence Cooper, manager of Sylvia's. Sylvia's is Harlem's best-known eatery (328 Lenox Ave. near 126th Street) and can get very busy at peak times like Sunday brunch. The $4.50 express breakfast on a weekday at the counter (8-10 a.m.) is a nice alternative. Just don't be surprised if the waitress chides you - with a smile - for not finishing your eggs, grits and biscuit.

Other Southern food eateries include Londel's (2620 Frederick Douglass Blvd. near 140th), and Miss Maude's Spoonbread Too (547 Lenox Ave., near 138th). Ginger (1400 Fifth Ave. near 116th) opened in 2005 with good reviews for its healthy Chinese food.

For now, lodgings in Harlem are limited to bed-and-breakfasts (listings at http://www.harlemonestop.com). But large upscale hotels are on the way. "There's more than enough demand here for eight hotels," said Steve Williams, managing partner of Danforth Development, which is turning the shuttered Victoria Theater on 125th Street into a hotel to open in 2011. It will also house condos and cultural arts space, including a venue for the National Jazz Museum.

Farther east on 125th Street near Fifth Avenue, the Uptown Grand Hotel will open in 2010 with 252 rooms, 19 stories, bars, lounges, eateries, a pool, and event space. "We expect to be successful," said developer Paul Reisman of Reisman Property Interests. "This is the first hotel here in 40 years."

"You can still find a semblance of Harlem, but it is vanishing quickly," said Sikhulu Shange, owner of the Record Shack (274 W. 125th St.). "What we have built, they want it now. They want the culture." Shange's store, which sells African, Caribbean, gospel and other CDs along with DVDs like Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing", is under court order to vacate by March 30, but he's hoping to find a way to stay open. "We haven't given up," he said.

African Paradise, which sells jewelry, wallets, sculptures and other African imports, is expected to move from 27 W. 125th St. in mid-January. "A lot of corporate businesses are taking over the old places," said the shopkeeper, who goes by the name Debe. “Change is good, but when they start improving, they push people out of stores and apartments." Still, African Paradise could benefit from its move. Debe said the store plans to relocate across from Sylvia's, where souvenir shoppers abound.

Don't miss the vendors along 125th Street, who sell Afrocentric photos, books, and CDs along with unique items like the "thread art" designs made by William Lebron. Other interesting shops include Hue-Man Bookstore and Cafe (2319 Frederick Douglass Blvd. near 124th, http://huemanbookstore.com/) and the Nubian Heritage marketplace (2037 Fifth Ave. at 126th), which is also the location for the Harlem Visitor Information Center.

Nike and Foot Locker chose Harlem as the location for their first-ever House of Hoops (268 W. 125th St.), selling upscale basketball clothing, sneakers and gear. The store opened in November, launching a chain.

Other large retailers include Old Navy and Nine West at the Harlem USA center (300 W. 125th St.); Starbucks, which opened at 125th and Lenox in 1999; and H&M, the fashionable Swedish clothing store (125 W. 125th St.). Recent visits found all the mannequins in H&M's Harlem windows were brunette, while its 34th Street windows showed blondes.

"Twenty-five years ago, people were wondering, 'Why a tour of Harlem?'" said Muriel Samama, who founded the tour company Harlem Spirituals (http://harlemspirituals.com/, 800-660-2166) in the early 1980s. Nobody asks "Why Harlem?" any more. Harlem Spirituals offers tours in five languages and takes visitors to hear gospel choirs on Sundays and Wednesdays, with tickets starting at $49 and departures from midtown ($89 if you add a meal at Sylvia's or the Cotton Club). The company recently started organizing music workshops for visitors, one with gospel singers and another with Marjorie Eliot, who hosts a weekly jazz concert in her Harlem home.

BUS TOURS: Each year, about 40 percent of the 3 million people using Gray Line's hop-on, hop-off buses around New York take the "Uptown Loop," which includes Harlem and stops on 125th Street across from the Apollo Theater. Tickets are $39 (http://www.graylinenewyork.com, or 212-445-0848).

Louis Armstrong, Lena Horne and Fidel Castro all stayed at the Hotel Theresa. It closed in 1967 and is now an office building, but as you walk east from the Apollo along 125th, you can still see the hotel name atop the tall building on the south side of the street.

A statue of the late Harlem congressman, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., graces the plaza of the state office building that bears his name (163 W. 125th St.). Around the corner, you can bowl at Harlem Lanes (2116 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd.).

The Studio Museum of Harlem (144 W. 125th St., http://www.studiomuseum.org) is open Wednesday-Friday, noon-6 p.m., Saturdays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sundays, noon-6 p.m. Suggested donation, $7.

You can buy a donut from the kiosk in the lobby of the building where Bill Clinton's foundation is located (55 W. 125th St.). But you'll have to sign in with a guard and promise not to take any photos.

The house where poet Langston Hughes lived (20 E. 127th St., http://www.thelangstonhugheshouse.com) is now a performance space (open mic first and third Thursday of the month) and other programs.

One of Harlem's most famous churches is Abyssinian Baptist (132 Odell Clark Place, 138th Street). Sunday services are 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Visitors should dress appropriately, stay for the entire service (up to two hours), and refrain from photos or recordings. "Our Sunday worship services are not musical concerts, they are sacred," the Web site stresses. Groups of five or more must reserve two weeks ahead (http://www.abyssinian.org, 212-864-7474).

Music is the heart of Harlem's history, and old-time venues still rule the night.

Amateur night at the Apollo Theater (253 W. 125th St.) has been held Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. since 1934; alumni include James Brown and Lauryn Hill. Tickets start at $15; there are also daytime tours and other shows (http://www.apollotheater.org or Ticketmaster).

The Lenox Lounge (288 Lenox Ave., near 125th, http://www.lenoxlounge.com) opened in 1939, hosting greats like Billie Holiday and Miles Davis. It was recently featured in the film "American Gangster." Nightly show times vary; most require a $20 cover and two-drink minimum. Dinner is also available.

Showman's Bar (375 W. 125th St.) has moved several times since opening in 1942 but still offers live music (two-drink minimum).

The Cotton Club (656 W. 125th St., http://www.cottonclub-newyork.com/) holds a swing dance Mondays at 8:30 p.m., $15 cover; blues and jazz buffet, $40, Thursday-Friday at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 9 p.m.; and a gospel show and buffet brunch, Saturday-Sunday at noon and 2:30 p.m., $32. The original Cotton Club was located farther uptown and later in midtown; this one opened in 1978.

Source: Associated Press