Welcome2TheBronx

Ted Cruz Visits The Bronx Two Years After Disrespecting Us; Protesters Greet Him With a Bronx ‘Welcome’

Politics

Ed García Conde

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April 6, 2016

Ted Cruz Visits The Bronx Two Years After Disrespecting Us; Protesters Greet Him With a Bronx ‘Welcome’

First, Senator Bernie Sanders took his presidential campaign to The Bronx which was met with roughly 18,500 supporters and was nothing but love.

Two years after Republican presidential candidate Senator Ted Cruz took an uneducated jab at our borough, he has the audacity to come to The Bronx and have lunch with none other than Senator Ruben Diaz. (We shouldn’t be surprised because Senator Diaz shares similar conservative and homophobic values unlike real New York values).

But it wasn’t all pleasantries with Bronxites as he was greeted with protests, particularly from the group, Rebel Diaz who called him a bigot.

Granted, The Bronx is made up of a beautiful tapestry of people including conservative and Republicans, however, the likes of Cruz doesn’t belong in a borough of immigrants he so much loathes.

Rebel Diaz said it right when they shouted, “…he’s a right-wing bigot that has no place in The Bronx.”

Much like Trump’s campaign, Cruz has been using hatred and xenophobic rhetoric to catapult him to the spotlight.

Need we remind you of his comments two years ago? Check out the post below from the summer of 2014:

Tea Party Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas / Image Credit: Reuters

Tea Party Republic Senator Ted Cruz from Texas, in an attempt to mock Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, bashed The Bronx as a dangerous place when he said, according to Business Insider, “Now, I understand that Manhattan is very concerned with their security with the Bronx, but it’s a little bit different on 2,000 miles of the Rio Grande.” Senator Cruz said these remarks during a meeting of the conservative Americans For Prosperity’s Defending The American Dream Summit in Dallas, Texas. Guess he doesn’t know his own state and that The Bronx is safer than its 3 largest cities.

Here’s a little lesson for you, Senator Cruz, courtesy of a little digging Welcome2TheBronx did:

The following is data compiled by the FBI via their Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics utilizing the latest dataset as well as data from the NYPD for The Bronx:

Crime Rate of The Bronx vs Dallas and Houston

As you can see from the data Dallas, which was the location of the meeting where Senator Ted Cruz made his disparaging remarks about The Bronx, has a much higher murder rate and almost double the incidents of rape. In the robbery and assault categories, The Bronx and Dallas are roughly on par with The Bronx slightly higher in those categories. Houston’s crime rate is also significantly higher across all major violent crime categories.

Crime has continued to drop in all the above cities but The Bronx is still ahead of the game with a murder rate of 5.9 and 16.7 rapes per 100,000 population according to NYPD stats for 2013. Also now that crime stats from Riker’s Island will no longer be counted with The Bronx, you can expect the numbers to drop even more drastically for our borough.

Furthermore, the popular data site, Neighborhoodscout.com (used by such sites as The Huffington Post, The New York Times, CNN, Wall Street Journal) lists the Bronx as safer than Dallas and Houston. In fact. NeighborhoodScout gives The Bronx a rating of 22 out of 100 (100 being the safest) with Dallas receiving 3 out of 100, Houston 5 out of 100, and San Antonio got a 3 out of 100 making our borough over 7 times safer than Dallas and San Antonio and over 5 times safer than Houston — all 3 which are the largest cities in Texas with a population of over 1 million.

Oh and here’s another little interesting tid-bit: Manhattan received the same rating of 22 out of 100 from NeighborhoodScout as The Bronx. And according to an article by the Huffington Post last year, Brooklyn was actually the bloodiest borough far ahead of The Bronx (interesting how media spins and age old stereotypes continue to portray The Bronx as the worst of all).

So Senator Cruz, hope you learned something: Think before you speak. You try and disparage our home and we will come for you with irrefutable evidence of how wrong you are.

Here’s what our local elected officials had to say about Ted’s fear-mongering:

Pathetic how so called “leaders” peddle lies & fear mongering to make point. #Bronx is a gem & on rise Ted. #getagrip http://t.co/VUXiypnoTX

— Melissa MarkViverito (@MMViverito) August 30, 2014

.@tedcruz clearly has no idea what the #Bronx is really about! Let him know how outdated/disgusting his ideas are! http://t.co/JBwDjC7oYP — Ruben Diaz Jr. (@rubendiazjr) August 31, 2014

Ignorant remarks by Ted Cruz tonight about the #Bronx. NYC is one city, no room for those remarks here. cc: @MMViverito @rubendiazjr

— Scott M. Stringer (@scottmstringer) August 31, 2014

Bernie Sanders Visited A Bronx Clinic in 2013

Ed García Conde

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April 4, 2016

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Bernie Sanders Visited A Bronx Clinic in 2013

Many think that Democratic presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders’ first trip to The Bronx was last Thursday for the massive rally in St Mary’s Park that saw over 18,500 supporters during his New York State kick-off campaign.

But it wasn’t.

Three years ago in March of 2013, Senator Sanders heard about a health center in The Bronx called Urban Health Plan (6 years ago Welcome2TheBronx recognized its founder, Dr Richard Izquierdo, for being the person of the year for founding such a revolutionary clinic).

The award-winning Hunts Point-based health center was featured in The New York Daily News and caught the attention of Sanders who chairs a Senate subcommittee on primary care so he made it a point to contact Urban Health Plan to learn more about how they manage to successfully operate serving in one of the poorest neighborhoods of the poorest congressional district in the nation.

UHP is a leader in healthcare in our borough, for you see, regardless of your income and insurance or lack thereof, you are treated and in a clean, state-of-the-art setting often found in wealthier neighborhoods.

The staff is perhaps the most professional you will encounter not only in The Bronx but around the city. You are greeted not just as a client but you are seen as a friend, a family member and so much more than just a patient.

UHP seeks to treat you at all levels whether as your primary care physician, women’s health, mental health, dental, eye, you name it. They really believe in such holistic care including the fact that they also provide many preventative services including seeing a nutritionist and the availability of healthy cooking classes.

I personally know all of this having been a proud patient for the past 6 years and for the first time in my life, I felt happy with my healthcare provider and confident that my needs would be met.

Paloma Izquierdo-Hernandez, President and CEO of Urban Health Plan (and daughter of the organization’s founder, Dr. Richard Izquierdo) told Welcome2TheBronx, “We were really impressed that Senator Sanders was willing to come visit our health center to learn about the work we do in the South Bronx”

“For us, it was very fruitful because it reaffirmed our belief in his commitment in community health centers. For him, I believe it was because he got to experience an exemplary health center firsthand”, Izquierdo-Hernandez added when we asked if the visit was fruitful.

The New York Daily News wrote:

“Bernie Sanders, the very independent Brooklyn-bred U.S. Senator from Vermont, dropped by the Bronx Monday and, good for him, underscored his passion for a very neglected subject: the lack of primary care doctors serving poor urban and rural areas.

Sanders was kind enough to call from his Brattleboro, Vt. offices after reading the piece and, a week later, found himself in New York. A topic of his visit to the city was primary health care so he joined some of the folks at Urban Health Plan.”

To read that Sanders actually stepped foot in our borough long before he was considering a run for the presidency further shows his Thursday rally was anything but a publicity stunt and pandering to the hearts of The Bronx.

Urban Health Plan is no small potatoes either as they are the largest employer in the 10459 zip code which covers parts of Hunts Point and Longwood. They boast 800 staff members with 108 medical providers serving 73,261 patients with 366,006 visits in 2015.

We’ve always said that The Bronx has a lot to teach the world and we’re glad to know that Senator Bernie Sanders took the initiative to do just that.

He’s not a perfect candidate but he is our most honest of the bunch and much like The Bronx, has big dreams that can become a reality.

Of course our big question for Paloma Izquierdo-Hernandez was if she’d vote for Senator Bernie Sanders to which she said, “Yes, I would vote for Senator Sanders.”

That’s a pretty bold and admirable statement coming from such an esteemed individual from The Bronx, a trusted pillar of our community, operating a healthcare network that provides positive outcomes and health impacts for residents of The Bronx and the South Bronx (as well as Queens).

EXCLUSIVE: Donald Trump Bringing Rally to The Bronx, Hillary Clinton to Follow

News

Ed García Conde

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April 1, 2016

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EXCLUSIVE: Donald Trump Bringing Rally to The Bronx, Hillary Clinton to Follow

After the massive turnout yesterday for Bernie Sanders in the South Bronx neighborhood of Mott Haven and over 18,500 attendees, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has announced that he will hold a rally of his own in our borough.

“You see, I’ve always loved the people of The Bronx,” said Trump in a statement.

Trump added, “Besides attending Fordham University and driven in a limo everyday, a lot of the people, you know, I built a world class golf course there so I’ve always had this connection to The Bronx and its people and they love me, you know.”

Rally is scheduled to take place at Trump operated Ferry Point Golf Course.

Meanwhile, Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton announced that she too will hold a rally in our borough.

“People of The Bronx, I have always loved you and been there for you. I tried to protect you from yourselves, you know, the super predators we had to bring to heel.” said Clinton.

Hillary Clinton also added that, “Thanks to the police state that is the NYPD, we were able to do just that through stop and frisk tactics that disproportionately targeted people of color.”

By the way, April Fool’s!

Bernie Sanders Takes Over The Bronx With A Rally of Love—Photo Gallery

Ed García Conde

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April 1, 2016

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Bernie Sanders Takes Over The Bronx With A Rally of Love—Photo Gallery

Bernie Sanders launched his quest to capture the hearts of New Yorkers in The Bronx today. An estimated 18,500 people showed up to St Mary’s Park in the South Bronx to show support for the candidate they believe to have the chutzpah to be the next president of The United States—we think so too.

All throughout the day it was a rally and gathering filled with love and peace—much unlike the ugliness we’ve been subjected to of Trump rallies filled with hate, violence, and flat out racism.

By the time I arrived at 10:30AM for media pre-check in, there were about a dozen people camping out on line with a few since 5AM.

My friend Eric Trujillo, a very strong activist in the LGBT community was already there just before 10AM and was the 5th in line. When I was done with check in, the crowd had swelled to over 100 by noon.

And then it kept doubling, tripling at a very rapid rate. The line began to wrap down St Mary’s Street (143rd Street) and eventually wrapped itself up to 147th Street.

Immediatly noticeable was how diverse the supporters were at today’s rally and contrary to what the narrative the media and other candidates have been telling, people of color played a huge role in today’s turnout representing probably half or more of the 18,500 estimated to have attended.

Secret Service and the NYPD reconfigured the main waiting area and all those individuals were moved into the main area but within an hour the line was once again out back and beyond 147th Street.

4PM finally rolled by and both the press and Bernie supporters began filing in through tight security complete with metal detectors and dog sniffers.

NYS Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda, who’s district is within The Bronx and is the only candidate to officially endorse Bernie Sanders from The Bronx said that, “I was told that I had to support a certain candidate but I said why don’t we wait until there’s more information out there? I refused to be a part of the machine and that’s why I’m endorsing Bernie Sanders.”

NYS Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda of The Bronx speaks against the Bronx Democratic Machine which told him he had to endorse Hillary Clinton—which he refused to do.

Although he hasn’t endorsed Bernie Sanders, NYC Councilman from The Bronx, Ritchie Torress was in attendance at the rally leaving many questioning if he will give an endorsement to the Sanders camp.

By the time Sanders took the stage after actress Rosario Dawson along with Spike Lee warmed up the crowd and was introduced by Residente aka Rene from the Puerto Rican group Calle 13, the crowd had swelled to an estimated 18,500.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4sAWtGYP1s&feature=youtu.be

According to veteran NYPD officers from the 40th Precinct, they have never seen anything like this outside of Yankee Stadium.

“I’m shocked at the number of people, this is far larger than anything we’ve dealt with including Summer Stage concerts.” said one officer.

Bernie’s message touched upon a number of issues and even talked about the health disparities of our borough and also talked about our abysmal asthma rates after having been briefed by community members before making out to the stage.

From fair living wages to income parity for women, a path out of poverty and higher education without burdening students financially, the attendees went wild with each announcement.

The revolution that Bernie Sanders is leading has finally arrived in New York and there is no better place than The Bronx to begin the fight to win New York State in the primaries.

After witnessing the throngs of thousands of all ages, colors, ethinicities—simply transcending all barriers—harmoniously standing together, faith has been restored in humanity and New York seems to be within reach of going full-Bern come April 19th on primary day.

Bronx Bernie Sanders Rally in St Mary’s Park

The Bronx Obama endorsing Bernie Sanders at Bronx Bernie Sanders Rally in St Mary’s Park

Bronx Bernie Sanders Rally in St Mary’s Park

NYS Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda of The Bronx speaks against the Bronx Democratic Machine which told him he had to endorse Hillary Clinton—which he refused to do.

Bronx Bernie Sanders Rally in St Mary’s Park

Actress Rosario Dawson at Bronx Bernie Sanders Rally in St Mary’s Park

Spike Lee at Bronx Bernie Sanders Rally in St Mary’s Park

Bronx Bernie Sanders Rally in St Mary’s Park

Bernie Sander’s wife, Jane O’Meara Sanders watches her husband intently at Bronx Bernie Sanders Rally in St Mary’s Park

Bronx Bernie Sanders Rally in St Mary’s Park

What You Need to Know About Bernie Sanders Coming to The Bronx

Politics

Ed García Conde

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March 31, 2016

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What You Need to Know About Bernie Sanders Coming to The Bronx

With the highest asthma rates in the country, we can relate.

First of all, we’d like to make a correction that indeed this isn’t the first presidential candidate since RFK but there have been others like Reagan, Jesse Jackson, Shirley Chisholm, and even AL Gore.

So what do you need to know?

Get to St Mary’s Park as early as you can. Thousands of people have already clicked to RSVP via Welcome2TheBronx and we only represent a small fraction of that traffic.

If you get there early, you may want to bring some food with you to keep you from starving. Maybe pick up some baked goods at Capri Bakery on 149th Street between Morris and Courtlandt Avenues just 4 blocks away from the park.

Take public transportation. I cannot stress this enough. Parking in the neighborhood is already a nightmare so jump on the 2 or 5 train to 3rd Ave and 149th Street and walk 3 blocks to St Mary’s.

You can also take one of the many buses in the immediate area like the 2, 4, 4A, 15, 17, 19, 21, 33, 41, and 41SBS.

Remember the following from Bernie Sanders’ website:

“This event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required, but RSVPs are strongly encouraged. Admission is first come, first served.

For security reasons, please do not bring bags and limit what you bring to small, personal items like keys and cell phones. Weapons, sharp objects, chairs, and signs or banners on sticks will not be allowed through security. On-street parking in the surrounding area is available but limited. ”

Are you ready for this historic event? The 2016 presidential campaign comes to The Bronx!

Breaking News: The Bronx is Berning—Bernie Sanders is Coming To The Bronx

Ed García Conde

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March 29, 2016

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Breaking News: The Bronx is Berning—Bernie Sanders is Coming To The Bronx

This Thursday in St Mary’s Park in the heart of The South Bronx, Bernie Sanders is bringing his political revolution to our borough for a rally.

This is the FIRST time that a presidential candidate comes to The Bronx since the late Robert F Kennedy.

Welcome2TheBronx couldn’t be more excited as we are officially endorsing Bernie Sanders for the Democratic nomination for the presidency.

For decades, Bernie has been a true leader taking stands that were unpopular before they were accepted by the mainstream.

His campaign is one that brings hope for many in our borough and across the nation.

The Bronx has always been a bastion for immigrant populations and he is the one true candidate that has worked hard for these groups that enrich our daily lives. We’ll go more into detail why we’re endorsing him in a later post, however.

This Thursday’s rally will feature Residente the former vocalist of Puerto Rico’s activist music sensation that is ‘Calle 13’.

It will be a momentous occasion as the presidential battleground comes to our borough.

RSVP at Bernie Sanders’ official website!

The Bronx is Booming: A Series By NY1 Takes A Look at Our Renaissance

Ed García Conde

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March 28, 2016

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The Bronx is Booming: A Series By NY1 Takes A Look at Our Renaissance

NY1’s Erin Clark explores The Bronx’s renaissance and how it’s impacting several key areas in our borough. In the first installment which aired last night, Clark takes a look at crime drops, housing prices in some areas and other issues.

Clark reports:

“When Rudis Rodriguez became a real estate agent in the Bronx last year, he knew the market was hot, but he had no idea just how hot.

“We sold a house in less than one day on Fox Street,” Rodriguez said. “We ended up selling it for about $50,000 more than what we were asking.”

“We had a three family house on Vyse Avenue,” Rodriguez said. “While I was putting up the sign we had over three offers.”

It is a remarkable turnaround for neighborhoods that once were a national symbol of urban decay, a status cemented by arson, crime, abandonment — and a 1977 visit by President Jimmy Carter to get a first-hand look at the desolation and despair.

“There were fires almost every day, especially in the south Bronx and it was a place where it was unlivable,” said Angel Hernandez, education director of the Bronx County Historical Society. “People did not want to call the Bronx their home.”

Now, almost 40 years later, many of these neighborhoods are enjoying a renaissance.”

Watch the entire segment over at NY1

Free Easter Portraits Today at The Bronx Documentary Center!

Ed García Conde

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March 27, 2016

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Free Easter Portraits Today at The Bronx Documentary Center!

Join the Bronx Documentary Center from Noon to 2pm for your free holiday portrait (Bronx residents free with proof of residence) and each additional print only $5!

Now in its 5th year, the BDC Holiday Portrait Series has become a tradition many look forward to and is one of the many ways the organization gives back to the community.

Major shout out to to Fujifilm for their donated supplies to make this possible!

Bronx residents have their holiday portrait taken by Bronx Documentary Center executive director, Mike Kamber.

Philly Tries to Diss The Bronx—Now It’s Time to Fight Back!

Gardens

Ed García Conde

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March 26, 2016

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Philly Tries to Diss The Bronx—Now It’s Time to Fight Back!

Ok so a friendly contest just got real and we need you all to vote and WIN!

A Philadelphia journalist took a shot at The Bronx with regards to USA Today’s reader’s choice award for the best botanical garden.

For days now, The New York Botanical Garden has been alternating first place with Philadelphia’s Longwood Gardens.

In the post they write:

“What does the New York Botanical Garden have that Longwood Gardens lacks? Perhaps its surrounding neighbors.

The New York site’s 250 acres lie within the Bronx, one of the nation’s densest, greenery-starved locales. How else to explain the fact that the New York attraction keeps grabbing the lead from Longwood in the 2016 USA Today Readers’ Choice Travel Awards?

Certainly, it’s not a question of acreage: At 1,077, Longwood boasts more than four times the display space.”

First of all, according to The Trust for Public Land, New York City ranks the top in the nation in terms of green space—19.5% of our land is dedicated to parks and The Bronx’s total area is almost 25% of its total.

Philadelphia comes in 7th on the list with 12.6% of its land dedicated to green spaces.

That’s almost half of what our beautiful Bronx has. In fact, if The Bronx were a separate city, we’d leave rest in the dust and would be #1. (We’re also one of the greenest urban counties in the country!)

Not to mention that we also have 3 of the largest parks in NYC.

The New York Botanical Garden may be smaller but it’s a recognized global leader in botany not to mention its world-class exhibition and it sure packs a lot in those 250 acres.

So if we’re continuously knocking Philadelphia’s Longwood Gardens down to second place, it’s only fitting given the grandeur of our beautiful garden.

Now get out and vote, vote, vote ! You’re allowed to vote once per day until Monday at Noon (March 28th) but you can vote from all your devices.

Spread the news and let’s secure the #1 spot!

Isn’t the conservatory just splendid?

The beautiful Enid A. Haupt Conservatory — a New York City and National Landmark

Lauren Click, Director of Community and Public Programs at The Bronx Museum was one of my fellow judges. Of course she had to come into character for the event!

Can we talk about the adorable children who entered the contest?

Cannot HANDLE the cuteness in this picture with Frida and Diego in the children’s contest!

So many Fridas yet only a few could be chosen as winners. This was hard. Oh so hard.

Frida contestant and child.

Is this fun or what? These two Fridas are originally from The Bronx but now live in Yonkers came to join in the fun.

One of the winning Fridas who one not only for props and looks but the authenticity she gave us!

1st Place winners of the couple’s contest. Look at Frida gazing into Diego’s eyes.

All our Fridas patiently waiting for the announcement of the winners.

And the winner is…

A Frida look-alike contest with her daughter at NYBG this past Saturday.

Experience the Magic of Orchid Evenings At The New York Botanical Garden

Ed García Conde

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March 25, 2016

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Experience the Magic of Orchid Evenings At The New York Botanical Garden

Maybe you’ve been to The New York Botanical Gardens or maybe it’s your first time but when you arrive at the gates just as the sun is setting and twilight sets upon the land, there is just a hint of magic in the air making you fall in love with the place.

Last night I had the pleasure of attending Orchid Evenings at NYBG where the garden is open to adults only over 21 while libations flow and music plays in the background. It is one of the region’s best kept secrets and the thrill of being inside a place that is typically closed at night only heightens the beauty of the evening.

If you’re a member, tickets are $25 per adult, otherwise, it’s $35 per adult but included in the price is a complimentary cocktail—the Ginger Vanilla Fusion made up of a tasty vanilla infused vodka with ginger (remember to drink responsibly!). By the way, did you know that vanilla comes from an orchid? Well, now you know!

Whether you’re on a date or just hanging out with friends, Orchid Evenings is one of those special only in New York moments. When you enter the garden you immediately feel the stillness and quiet that permeates the grounds and as you walk towards the crystal palace that is The Enid A Haupt Conservatory, the beauty of the enormous glass house lit up at night pulls at you.

Enjoy the orchid show—this year’s show is called Orchidelirium which is all about the fever-pitch craze that swept the world in the late 19th century that sent collectors and explorers to all parts of the globe for the beloved species.

Nothing to do this weekend or the next few weekends? Then we highly recommend you get your tickets in advance and go in a big group with your friends or just you and a significant other—don’t be surprised if you see a couple getting engaged as I’ve witnessed several in the past. I mean the setting just lends itself to such occasions.

Last night we were treated to live Samba music by Samba New York!

The following Orchid Evenings are available:

Saturdays, March 26, and April 2, 9, 16;
Friday, April 15
6:30–9:30 p.m. (entry times at 6:30, 7, & 7:30 p.m.)

Advance purchase is recommended so make sure you head on over and get your tickets now for an unforgettable evening.

To view the various programming events around Orchid Evenings, make sure you make your way to their page.

Hope you enjoy and let us know how it goes! We’d love to see your pictures so make sure to tag us on Instagram @welcome2thebronx or Twitter @welcome2thebx

Bronx Population Growth Fastest in City & State as NYC Hits 8.5 Million Residents

Ed García Conde

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March 24, 2016

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Bronx Population Growth Fastest in City & State as NYC Hits 8.5 Million Residents

If you feel subways and buses are crowded now more than ever—it’s not just your imagination.

For the first time in New York City history, the population has hit above 8.5 million people according to US Census estimates issued for last year—and The Bronx is leading not just the city in terms of growth but also the State of New York.

Just 3 weeks ago Welcome2TheBronx predicted that we would get even closer in 2016 and now we’re just 16,257 residents away from our historic high of 1,471,701 in 1970.

Considering that thousands of new apartments—mostly “affordable”—will open up this year, it’s probably a safe bet that we will surpass the historic marker for our borough by 2017.

As the affordability crisis worsens, more people will continue to be pushed out from Manhattan and other boroughs and The Bronx will continue to absorb those residents.

According to New York City Department of planning, The Bronx came in second in growth (after Brooklyn) between 2010 and 2015 with a 5.1% increase (70,300 persons). “The robust pace of growth in the post-2010 period has not been seen since the 1920s. However, the most recent 2014-2015 estimates point to a relatively lower growth rate as compared to 2010-2014.”

“The robust pace of growth in the post-2010 period has not been seen since the 1920s. However, the most recent 2014-2015 estimates point to a relatively lower growth rate as compared to 2010-2014.” added NYC Department of Planning.

Another interesting statistic is that 43.2% of the population of New York State resides within the 5 boroughs of New York City, an increase from 42.2% from the 2010 census.

Anyone who rides the subways and mass transit can anecdotally report that there definitely has been an increase in population in our borough. The MTA needs to increase service along the 2,4,5, and 6 lines which are some of the most congested in our borough not to mention severely overcrowded bus lines.

Our infrastructure is strained beyond capacity now that our population is almost the same as it was in 1970 but the difference then was that we had the Third Avenue El and now we’re one subway line short.

We can’t continue to build and build without addressing our transit needs and increasing capacity. Now more than ever, the Second Avenue line needs to be extended into The Bronx and even the TriBoro RX connecting The Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens directly without having to go through Manhattan is needed.

Latest Innovations In Bathing That Are Worth Your Time

Lifestyle

Ed García Conde

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March 23, 2016

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There are many elements of Charlotte D’Alessio’s life that read like a teenager’s fairy tale. Instagram didn’t exist when I was in high school, but I imagine I’d be pretty fascinated by the beautiful, leggy 17-year-old with more than 174,000 followers and a Wilhelmina Models contract, too. For the legions of aspiring Cool Teens™, D’Alessio, who has been modeling full-time for the last year, is living the dream — though her Cinderella story has been anything but conventional.

At Coachella in 2015, pictures of D’Alessio (above, right) and her friend, 18-year-old model Josie Canseco (left), flooded the Internet, winding up on places like the festival’s official Twitter and The Cobra Snake’s Instagram, among others. BuzzFeed spoke to D’Alessio soon after, resulting in a viral article that has since garnered 1,479,600 views. Wilhelmina reached out to D’Alessio from there, and the rest is history. In the 12 months since D’Alessio was discovered, the Canada native has landed a slew of commercial campaigns, left Beverly Hills High School to pursue homeschooling and launched a YouTube channel with her friend and fellow model, Abby Champion. And with a secret project in the works for this summer, I imagine that D’Alessio’s stake in the California modeling pantheon will only deepen.

On the eve of Coachella 2016’s first weekend, I hopped on the phone with D’Alessio to get caught up on the last year of her life, from her social media strategy to her dream campaign.

You obviously gained a lot of attention at Coachella last year. What can you tell me about your experience there?

I went with my friend Josie — it was my first year going — and we barely took photos. I think we took 10 photos, but people really responded to them. They ended up everywhere. I saw them on Facebook, and not just [from] friends, but random people posting them. And then The Weeknd and the Coachella Twitter reposted [one of their photos]. It was so surreal because I was just a normal girl from Canada who was going to Coachella. I had, like, 16,000 [Instagram] followers, and now it’s [174,000].

Coachella really got me started in modeling. Wilhelmina reached out to me from the [BuzzFeed] article — that’s how they saw me.

Fragrance is great, but it’s hard to write or read about because your computer screen isn’t scratch and sniff—also because I can’t talk about base notes or top notes without feeling like a fancy sommelier. I prefer to think of fragrance in terms of anthropology, which is much more fun. Have you ever thought about your personal fragrance history? Well, here’s mine.

And when Wilhelmina reached out to you, how did you feel about going forward with the process?

Basically every single one of my friends in L.A. is a model, with Next or Wilhelmina or whatever it is. I was the non-model in the friend group because I wanted to go to UCLA. I didn’t have that much of an interest — well, I had an interest, but I didn’t think I would be successful so I didn’t really pursue it.

When they asked me to come in, I went with my dad because I was 16. I almost didn’t sign because I was so scared. But I’m happy I ended up signing with them, because they’ve been a really great agency. I had the contract in my room for two days — like, I was scared they were going to tell me to cut my hair or lose weight or something like that, but they’ve been so supportive. They never told me to change anything.

Fifth Grade: Tommy Boy

I’m not kidding, I won Tommy Boy after I aced a quiz contest in Sunday School. The ultimate bounty. If you find yourself deep in the attic of my parent’s house, and you pay close attention, you might be able to smell it.

Puberty: Abercrombie and Fitch Fierce

Don’t even pretend like you didn’t.

College: Kenzo Homme Sport

My college years were timed with the heyday of the Kenzo sweatshirt, so this was a very fancy scent to own. You can now buy it for $30 on Amazon.

I can look back at them like a tiny museum of me that smells really good—literally, because I still have them all. But enough about me and how (great) I smell. I want to know your fragrance history—tell me what scents you love and why you love them. Tell me when you wear them, and how you apply them, and why they’re special to you. Tell me everything.

—Brennan Kilbane

Photo via ITG.