Not many people, taking a weekend break in that manic, maddening metropolis that makes up Manhattan, ever make it quite so far north as Spanish Harlem. Huddled up in the northeast corner of the isle, abutting the Harlem River and en route to the infamous Bronx, that's not to say it hasn't featured prominently in collective consciousness. "There is a rose in Spanish Harlem," sang Ben E. King, The Mamas and the Papas and Aretha Franklin; "Maria Maria . . . growing up in Spanish Harlem," crooned Santana; "Then we rode that Black Mariah, through the streets of Spanish Harlem," penned Paul Simon.

So, why take time out from your busy schedule of South Street Seaport and the Statue of Liberty to clamber aboard the No. 6 subway train to this diminutive, lyric-laden district? Simply because if you want to get a feel for a real New York melting pot, as well as a piece of "real" New York pizza, there's no better place.

Spanish Harlem - also known as El Barrio - is wedged between Manhattan's 96th and 125th streets, bordered to the east and west by First and Fifth avenues. It saw its first wave of immigration in the 1880s, when floods of Sicilians made its brownstone streets their home-away-from-Palermo, and was thus first coined "Italian Harlem." It wasn't until after World War I that the Italians slowly headed downtown and Puerto Ricans began to take their place, bringing El Barrio to Latino life.

So, you've decided to brave the summer subway swelter and made it up as far as the 125th Street Station. What next? Well, if the way to a district's heart is through your stomach, then you're in the right place. Two neighboring restaurants vie for the title of El Barrio's best bite; there's Patsy's Pizzeria, where - so they say - the archetypal thin-crust New York pizza was invented, and nearby Rao's, where you may, or may not, get a booking in this lifetime, depending on the whim of the legendary restaurateur/ "Sopranos" actor Frank Pellegrino.

At Patsy's, unlike Rao's, hearty pizza pies are available to all who arrive hungry on its doorstep. The first of its doughs was tossed and rolled in the early 1900s, when Patsy Lancieri, then working at Little Italy legend Salumeria's, perfected the thin-crust recipe. In 1933, he moved uptown to open his first dedicated pizza restaurant, and a pizza paradise was born. Today, though there might be quite a few Patsy's spread across the island, this place remains the original and, for its loyal clientele, the very best.

If you're feeling exceptionally lucky, just down the street from Patsy's is Italian bastion Rao's, a turn-of-the-century institution opened in 1896 by new immigrant Charles Rao, which has remained in the famiglia ever since. To some, the food's heavenly; to others, it's all hype. Chance your luck by trying to secure a place at one of just a handful of coveted tables, but beware: Unless you're exceedingly rich or famous, your reservation might just be for one Tuesday night in 2012. A seat at the bar and a selection of recipe books, though, are available to all intent on having "been there, done that, bought the cookbook."

Either way, after you've finished wining and dining (or simply whining, if you don't get that table at Rao's), there are plenty of other, more culturally edifying things to do in El Barrio. Explore the district hub on East 116th Street, where taquerías rub shoulders with Yemenite merchants and Pakistani traders, then stroll amid the green and serene in Jefferson Park. Head down to El Museo Del Barrio on Fifth Avenue's "Museum Mile," the nation's leading Latino cultural institution, or up to the colorful Keith Haring mural on the riverside at Second Avenue and 127th Street. And if all that exploration makes you peckish, you can always drop back into Patsy's for that one last perfect, oozing slice of Manhattan history.

Get a feel for a real New York melting pot

Getting around » Don't fear to wander the streets: Despite a difficult past, the area's a safe and up-and-coming residential choice for Manhattan professionals, and even hosts the Clinton headquarters.

Places to eat » Patsy's Pizza; 2287 First Ave., Manhattan; www.patsyspizzeriany.com; 212-534-9783. Legendary pizza, with vast family-sized pies priced from $16.

» Rao's; 445 E. 114th St., Manhattan; 212-722-6709. Savor every bite at this Italian eatery, still considered one of the most difficult Manhattan restaurants at which to secure a table.

Where to sleep » For a warm and welcoming Harlem experience, with the added advantage of plenty of luxury, try boutique hotel 102 Brownstone, just eight blocks north of Central Park. 102 Brownstone; 102 W. 118th St.; www.102brownstone.com; 212-662-4223; doubles $175-$275.