Sergey Kadinsky over at Hidden Waters Blog wrote a nice history of one of our borough’s most picturesque spots: Van Cortlandt Lake. The post is filled with wonderful diagrams and old maps and photographs so make sure you click the link at the end to read the full story.
He writes:
Each of New York’s flagship Olmsted-designed parks has its own pond or lake, intended for ice skating, fishing, and boating. Often these waterways predate the parks, with long natural and human histories relating to the development of neighborhoods around the parks. One such example is Van Cortlandt Lake in the Bronx. In the midst of the fall season, it is an ideal place to capture the sight of the foliage as it changes colors with the cooling temperatures.
Where it Flows
Van Cortlandt Lake was formed in the 1699 when Tibbetts Brook was dammed to power the Van Cortlandt family’s gristmill. The brook has its headwaters in in Redmond Park in Yonkers, continuing south into Tibbetts Brook Park, towards the city line, where it enters Van Cortlandt Park. The stream is named after colonial settler George Tippett. His descendants were loyalist and expelled from New York following the American Revolution, but the name remained on the stream, with the slight misspelling.The valley through which the brook flows also includes the Harlem River north of 155th Street, separating the ridge of Washington Heights, Inwood, and Riverdale on its west, from the ridge of Kingsbridge Heights, Morris Heights, and University Heights on its east.
Imagine a future with The Bronx having a subway system it deserves.
Let’s face it: The current state of our subways is rather bleak and not necessarily just in terms of looks and appeal but of how overcrowded they have become as The Bronx’s population is ready to overtake the 1970 record of 1,471,701.
The biggest difference from 1970? We had the Third Avenue El which has since been torn down so we’re now operating with one less subway line for the same amount of people.
The construction boom in The Bronx isn’t stopping anytime soon and New York City keeps on building without regards to the current state of affairs regarding our overwhelmed transit.
But fret no more! We’ve decided to play around with a subway game created by Jason Wright, an electrical engineer from Crown Heights in Brooklyn and we came up with what we thought would be The Perfect Bronx Subway Map!
In a perfect world, the soon-to-open 2nd Avenue line aka the T line would be extended northwards and into our beautiful borough. The T Line would proceed along Third Avenue restoring service to an area that lost it back in the 70s when the Third Avenue El was dismantled.
The T line would snake up straight to Fordham and then continue north towards the Westchester County border along Webster Avenue.
Since Brooklyn and Queens are scheduled to be connected by a streetcar, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to introduce the NB line which would simply be an extension of the N in Astoria, Queens with connections to the streetcar line aka the BQX, before going over Randall’s Island (sure we can drop a stop there too) and snaking its way through Port Morris, Hunts Point, Soundview, Castle Hill, and finally end in Throggs Neck.
The NB line would provide a new option for the subway starved neighborhoods of Castle Hill, Soundview, and Throggs Neck.
Transit starved Castle Hill, Soundview, and Throggs Neck would benefit tremendously by a new subway.
In our perfect world, JLo’s 6 line would be extended straight up into Co-op City. Sure they’re getting a Metro North station soon but a subway wouldn’t hurt either.
Speaking of extending existing subway lines, the 1 train would also be extended straight to the Yonkers border and the 3 train, which currently ends at 148th Street in Manhattan, would be extended straight through the West Bronx along University Avenue straight up towards Marble Hill where it would connect with the 1 train (something we published here by a Bronxite who would love to see the 3 extended).
With that map, we would truly have a very connected borough with direct access into Brooklyn via Queens but that’s not all.
It’s not all about North and South but we need to neatly connect the East and West Bronx and this would be accomplished by not one but two lines: Extending the current A line straight across and into Co-op City and by yet another new line, the CrossX.
The CrossX would start at 181st Street along the A/C line in Washington Heights and go across The Bronx making stops at all the north/south lines. With both the CrossX and the extended A line, traveling within The Bronx would greatly improve.
We know this is all a pipe dream and will never happen but we can dream, right?
Take a look below at what these changes would look like:
There is little doubt on most people’s minds that the overwhelming stream of click bait headlines—filled with nothing but falsehoods that reinforce our biases—have reshaped how many think about major issues such as this horrendous election cycle.
One of the first things we can recommend is that just because it’s on the Internet it doesn’t make it true.
We have a responsibility not just to ourselves but to everyone we are connected to via social media to verify what we’re sharing is indeed true.
Considering that information is at our fingertips, this shouldn’t be difficult.
Melissa Zimdars, an assistantew professor of communications and media at Merrimack College in Massachusetts writes:
Tips for analyzing news sources:
Avoid websites that end in “lo” ex: Newslo (above). These sites take pieces of accurate information and then packaging that information with other false or misleading “facts” (sometimes for the purposes of satire or comedy).
Watch out for websites that end in “.com.co” as they are often fake versions of real news sources.
Watch out if known/reputable news sites are not also reporting on the story. Sometimes lack of coverage is the result of corporate media bias and other factors, but there should typically be more than one source reporting on a topic or event.
Odd domain names generally equal odd and rarely truthful news.
Lack of author attribution may, but not always, signify that the news story is suspect and requires verification.
Some news organizations are also letting bloggers post under the banner of particular news brands; however, many of these posts do not go through the same editing process (ex:BuzzFeed Community Posts, Kinja blogs, Forbes blogs).
Check the “About Us” tab on websites or look up the website on Snopes or Wikipedia for more information about the source.
Bad web design and use of ALL CAPS can also be a sign that the source you’re looking at should be verified and/or read in conjunction with other sources.
If the story makes you REALLY ANGRY it’s probably a good idea to keep reading about the topic via other sources to make sure the story you read wasn’t purposefully trying to make you angry (with potentially misleading or false information) in order to generate shares and ad revenue.
It’s always best to read multiple sources of information to get a variety of viewpoints and media frames. Some sources not yet included in this list (although their practices at times may qualify them for addition), such as The Daily Kos, The Huffington Post, and Fox News, vacillate between providing important, legitimate, problematic, and/or hyperbolic news coverage, requiring readers and viewers to verify and contextualize information with other sources.
These are many of the guidelines Welcome2TheBronx follows and employs for we have to maintain the utmost integrity our readers have come to expect.
To view Zimdars’ ever growing and evolving document with a list of websites and how trustworthy they are not, click to read the Google Doc here.
We sincerely hope that you are able to utilize this post to better guide your decision making on what information out there is accurate or not and to use better judgment in sharing such sources.
In the deal offered up by the Trump organization would, they would develop the land out of pocket but in return they are asking for a 20 year extension to the already existing 20 year lease they have for rights to operate the controversial golf course.
But despite receiving a resounding NO from the city’s administration, Community Board 10 invited the organization to present at a meeting last night that was scheduled for NYC Parks to provide their plans for expanding Ferry Point Park, providing much needed waterfront access as well as protecting wetlands.
According to The Bronx Times:
Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen rejected the plan and told the developer in a letter sent last month the city planned to use the land for public space.
“We have no interest in changing direction in order to allow a cosmetic improvement,” Glen wrote.
“I was incredibly dismayed that CB10 chose to insert a proposal from the golf course into the discussion as City Hall has already said it’s DOA.” said John Doyle who’s running for New York City Council District 13 which is currently occupied by term-limited Councilman James Vacca.
Doyle added, “This was supposed to be about the Parks proposal and providing constructive criticism on their plans. I’m also surprised that a few members were so gung ho about a proposal that had ZERO benefits to the community.”
Regardless of Community Board 10’s recommendations, the mayor’s office has made it abundantly clear what they intend to do with the property.
The following is an excerpt from a wonderful post on The Bronx’s Jewish history and how a language united its people in a borough that was home to the largest Jewish population in all of New York City.
Epitaph for a Bronx Accent
My uncle was one of the last speakers of a language that once united a borough’s Jews
There’s a saying that to lose a language is to lose a whole world. My uncle, Robert Tolchin (Americanized from Tolchinsky)—who died in September—was one of the last great speakers of Jewish Bronx, a particular nasal intonation of English so acid and sharp that, like radiation from Chernobyl, it could kill trees. Perhaps, indeed, it is why there are so few trees in the Bronx.
As a child, I was terrified of his accent. It could deliver withering disdain and disapproval; it seemed made of harder stuff than my flat Californian televisual patter. Words came out on rails, they were electrified; if I stood close enough, I could fall under their tracks and never get up.
One might just say I was terrified of my uncle, but I never heard it that way: It was always the voice. It was not the yawning New Jersey “oi” of my father’s tonality; it was not the Philly slide of my grandfather; it was not my great-grandmother’s rural Ukrainian trill.
It was an urban accent, an accent of pavement, of piss steaming into your nostrils on a hot day, it was an accent that had to fight for space on subway trains; it had the speed and brazen efficiency of a New York taxi cutting through traffic. “Gettin-a cah” was not just a request, it was motor-horn, an emergency siren, a gunshot.
I don’t know much about my uncle’s family history. He was an in-law; he married my aunt in the early ’60s. He wasn’t given to the speculative romance of family storytelling. Bob didn’t narrativize; he never tried to fit his own life within larger historical trends or some final horizon of meaning. Life was immediate, in a hurry, and made of the hard, unbending stuff of facts.
Bronx entrepreneur kids, twins Brazil and Princeton Dowe/Image via Pix11 screenshot
Two Bronx kids—twins Brazil and Princeton Dowe—felt that other children weren’t drinking enough water because “they didn’t see it” as they described to Pix11 News.
Their solution? Create their own bottled water company and a label that jumps out to other children.
Water 2 Kids (how can we not like that name 😉 ) is available at 17 grocery stores and delis in The Bronx but to be honest with you, this should be at EVERY bodega, supermarket, and any place water is sold.
The source for their product is from natural springs in upstate New York where it’s also bottled and then shipped to The Bronx where Aline Dowe, the kids mother, then distributes to local stores.
Kudos for these amazing Bronx kids for seeing a problem and coming up with a solution! Too much junk food and sugary drinks bombard our children every day so it shouldn’t be shocking that we’re last when it comes to health outcomes in New York State.
Although New York State arguably has some of if not the toughest regulations on medical marijuana, it suffices to say that for those who qualify, it’s about time as New York is now one of 25 states where it’s legal for medical use.
PharmaCannis will open its doors for business Monday, November 7th just in time to get folks through the insanity of elections the following day—but not before they throw a block party that aims to serve as an informational event.
DNAinfo reported earlier this week that PharmaCannis is hosting the event in front of their Hunts Point location at 405 Hunts Point Avenue with food trucks, music, and most importantly, information on what the details of the program.
Currently, the only medical conditions that may qualify (and we can’t stress this enough because it is all up to the discretion of the medical marijuana certified physician whether you do) are cancer, HIV/AIDS, ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, spinal cord injury with spasticity, inflammatory bowel disease, neuropathy, and Huntington’s disease.
To better guide you, we’re including New York State’s Medical Marijuana Program’s frequently asked questions. Be sure to check their site as information may and will change over time. Oh and the block party is Saturday, November 5th from Noon to 3PM.
Obtaining Medical Marijuana
1. What conditions make me eligible to obtain medical marijuana?
You are potentially eligible for medical marijuana if you have been diagnosed with a specific severe, debilitating or life threatening condition that is accompanied by an associated or complicating condition. By law, those conditions are: cancer, HIV infection or AIDS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury with spasticity, epilepsy, inflammatory bowel disease, neuropathy, and Huntington’s disease. The associated or complicating conditions are cachexia or wasting syndrome, severe or chronic pain, severe nausea, seizures, or severe or persistent muscle spasms.
2. What is the first step to obtaining medical marijuana?
The first step is speaking with your treating physician about whether the medical use of marijuana is appropriate for your condition. If your physician determines this is the appropriate treatment for you and he or she registered with the New York State Department of Health’s Medical Marijuana Program, he or she may issue you a certification for medical marijuana.
3. How can I find a registered doctor?
Patients seeking access to medical marijuana should first go to their treating practitioners. Additional information for practitioners can be found on the Department’s website: Practitioner Education for the Medical Marijuana Program. Practitioners may also identify registered physicians who consented to be listed, with their specialties, in the Medical Marijuana Data Management System, located online within the Department’s Health Commerce System (HCS). The patient’s treating practitioner can then make a referral if he or she is unable to complete the course and register.
4. How can I obtain a certification if my physician is not registered with the Medical Marijuana Program?
First, speak with your treating physician to determine if medical marijuana is appropriate for your condition. If your treating physician would like to register with the program, additional information can be found on the Department’s website: Practitioner Education for the Medical Marijuana Program.
5. Can additional medical conditions be added to the list of conditions eligible for medical marijuana?
Yes, the Commissioner of Health may add other conditions to the list. To date, scientists and physicians at the Department of Health have already analyzed more than 2 dozen scientific studies on Alzheimer’s, muscular dystrophy, dystonia, post-traumatic stress disorder, and rheumatoid arthritis. They also sought input from medical professionals and associations. Despite these comprehensive reviews, there is not enough scientific evidence at this time to support the inclusion of these additional conditions to the Medical Marijuana Program. However, the Commissioner has not stopped his review, and will evaluate new scientific evidence as soon as it becomes available. If sufficient scientific evidence becomes available to support the determination that medical marijuana will provide relief to patients suffering from any additional conditions, including these five, the Commissioner will act quickly to increase the list of covered conditions.
6. What forms and dosage amounts of medical marijuana are allowed?
The Commissioner must approve any form of medical marijuana. Approved forms include liquids and oil for vaporization or administration via inhaler as well as capsules to take orally. Under the law, smoking is not permitted
The practitioner must include the following information on the patient’s certification: the authorized brand and form of the approved medical marijuana, the administration method, and any limitations on the use of approved medical marijuana product. If a practitioner has a recommendation regarding dosage, it must be included on the certification, although a recommendation on dosage is not a requirement. Moreover, the total amount of product that can be dispensed may not exceed a thirty-day supply.
Patient Registration
1. What do I do after I receive a certification from my registered physician?
Once you possess a certification from a registered physician, you must register with the Medical Marijuana program through DOH’s online Patient Registration System. You can find detailed instructions on the registration process, including how to register on behalf of a minor or an individual who is otherwise incapable of consenting to medical treatment, by visiting: Information for Patients
After your registration is processed, you will be issued a Registry Identification Card. Once you have received your registry identification card, you may visit a dispensing facility to obtain medical marijuana products. Dispensing facility locations can be found by clicking here: Registered Organizations
2. May I register on behalf of a minor or person who is otherwise incapable of consenting to medical treatment?
Yes. If the applicant for a registry identification card is under the age of eighteen (18) or a person who is otherwise incapable of consenting to medical treatment, the application must be submitted by an appropriate person over twenty-one (21) years of age. The applicant must designate at least one, and up to two, caregivers who must be among the following: (i) a parent or legal guardian of the certified patient; (ii) a person designated by a parent or legal guardian; or (iii) an appropriate person approved by the Department upon a sufficient showing that no parent or legal guardian is available or appropriate.
3. How do I register with the program as a caregiver?
A patient who is registered with the program must first designate you as a caregiver during the patient registration process. Upon approval of the patient’s registration, the caregiver(s) may register. The patient will have access to instructions for caregiver registration. To register with the Department as a designated caregiver, you must be a resident of New York State and have a valid NYS Driver’s License or New York State Non-Driver ID card.
4. Do I have to pay to register as a patient or as a caregiver?
Yes, there is a non-refundable application fee of fifty dollars ($50) that will be billed to you at a later date. The Department may waive or reduce the fee in cases of financial hardship.
Certified patients and designated caregivers seeking a waiver from the $50 registration fee due to financial hardship will be required to upload proof of Medicaid eligibility, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Income (SSDI). A certified patient or designated caregiver seeking a waiver using other documentation must contact DOH and provide the other documentation to determine if it is acceptable proof of financial hardship.
5. When can I expect my registry identification card to arrive?
Once the application to register has been submitted successfully and approved, please allow approximately three business days to receive your Patient or Caregiver Registry ID Card. Once you have received your registry ID card you may visit a registered organization’s dispensing facility to obtain medical marijuana products. Dispensing facility locations can be found by clicking here: Registered Organizations
6. Can I still register if my physician will not provide a certification?
No, an individual may not register without a certification from a registered practitioner.
Dispensing Facilities
1. Where can I find basic information about each Registered Organization?
Please visit the following link for information, including links to the Registered Organization’s websites: Registered Organizations
2. Which dispensing facilities may I use?
A certified patient may receive medical marijuana products from any dispensing facility of any Registered Organization in New York State. For a list of locations in New York, please visit: Registered Organizations
3. Will every dispensing facility sell the same types of Medical Marijuana?
No. There are only two New York State-mandated products for Medical Marijuana (one with an equal ratio of THC to CBD, and one with a low-THC-high-CBD ratio) that must be offered by each Registered Organization. Each Registered Organization will also offer other products that have varying ratios of THC to CBD.
The Registered Organizations have worked aggressively to make a variety of products available to patients over the past few months. Additional products will be offered over time as they continue to build upon their operations.
4. What are the hours of the dispensing facilities?
The hours of operation for the dispensing facilities vary. Please review the websites of the Registered Organizations to identify their dispensing facilities’ hours of operation. Please note, however that, to control operating expenses that could affect the price of the products, Registered Organizations may initially have limited hours of operation or require an appointment to purchase medical marijuana. It is anticipated that hours of operation will increase as the number of certified patients increase.
5. Will patients who are unable to go to a dispensing facility be able to have the product delivered to them?
Patients who are unable to go to dispensing facilities should designate a caregiver who can go for them. The Department has requested that each Registered Organization develop a delivery option to ensure full access to patients who are unable to travel to a dispensing facility location due to their medical condition, or if their designated caregivers cannot obtain it for them.
6. How much medical marijuana can be dispensed?
Registered Organizations may dispense up to a 30-day supply of medical marijuana to a certified patient or designated caregiver taking into account any recommendations or limitations identified by the physician on the certification.
7. What should I do if the approved medical marijuana product is not helping me?
Work with your certifying physician to determine if a change in product, change in dose, or discontinuation of the product is appropriate.
8. What should I do if I think I’m having an adverse reaction to the approved medical marijuana product?
If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, call 911 or go to an emergency room immediately. If you believe you are experiencing an adverse event from the approved medical marijuana product, contact your physician.
9. What should I do with expired/unwanted medical marijuana products?
Certified patients or their designated caregivers who have expired or unwanted medical marijuana products should render them unrecoverable beyond reclamation. The following link to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation provides additional information regarding disposal methods: http://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/67720.html.
10. What if I need assistance obtaining medical marijuana from a dispensing facility because of my condition?
A certified patient may designate up to two (2) caregivers who may assist in receiving medical marijuana on his or her behalf during the patient registration process. After the patient’s application for registration is approved, the designated caregiver(s) must also register with DOH. Detailed information on designating and becoming a caregiver is available here: Information for Patients
11. Can I use my out-of-state medical marijuana identification card to purchase medical marijuana in New York State?
No. Only certified patients with a New York State registry identification card may purchase approved medical marijuana products in New York State.
12. Why is there more than one dispensing facility in some counties?
As part of the Registered Organization selection process, the Department sought to ensure that proposed dispensaries are located throughout the state in order to meet the needs of all certified patients. This resulted in certain counties having more than one dispensing facility. The Department will carefully monitor patient need to ensure all New Yorkers who meet the requirements of the Compassionate Care Act have access to the program.
13. Are there any educational or experiential requirements for growers or dispensers?
The regulations require a staffing plan as part of the application process that includes a senior staff member with a minimum of one year experience in good agricultural practices, and a quality assurance officer who has experience and training in quality assurance and quality control procedures. In addition, the regulations require pharmacists employed in dispensing facilities to complete the four hour education course, which is the same as that required of practitioners who seek to register with the Department in order to certify patients.
14. How will DOH ensure the quality of the products produced by the registered organizations?
The Department requires independent laboratory testing for every brand of product to be tested for any contaminants and to ensure product consistency. The Department’s Wadsworth Center Laboratory will perform initial testing and analysis of final medical marijuana products until independent laboratories receive certification from the New York State Environmental Laboratory Approval Program (ELAP).
Pricing
1. How did the New York State Department of Health Commissioner determine the pricing for Medical Marijuana?
Pursuant to NYS Regulations require Registered Organizations submitted their costs to manufacture, market and distribute products, and certified that the information was accurate, complete and current. The Commissioner then determined the reasonableness of the proposed prices.
2. Are prices for Medical Marijuana the same at all of the registered organizations?
No. Prices vary among Registered Organizations. The Department worked with a pricing consultant to ensure that pricing is comparable among all dispensing facilities.
3. Will Medical Marijuana prices change?
The Department’s approved prices are in effect for the entire period of the Registered Organization’s registration, until July 30, 2017. However, at the conclusion of the first year of the registration period, or prior to that date based on documented exceptional circumstances, the Registered Organizations may request a price modification. In addition, if a Registered Organization adds a new product, it must submit revised production costs and other relevant data, along with the proposed price for the new product(s) to the Department for review and approval.
4. Where will patients find the prices of Medical Marijuana?
Patients should contact the Registered Organization directly to obtain final prices, taking into account the dosing recommendations of their physician. The total amount that a patient pays depends upon a patient’s individual dosing needs and the resultant total quantity purchased.
5. What is factored into the price?
The Department-approved prices are set on a per unit basis and consist of production costs plus a reasonable profit. Prices will vary due to the daily dosage level recommended by their physician and the amounts purchased on a monthly basis.
6. Does New York State provide a discounted program for certified patients who cannot afford Medical Marijuana?
The Compassionate Care Act does not mandate a discounted Medical Marijuana pricing program, but allows Registered Organizations to provide discounted products. Specifically, some of the Registered Organizations may be offering “reduced priced programs” for qualifying certified patients.
Just in time for Halloween, The Bronx Zoo (we really find it hard to ever call it the Wildlife Conservation Society) released findings from what is believed to be the first-ever monitoring and study of bats in New York City!
The study opened a tiny window into the world of these creatures and showed evidence that even in the winter (particularly on days with higher than average temperatures) bats were active in NYC.
Four sites (Fordham University, The Bronx Zoo, The New York Botanical Garden, and Belmont—guess even the bats know where NYC’s REAL Little Italy is) were selected in a small area of our borough to record bat activity and identify which species were present by using a SonobatTM. The software is able to actually tell the bat species by the frequencies they emit.
According to Colleen McCann, the Bronx Zoo’s Curator of Mammals, it was exciting to see the results which showed that in a megacity like New York that there were still enough green spaces for these bats and other wildlife—but we’re not surprised given that The Bronx is the greenest borough and home to 3 of the top ten largest parks in NYC. We’re also veterans to wildlife roaming our parks and sometimes backyards.
The Wildlife Conservation Society writes:
The initial study began in May 2012 and identified the presence of five out of a possible nine species found in New York state:Eptesicus fuscus (Big Brown Bat), Lasiurus borealis (Eastern Red Bat), L. cinereus (Hoary Bat), Lasionycteris noctivagans (Silver-haired Bat), and Perimyotis subflavus (Tri-colored Bat).
“When we first began this project, we had no idea what we might learn about bats here in the Bronx,“ said J. Alan Clark, Associate Professor at Fordham University’s Department of Biological Sciences. “The results from our study are both surprising and exciting.”
Results indicated that all five species of the night-feeders were present at all four Bronx sites, with the majority of recorded activity coming from Eastern Red bats (comprising 62 percent of identified passes of active surveys). “Tree bats,”— foliage-roosting migratory species—were represented by Eastern Red bats, Hoary bats, and Silver-haired bats and accounted for 70 percent of passively recorded calls. Activity was also recorded for these species during the winter months (December thru February) and revealed greater activity on nights with higher maximum daily temperatures. The other species identified during the study hibernate in caves during the winter and use tree cavities and buildings as roosts in summer.
The authors indicate that the increase in July of Eastern Red bat activity, followed by a peak in August and sharp decline in September suggests migratory movement through New York City as this pattern is consistent with acoustic surveys collected in the Midwest and East Coast in studies by others. In addition, an increase in Silver-haired bat activity occurred in late October—consistent with the timing of coastal migratory movements for this species.
Now don’t be afraid, these bats won’t turn into Dracula and suck your blood because there are no such things as vampires—at least we think!
So someone going by the name of Diane D left a rather nasty Yelp review of a Manhattan deli because of their cat. The person started citing her allergies to cats being a problem and that she’s sure it’s also a health violation—which of course it is—but have several seats, Diane, and learn something.
A warning to the Dianes and gentrifiers of the world: Don’t you dare come for our bodega cats.
For over 12,000 years, cats have played an important role since the first agrarian societies began sprouting in the Middle East in what we learned in grade school was known as the Fertile Crescent.
As humans went from wanderers in nomadic societies to planting roots in one place as our ancestors began to settle and farm the land, along came rodents, snakes, and other vermin attracted to ancient humans’ grain stores send foods.
Enter cats.
Cats were quite aloof until this point and it’s believed that our ancient ancestors saw the benefits of attracting cats when they realized what skillful hunters they were at keeping their pest problems at bay.
All because they were excellent at what they did—protecting human’s food just by going after their prey.
This trend continued throughout history for thousands of years and is still ongoing in societies across the globe.
In a city like New York, infested with rats, you should be thankful that your local deli, bodega, supermarket has a cat to protect your food from nasty critters like rats and their ilk
I mean they can’t be that bad of the city has basically turned a blind eye on all the cats they see in these businesses with nary a warning to remove them.
So if you have an issue with cats in your bodegas, do yourself (and the cats) a favor and go elsewhere but don’t come for our bodega cats—unless you enjoy rat turds in your food.
This comes just weeks after Saks Off Fifth opened its first outer borough store in Brooklyn .
Although Prestige Properties or Saks have yet to return comments, it’s pretty evident that they’re taking over the space currently occupied by Barnes and Noble since it was mentioned last week that a tenant who could pay more was willing to move in.
Just like two years ago, when the bookstore announced it was closing and the community rallied until a deal was struck with the landlord for a two year extension, both sides appear to be issuing contradictory statements.
Prestige claims to have offered Barnes and Noble a smaller space in Bay Plaza but according to a few employees who wish to remain anonymous, no such offering was made.
We find ourselves, yet again, facing the loss of the bookstore but this time it seems that it’s for real.
You can thank greed fueled by our borough president pushing the “New Bronx” rebranding.
It’s open season on The Bronx and no one except big money retailers are safe.
2952 Third Avenue, a 30,000 square foot building with 3 stores was sold this past June for $13,100,000. Mr Discount is shutting down according to employees and an announcement on loop blaring out into the street. Crystal Party Warehouse next door lost their lease and relocated up north. Petland Discount is taking over the space once occupied by the party supply store.
The Hub—The Bronx’s oldest shopping and commercial district located in the South Bronx neighborhood of Melrose is going through the most profound changes since the 70s and 80s when the neighborhood burned around it and its main train line, the Third Avenue El was put out of service and torn down.
Since its beginnings over a century ago when the borough was experiencing a population boom adding over 1 million residents in a span of 30 years, Melrose and The Hub, attracted residents from all over The Bronx due to it being an excellent transportation nexus—and still does today.
New “affordable” housing developments have been constructed surrounding the area and adding over 3,000 apartments and tens of thousands of new residents—with thousands of more units in various stages of construction or planning to come.
As gentrification tightens its grip on the South Bronx, long-time businesses are closing their doors as landlords either are not renewing leases or simply the new rents are too high to keep up.
A whopping 25 storefronts are now vacant with only a couple actually having tenants moving in. Welcome to The “New Bronx” that our borough president Ruben Diaz Jr touts, where gentrification is driving long time businesses away.
And why? Because the basic rule in real estate: Location, location, location. The Hub is a major transportation, well hub, with the 2 and 5 line stopping at 3rd Ave and 149th Street and being only two stops away from Manhattan further increases the area’s value to real estate developers and speculators—you can literally get to midtown with 15 minutes.
Watch: Take a walk through the neighborhood with us:
One such store to succumb to this in recent months is Revolution, a woman’s clothing store, which was at the old McCrorey Building on Third and Westchester Avenues. The store was serving the community for close to 30 years but as their lease expired, they were unable to renew at the higher asking rents.
Now, in its place, the national retailer Footlocker is taking over the space, as they consolidate two existing stores, and are in better positions that can afford the higher rents in the area.
For decades these very national chains snubbed The Hub but they have slowly been creeping in over the past 10 years.
Five years ago, Planet Fitness, a national chain of gyms, opened up in The Hub which was shortly followed by The Children’s Place, another national chain.
Now, where once stood mom and pop businesses that took over from those who fled The Bronx are being pushed out as confidence in the area by these national chains. Since the opening of Planet Fitness 5 years ago, The Hub now is home to Carter’s (another children’s store), a Boston Market at Triangle Plaza on 149th and Bergen, as well as two luxury boutique hotels: The Opera House on 149th Street and The Umbrella on Elton and 153rd.
Crystal Party Store at 2962 Third Avenue at 153rd Street also lost their lease and in August they were pushed north to 1997 Jerome Ave in Morris Heights.
Now, Petland Discount is moving into the space.
You see, this is what gentrification does time and time again; it displaces long time family businesses. Crystal Party Store not only lost their space but now they also lost a huge swath of potential customer as the foot traffic in The Hub is the highest outside of Times Square with over 200,000 pedestrians walking by 3rd Avenue and 149th Street on a daily basis.
The carnage of vacant stores isn’t confined within The Hub “proper” but has spilled over to Melrose Avenue as well as 149th Street.
Landlords are no longer negotiating the typical 10-year leases that were customary and are now offering leases as short as 2 years—a tactic used by landlords to squeeze as much money out of properties as possible.
Orva Shoes, a boutique store from the Upper East Side opened its first store outside of Manhattan on Third Avenue in 2014 and now they are shutting down as the new lease was much higher than they can handle.
On Melrose Avenue, two stores at 617 Melrose Avenue closed after their short-term 3-year lease was up and the landlord raised the rent far beyond their reach.
650 Melrose, a mixed residential and commercial building, was sold last year in December for $3,050,000 and within a month, a bodega and a 99 cent store that rented space in the building were evicted as the businesses were struggling to pay their rent. The previous owner worked with the two businesses to keep their doors open but the new owner simply shut them down.
Now, as landlords wait for higher paying tenants, those spaces are adding more vacant storefronts in what was once a thriving shopping district. It’s a gamble that can pay off big time for a landlord as they warehouse these spaces until the highest paying tenants arrive. Oftentimes whatever they lost during the vacancies of their properties, they can recoup it rather quickly with a chain store or national retailer and pocket a profit at the same time.
A minimum 10-year lease with the right to renewal, so they can better plan for the future of their business.
Equal negotiation terms when it comes time to renew their lease with recourse to binding arbitration by a 3rd party if fair terms cannot be found.
Sadly, this bill has been languishing 30 years in New York City Council as it has been denied a vote due to the lobbying efforts of the ever-powerful Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), a group that is one of the biggest campaign donors in NYC.
While it is natural for change to happen with the ebbs and flow of the economy and businesses succeed or fail, it is anything but natural when everything is done to derail these businesses from their established spaces.
It’s an insult to all who stayed behind during the worst of times and rebuilt the area. Now, they want to take all that work away from us.
We can and need to do better.
Lena Beauty Supply out of business due to rent increase. The store was a fixture in the area for well over a decade. To the left is a massive space left vacant by Duane Reade after the merger with Walgreens. It was briefly occupied by a children’s clothing store but it closed in under a year.
Orva Shoes opened their first store outside of Manhattan in The Hub in 2014 but their lease was only for two years and now they have to close the store as they are unable to afford the new terms of the lease.
Revolution Boutique occupied this space for almost 30 years until this past August when their lease expired and were unable to afford the new terms of the lease. Now, Footlocker (who already has two stores on Third Avenue) is consolidating one of them into this location.
3 shops on Third and 149th Street have been here for several years but have recently been shuttered with no details from either the landlord or the shop owners as to what happened.
One of the several spaces on Melrose Avenue that are now vacant.
Once the home of Sachs Furniture Store, this 60,000 square foot building eventually housed another furniture for roughly a decade, now for over 10 years, over 40,000 square feet remain vacant in this property at Third Ave and 150th Street/Westchester Ave
One of 3 stores now vacant on the same block on Melrose between 151st and 152nd Streets
650 Melrose Avenue sold for $3,050,000 last December. Shortly thereafter, a corner bodega and a 99 cent store were evicted due to non-payment of rent. The two businesses had been struggling with payments, however, the previous owner would often find a way to work with them. The new owners? Not so much.
Jackie’s Kids Clothing just lost their lease this week after 15 years.
Jackie’s Kids
Glory Shoes, occupying the same building as Jackie’s Kids also lost their lease.
This 30,000 square foot building subdivided into 3 stores at Third Ave and 153rd Street was sold this past June for $13,100,000. Now, Mr Discount is closing and Crystal Party is gone having lost their lease and unable to afford the new terms. Crystal Party relocated north to Morris Heights on Jerome Avenue. A Petland Discount is taking over their space.
Crystal Party, no longer able to afford their new lease, relocated north to Morris Heights on Jerome Avenue
149th Street in Melrose is a bustling boulevard filled with banks and office buildings along with thousands of employees in what is informally known as the Downtown of The Bronx
Although many of the office spaces along 149th Street are occupied, several stores have also shuttered in recent months as well.
The old (and original) Alexander’s Department Store was eventually taken over by Conways shortly after Alexanders went bankrupt. Now, the 115,000 square foot building, which sold for $16 million in 2013, is undergoing a massive renovation and overhaul however, no tenants have been announced for the space.
The New York Times explored the question of what makes a New York City kid by interviewing a bunch of kids from across all the five boroughs of which roughly a dozen documented their lives by using their smartphones as a window into their lives by way of video.
Two of the kids profiled are from The Bronx, Fanta Diop, age 13, and Joe Pacheco, age 14, both from Melrose and both students part of The Bronx Documentary Center’s Bronx Junior Photo League.
While reading the article, it took me back to my Bronx childhood from the 80s until I graduated from Cardinal Spellman High School in 1993 and then went off to Iona College.
Besides a New York City kid, what made me a Bronx kid?
Growing up in a city, the innocence of childhood doesn’t last too long since the environment of a big city pushes you to become Street smart in order to navigate through rough streets.
In the 80s and 90s, as crime and murder rates were out of control, we sort of developed a 6th sense to cope with the dire situations and through that extra sense, through overpowering instincts, we knew where to not go or which streets to completely avoid even if it meant going around a few extra blocks.
Each journey to and from school was fraught with the dangers of gang violence.
But we somehow managed to survive with tips from our parents to never travel alone, always buddy up with someone and when riding the train, always sit in the conductor or train operator’s car—never ever the last car.
Make sure to check out the story at The New York Times and let us know what made you a Bronx kid!
