In the Meatpacking District, people can grab a seat and buy healthy prepared food from a vendor in a bustling plaza. But New Yorkers who live in less affluent neighborhoods tend not to have the same options — at least not yet. A new effort aims to bring several vendors to a plaza under construction in the South Bronx.
Each of DOT’s public plazas has a local partner in charge of maintenance, tasked with keeping the space clean and putting out tables and chairs each day. While well-funded business improvement districts back plazas in the city’s central neighborhoods, plazas in low-income communities rely on a more diverse mix of supporters, from community development corporations to merchant associations.
Many of the city’s high-profile plazas also include food kiosks or other concessions to help fund maintenance. There are 11 active plaza concessions agreements, according to DOT, but those arrangements are tougher to set up in communities with fewer resources.
Retail offerings near these plazas are often limited. Many residents who commute into Manhattan also do much of their personal spending near work, sapping local retail strips of customers. Plaza supporters in the South Bronx hope they can reverse that pattern, boosting local shopping options and funding plaza maintenance by bringing in vendors.
The idea will be tested at The Hub, a major bus and subway juncture in the South Bronx. While nearby vacancy rates are low, the retail scene — dominated by wireless phone stores, fast food, and discount department stores — could be serving a wider spectrum of the neighborhood’s needs.
The area surrounding The Hub is among the city’s poorest, with average incomes well below the rest of the Bronx and the city as a whole. Yet there is more than $658 million worth of consumer demand within just one mile of The Hub, according to the South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation, known as SoBro, and the Department of Small Business Services [PDF]. The organizations produced a brochure to attract retail tenants with a headline summing up the neighborhood’s dilemma: “Too Many Shoppers. Not Enough Stores.”
“We have over 200,000 people that travel through here [daily], and it’s important that we make the space pedestrian-friendly,” said Jamila Diaz, senior director of business services at SoBro. “We put in a proposal for Roberto Clemente Plaza.”
The space, named for the Pirates’ Hall of Famer, was reclaimed from automobile traffic in 2008 [PDF]. Since then, it’s served mostly as an open area for pedestrians to walk between stores, bus stops, and the subway. A project from the Department of Design and Construction is rebuilding the plaza with permanent materials, including seating, plantings, and upgraded paving.
SoBro is negotiating with the city to take on the role of maintenance partner, and wants to see concessions as part of the mix to help fund upkeep and add new retail options for local residents.
The organization surveyed residents of 25 nearby housing developments to find out what kind of food and shopping options appealed to them. ”What we discovered with the survey was that people wanted healthier options… that they couldn’t find in the area,” Diaz said. Salads, organic offerings, and juices were popular requests. “It’s been hard for us to attract tenants who offer that.”
“People sometimes have this idea that people in the South Bronx don’t purchase things or don’t eat that,” Diaz said. “It’s a great opportunity for economic development.”
SoBro plans on issuing a request for proposals later this year, and wants concessionaires to get started quickly before setting up a more permanent arrangement. “We’re thinking of being really creative, like making them pop-ups, or having trucks,” Diaz said. ”Then we would have to build out the kiosk itself.”
Earlier this month, the project won a $100,000 grant from the Department of Small Business Services. The funds will help pay for the first round of vendors and to draw up a playbook to make things easier for other plaza managers in low-income communities who are interested in operating concessions.
The Neighborhood Plaza Partnership works with more than two dozen plazas and is putting together a best practices report.
“There are some good models of how an RFP is written,” said Laura Hansen, NPP’s managing director. Most examples, however, are from plazas in high-rent Manhattan neighborhoods and not areas like the South Bronx.
“We’re doing a lot of thinking about how you craft an RFP that makes sense for the neighborhood,” she said. “This is our chance to help people figure it out.”
Stephen Miller is a reporter for Streetsblog NYC. He has been covering the movement for safer streets, effective transit, and livable cities since 2012.
Assemblyman Carl Heastie and Bronx Democratic Chair Boss / Image Credit Unknown – Via Facebook profile.
Democratic New York State Assemblyman (and party boss) from The Bronx, Carl Heastie, is the apparent front runner and favorite candidate to become the next Assembly Speaker as Assemblyman Sheldon Silver steps down and is facing corruption charges after a decades long reign in Albany but is Heastie the right choice?
It’s a complex question with a myriad of points to look at. Most Bronxites would salivate at the fact that The Bronx would be the seat of the New York State Assembly and open doors for our borough but at what cost would this be?
Heastie, given his record (or lack thereof), is tainted as much as his would be predecessor.
According to Capital New York analysis and investigations the following was revealed that over 45% of monies awarded by Heastie ($383,400) went to organizations that supported his re-election or to their directors who directly donated to Heastie’s campaign. Capital New York also mentions the fact that Carl Heastie attracted the Moreland Commission to Investigate Public Corruption as they investigated “approximately $25,000 in unitemized credit card expenditures.”
Heastie also continuously has insisted that contributions don’t impact legislative decisions (in what seems like support for Citizens United Supreme Court decision which opened the way for unlimited campaign contributions by corporations by way of PACs (political action committees) yet in 2013 he sponsored a bill that would be harmful to his constituents and The Bronx.
30% of Bronxites do not have bank accounts (second highest rate in the nation and in community board 1 in the South Bronx, over 50% do not bank accounts) and rely heavily on check cashing places. Heastie received $10,000 from check-cash stores and individuals connected with such businesses. In return, the bill which he introduced the Short-Term Financial Services Loan Act which would have amounted to nothing less than predatory lending. It would have allowed check-cashing businesses to make 90-180 day loans of amounts anywhere from $300 to $2,000 and charged up to 200% interest to borrowers.
It’s quite obvious that despite what Heastie says about campaign contributions not influencing him, his track record leads many to believe otherwise.
“Still Heastie, like so many politicians in this town, carries some ugly baggage.
He’s surrounded himself over the years with some advisers for whom the word “sleazy” would be a compliment.
Chief among these is Stanley Schlein. He has been aide to so many party bosses — from Pat Cunningham to Stanley Friedman, who both went to jail, to Jose Rivera, and now Heastie — that Schlein is widely recognized as the borough’s fixer-in-chief. He’s also the key lobbyist for the Yankees with Bronx politicians.
Even after Schlein was banned from lucrative court- appointed guardianships because he’d reportedly mishandled so many of them for his elderly or ailing clients, Heastie put him in charge of helping to pick judicial candidates.”
At the end of the day it all boils down to who really runs the show here in The Bronx and it’s Schlein who has been pulling the strings for so many years. His connections to so many corrupt politicians and representing those of dubious characters like the Arroyos who seem to always attract some sort of scandal is a major cause for concern.
FreshDirect is another huge issue. Bronx residents overwhelmingly do not want FreshDirect to relocate to the borough. The residents of Community Board 1 constantly have fought and continue to fight this deal that would allow 1,000 diesel truck trips a day through a community already experiencing 8x the national rate of asthma and 21 x the hospitalization rate of all city neighborhood yet Heastie has stood by and allowed this deal to continue without challenging it or raising concerns about the impact on its impact on the health of the community.
Read more on Carl Heastie and why his election as Assembly Speaker will lead to no real, progressive change which New York State and New York City is in dire need of in Albany.
TONIGHT ON BRONXTALK: CHANGES IN THE STATE ASSEMBLY – Tonight’s BronxTalk will feature Gotham Gazette reporter David King and Bronx Assembly members to talk about changes in the Assembly and the prospects for the Bronx’ Carl Heastie to be the next Speaker. BronxTalk is hosted by Gary Axelbank on Monday nights at 9:00pm on BronxNet’s channel 67 and Fios 33. It’s also streamed live at bronxnet.org.
Tomorrow, Saturday, January 31st from 1-4pm join The Mix Coffeehaus as they welcome photographer and film producer Dondre Green who will be screening his latest work, ‘Bronx Narratives’.
After the event, several poets will hold a poetry reading and then the mic will be open for any poets out there who want to get up and spit some lyrics for the crowd.
Cats weren’t very popular in our neighborhood. A few old women had them for pets, but there were a lot of strays roaming around, and those were a nuisance. By day they overturned garbage cans to forage for food. At night they converged on the alleyways between buildings and howled, which in turn started the dogs howling. The unwelcome symphony kept a lot of us from sleeping. Some people opened their windows and threw things at the cats- old shoes or other worthless items with some weight to them. A six year-old kid we called “little Benny” used to break their necks or throw them off rooftops.
Dogs were the pets of choice. Sammy Greenstein had a brown boxer. Mimi Feltsker had a beautiful black and tan shepherd named Prince. Burton Hamisch had a nasty, oversized fox terrier named Plato that looked a lot like Burton, right down to a mole on the cheek.
My family had Blackie, a six-pound mutt with black and gray shaggy hair and small, black, alert eyes. She had a nasty temper.
Blackie had come into the family before I was born, while my parents were still living in Brooklyn. Soon after my folks moved to the Bronx, Blackie ran away. My parents combed the neighborhood looking for her and put signs up on lampposts, but to no avail. A week later, a former Brooklyn neighbor called my mother and told her that Blackie was sitting on the kitchen floor in the old, still empty Brooklyn apartment, whimpering. My father wanted to leave her there, but Mom made him drive to Brooklyn to bring her back.
When I was three, Blackie became my dog. No one said, “She’s your dog.” She just took to me. She was only marginally tolerant of others in the family, and altogether hostile toward outsiders.
I started walking Blackie when I was five. Everyone else in the family had walked her without success. For years she’d refused to relieve herself on the street, only doing so when she came back to the apartment. That was frustrating for my parents, especially my mother, who had to clean up after her. When I began to walk her she did just fine, almost as though she sensed the family’s mounting frustration.
Blackie seemed to have decided that I needed her protection. Friends who approached while I was walking her were greeted and scared off by her bared teeth and rumbling growls. I wanted to be with my dog, but I was losing the company of my friends in the process. She was always straining at the leash to get at them. I had to find a way to stop her.
One day I saw Louise, a girl from my building, wheeling a doll carriage in front of our apartment house. A doll carriage might be the answer to my problem. Until then, I hadn’t discussed the situation with my parents. I was afraid they’d give up on Blackie. That night I explained both the problem and my solution to my parents.
“So,” I concluded, “if you get me a doll carriage, the problem will be solved.”
My father, a practical man, said, “Bobby, this might not be the obvious answer you think it is. For one thing, Blackie may be able to jump out of the carriage. For another, she might end up doing her thing in the carriage instead of on the street. Who’d clean up the mess then?”
“Well, Dad, we could get a big doll carriage she couldn’t jump out of. And I’d clean up the mess. Please?”
Mom pointed out the flaw in my plan from her Spartan perspective. “Only little girls get doll carriages. You don’t want people thinking you’re a little girl, do you?”
It seemed that they neither cared about my problem, nor did they appreciate my clever solution.
So, I decided to move into action on my own. There were lots of doll carriages in the neighborhood, and they were mine for the taking. The next day I took some little girl’s carriage.
After I finished walking her, I deposited Blackie in the doll carriage and wheeled her around. She still growled, but she didn’t jump out of the carriage. My friends, while still wary, were back with me. The solution worked so well that I continued to take doll carriages.
I never thought of it as stealing. I was borrowing them. Sometimes I’d borrow as many as four in a single day. Once in a while I used the same carriage all day long. It depended on how many times I took Blackie out, and the availability of carriages that I could safely borrow.
When I finished with a carriage I returned it to the exact place I’d taken it from. I was careful not to be seen. I usually returned them in an improved condition. I oiled squeaky wheels or cleaned off gum that had stuck to them. I cleaned rust stops off metal support rods. I tightened screws that needed tightening.
I never took two carriages in a row from the same street. I had to ask someone to cross me whenever I left my own street, which was to become the fatal flaw in my plan.
For two weeks I continued to borrow one or more doll carriages a day. News spread like wildfire, and a neighborhood alert was put in effect. Mothers for blocks around were vigilant. The notorious doll carriage thief must be caught.
And caught I was. On Grant Avenue. Not while taking a carriage, but after returning one. I’d just asked a woman to help me cross the street. When she held me back by pulling my arm, instead of helping me cross the street, I knew I was in trouble. It was her daughter’s carriage I’d just returned.
“What’s your name?”
“Bobby.”
“Bobby? Bobby what?”
“I don’t know,” I stammered.
“Where do you live?”
Tears had begun to roll down my cheeks and I was sobbing. I couldn’t answer.
“You’d better be scared after what you’ve done. Now, where do you live?”
“I…, I… don’t know.”
“Take me to your mother, you little thief!”
“No,” I managed defiantly, between sobs.
“Take me to your mother or I’ll take you to the police station.” If all the cops were as tough as Lonigan, the beat cop, the police station was the last place I wanted to be.
“1348 Sheridan Avenue. Bobby Grand,” I blurted out.
Carriage mother now had the information she needed. My cooperation no longer necessary, she showed her true colors. Dragging me behind her, fingernails dug into my arm, she marched me across the street and around the block to my mother.
The sight of a distraught, wild-eyed lady pulling Mrs. Grand’s little boy behind her elicited questioning stares from the women on my block. Mom, who’d been sitting in front of our building speaking with neighbors, jumped out of her chair and ran toward us. She looked down at me, then stared at my captor.
“What did you do to my son’s arm? Look at his arm. It’s bleeding!”
“Never mind his arm. The little thief will survive.”
“Get away from him before I call the police.”
“Do you know what your son has been doing?”
My mother’s voice took on the sound of a lioness whose cub was in danger. “I don’t care what he’s been doing. Let go of his arm.” She pried the woman’s hand from my arm and pulled me toward her. I freed myself from my mother’s grip and went over to the entryway of my building and slouched against the glass doors.
The woman’s tone became conciliatory. “I’m sorry. I wouldn’t want anyone holding my daughter like that. It’s just that your son has me, has several of us, very upset.
“For the last couple of weeks there have been a number of missing doll carriages. They were always returned on the same day, but our daughters have been hysterical and none of us could figure out what was happening. We started watching out for one another, if you know what I mean. This morning I came downstairs and saw that my daughter’s carriage was missing. Sandra was in tears. It was hours before I could get her calmed down. What made matters worse is that she’s asthmatic. She had a lot of trouble with her breathing because of this.
“I kept looking out the window all day. When I saw your son returning Sandra’s carriage, I rushed downstairs. I thought I’d be too late to grab him, but there he was on the corner of 169th Street waiting for someone to cross him. The rest you know.”
“I’m sorry he caused you such problems. Is your daughter all right now?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“I’ll take care of this. You can count on that.”
“Please,” the woman said. “I’m sure your son doesn’t realize what trouble his actions could cause.”
The woman turned and headed down the street. She’d forgotten to thank me for oiling the wheels and getting rid of the squeak.
That night my parents, or more precisely my mother (Dad just watched and nodded his accord), laced into me for almost two hours.
The remarks directed at me contained three themes, all of which were designed to evoke guilt. (I should explain that they weren’t designed specifically for this occasion. Guilt-provoking remarks were part of my mother’s cultural and genetic heritage. My ancestors didn’t have any property to hand down, so they passed along their expertise in making others miserable).
The themes were: “I’m so disappointed in you,” “I thought you were smart enough to know better,” and “See…, see what pain you caused that little girl. She could have died because of you.”
The following Saturday my parents, probably afraid that I’d become the next Dillinger unless they took immediate steps to placate me, bought a doll carriage. For the next two years or so, until I became too embarrassed to be seen with it, that was how I took Blackie out. After that, Blackie mellowed and achieved self-control. She became a dignified pet.
For years, whenever I came home from school, Blackie got excited. She’d jump up at me yipping, and licking at my hands when I bent over to pet her. By the time I was eight, she’d begun to show the signs of age. When I was ten, she was fifteen, lame and almost blind. Despite her infirmities and the pain they must have caused her, she still came to the door to greet me when I returned home from school. She never greeted anyone else like that.
One day in April, Blackie wasn’t there to greet me. My mother had taken her to the vet’s and had her put out of her pain.
I didn’t get to say goodbye. I’ve never had a dog I loved as much.
About Bob Grand:
Bob Grand was born in the Bronx in 1938. He lived at 1348 Sheridan Avenue until 1959. For the outlandish rental of $ 65 per month they had a three bedroom one bath apartment in which, for the first ten years of his life, Bob lived with six other people – his Mom’s two sisters, his mom and dad, his older brother, and his widowed grandfather.
He went to P.S. 88, P.S. 90, JHS 22, Taft H.S., and then Hunter College in the Bronx (now Lehman). He mostly attended Hunter at night, graduating in 1966. When he started at Hunter, it cost $25 per semester.
In 1959 he and his family moved to 2325 Morris Avenue. It was an elevator building, something they had longed to live in for many years. It would have been a “step up” if not for the fact that, after all those years of waiting and longing, the apartment was on the ground floor of the elevator building.
He left the Bronx in 1967 to move to Manhattan, feeling very much at home in a 6th floor walkup (remember, he was younger then) studio apartment in the east 60’s for which he paid the huge sum of $ 135/month.
Bob now lives in Monticello, NY, but the Bronx will always be his home. He visits the Bronx often, and is thrilled to see a new generation of Bronxites enjoying living and raising their children there (he has five children and five grandchildren of his own). He wishes they were able to share the joy of neighborhood movie houses and candy stores and what they meant to the culture of his youth and his experience of growing up Bronx.
To that end, we have decided to continue wowing you with little (and popularly) known facts and tidbits about our beautiful borough!
1 – During our country’s first census in 1790, the population of The Bronx was a mere 1,781 folks. It wasn’t until between 1850 and 1860 that our borough experienced the largest growth percentage-wise when the population grew by 193.7%.
In 1850 the population was a mere 8,032 but by 1860 it had ballooned to 23,593. This was largely due to the creation of the villages of Melrose, Melrose East, Melrose South, Woodstock in 1850 where German immigrants flocked to from the Lower East Side.
Today our population continues to rise after the big decline between 1970-1980 when we lost 20.6% of our population (over 300,000 people had fled our borough).
As of 2013, we’re estimated at 1,418,733 people making up our beautiful tapestry that is The Bronx.
An old article from “The Bronx Home News” daily newspaper on the Lindbergh baby.
2 – The Bronx Home News was once our borough’s paper. It was in publication from 1907 until it was gobbled up by the New York Post in 1948.
3 – Although our borough is the only one of New York City’s 5 counties that is on the mainland, we are a peninsula and surrounded by rivers and bays on 3 sides.
Ne cede malis: Do not yield to evil. Remember it well!
4 – The Bronx flag’s colors of orange, white and blue are in honor of our borough’s Dutch heritage. It also carries the Jonas Bronck’s family’s coat of arms as well as our motto ‘Ne cede malis’ — Do not yield to evil.
5 – First Borough President of The Bronx was Louis F. Haffen of Melrose (of the famous Haffen Brewery in Melrose) and served from 1898 until 1909 until he was removed from office due to scandals of favoritism in awarding contracts.
During his lifetime, he saw The Bronx go from being a part of Westchester County, to being a part of New York County and finally being a county of its own.
Architectural rendering of what the Kiingsbridge Armory should look like once redevelopment is completed.
6 – The Kingsbridge Armory is considered “possibly” the largest armory in the world. Built in 1914, it is now being developed into 9 skating rinks. A bit of overkill if you ask us because our borough really needs 9 skating rinks. Only time will tell if this venture is truly successful.
7 – “They’re coming for you Barbara.” That was one of the most classic lines in the horror film genre in ‘Night of the Living Dead’ by film director, writer and editor,George A Romero who was born in The Bronx.
Romero, to this day, has inspired a cult following with movies like Creepshow, written by Stephen King, the zombie Dead Series like ‘Dawn of The Dead’, ‘Day of The Dead’, and ‘Land of The Dead’ and many others.
Mariachi Real de México and Ballet Folklórico Mexicano de New York at Lehman College Photo by Carlos Gálvez / Image Copyright The Jaime Lucero Mexican Studies Institute
9 – The Bronx is the home to the FIRST institute of Mexican Studies. The Jaime Lucero Mexican Studies Institute at Lehman Studies was founded in response to this fast growing segment of the population which from 2000-2010 grew by 57.7% — many of them settling in The Bronx transforming the neighborhoods of Mott Haven and Melrose into a Little Mexico of sorts.
The Mexican community is just one of the many who make this a beautiful borough a wonderful tapestry and reflects the ever changing face of The Bronx.
Our borough has never been static and is always changing!
Starlight Park in 1920 / Image Credit: Unknown, via ephemeral New York
Bartow-Pell Mansion / Image Courtesy of Bartow-Pell Mansion
11 – One of the many hidden gems of our borough is the grand Bartow-Pell Mansion which has been sitting up in the Northeastern Bronx in Pelham Bay Park since 1842.
The history of this property goes back to 1654 when Thomas Pell purchased approximately 9,000 acres from the Siwonay Native Americans — land which would become Westchester County and The Bronx. In 1888 The Bartow family sold the property to the City of New York
The Huntington Free Library and Reading Room / Image from Wikipedia
12 – The Huntington Free Library and Reading Room in Westchester Square is an amazing building which was constructed from 1882 – 1883 and is home of the wonderful East Bronx History Forum which has been hosting many free events and talks teaching the community about our borough’s wonderful history.
Beautiful City Island / Image Courtesy City Island Chamber of Commerce
13 – City Island. Who doesn’t love going to this beautiful island off the coast of our beautiful borough? City Island has something for everyone, including many seafood restaurants, sailing, yacht clubs, and art galleries.
Oh and it won Curbed’s neighborhood of the year for 2014. Ok so it’s not a big deal but it is a big deal.
Beethoven Pianos in business since 1918 still sits at the foot of the 3rd Avenue Bridge.
15 – Melrose Commons section of Melrose is the ONLY LEED Certified Neighborhood in the entire State of New York. This honor recognizes the neighborhood’s multitude of energy efficient developments and sustainability as well as being a neighborhood well connected by transportation.
A new study reveals that there appears to be a correlation with states with high gun ownership and high gun related deaths with Alaska leading the nation per capita and New York State has the 3rd lowest rate of gun related deaths in the country.
“Newly available data for 2013 reveals that states with weak gun violence prevention laws and higher rates of gun ownership have the highest overall gun death rates in the nation, according to a Violence Policy Center (VPC) analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.
Meanwhile, states with the lowest overall gun death rates have lower rates of gun ownership and some of the strongest gun violence prevention laws in the nation. However, even in these states the human toll of gun violence is far above the gun death rate in other industrialized nations.”
“The study defined states with weak gun laws as those that don’t add extra provisions to federal gun laws, such as banning assault weapons or requiring a permit to buy a gun. In addition, states with open or concealed carry laws were considered to have weak gun restrictions.
States with the lowest gun death rates — the top three were Hawaii, Massachusetts and New York — were found to have strong gun laws as well as low rates of gun ownership. A separate 2013 analysis from the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence similarly found that these three states were among those with the strongest gun restrictions in place.
A number of previous studies have linked gun laws and gun ownership with deaths by gun violence, challenging the “more guns, less crime” hypothesis that suggests a higher rate of gun ownership makes communities safer. The Violence Policy Center published a similar study last year, using data from 2011. According to the two studies, between 2011 and 2013, the five states with the highest percentages of gun-owning households saw a noticeable spike in gun deaths per 100,00 residents.
Another recent report from researchers at Johns Hopkins and Stanford Universities found a positive link in all 50 states between right-to-carry laws and a rise in violent crimes.”
So much evidence from these studies clearly show that “more guns, less crime” hypothesis isn’t as on point as some would like it to be.
The evidence clearly shows we’re on the right path in New York State and with crime dropping in The Bronx every year, we still have too many gun related homicides and shootings that can be curbed with even tighter gun laws.
The Bronx Defenders is a beloved institution in The Bronx as public defenders of the less fortunate. They have been at the forefront of advocacy for the community’s voiceless but now that’s all being tarnished because of the actions of a few.
The New York Times reports today:
A New York City investigation has concluded that two government-funded defense lawyers who appeared in a music video that promoted the killing of police officers knew beforehand that the lyrics supported deadly retribution for the death of Eric Garner.
The Department of Investigation found that the executive director of the legal organization, the Bronx Defenders, approved the organization’s involvement without reviewing the lyrics and later misled city officials about her role.
In a statement on Thursday, Mayor Bill de Blasio condemned “any endorsement of violence against police officers.”
“The administration has demanded Bronx Defenders take immediate action in response to the findings of D.O.I.,” Mr. de Blasio said. “Unless those actions are fully responsive to the serious issues raised here, the city will take all legal and contractual actions available to it.”
What’s unfortunate here is the fact Bronx Defenders Executive Director, Robin Steinberg is not taking accountability as the organization’s leader. As the executive director, she is ultimately responsible for anything done under the organization’s name.
Screen shot from Bronx Defender’s website
The organization’s more than 250 employees, however, should not be held accountable for the actions of a few and their leader. I personally know many of these attorneys, case workers, and support staff who are hardworking individuals, often working long hours and weekends to serve the approximately 35,000 clients a year — all whom are some of the most vulnerable of our population.
Screen shot from Bronx Defender’s website
These employees work day in and day out to make sure that these people get the legal help and chance that they deserve, whether it’s immigration cases, families facing evictions, wrongful arrests, or trying to keep families together.
It appears that the leadership of this organization has failed as per the investigation by the Department of Investigation but let us not crucify the vast majority who are fighting the good fight for the little guy. It is also incumbent upon these very good workers of the Bronx Defenders to not remain silent nor defend the actions of their leadership or else their silence will equal consent, just like we often criticize the good officers in the NYPD.
We cannot condone violence against ANYONE, civilian or law enforcement otherwise.
The lamb biryani is an excellent choice for those seeking a nice, hearty meal. (We were so stuffed and excited, we forgot to take a picture of the restaurant!)
Without much fanfare, Hungry Bird — the South Bronx’s first Indian Restaurant — opened up 5 months ago in the Northern fringes of Melrose on Morris Avenue and 164th street just 2 blocks North of the Melrose Public Library and a stone’s throw away from all the courts and offices of our borough’s civic center.
The restaurant’s exterior and interior is rather nondescript with no fancy decor to distract you from the feast you are about to embark upon. The first thing you notice when entering Hungry Bird is how warmly you are received by its staff. It’s all about you, your comfort, and your stay.
When you look at your menu, you won’t even know where to begin. I mean it’s huge. Not including the lunch boxes to go, there are 118 items to choose from whether it’s an appetizer or entree. There’s something for everyone and if you live or work in Melrose and the South Bronx, you know that vegetarian options are a hard find being surrounded with so many fried chicken joints, African restaurants, and Latin American cuisine — and forget about vegan. Hungry Bird has filled that void with a plethora of selections for the vegetarian and vegan lovers out there.
Family bread basket with 4 different naans, all different yet so tasty.
We started out by ordering the Family Bread Basket which came with four different naan breads — plain, cheese, garlic, and a decadent coconut naan known as Peshwari. Each naan was cut up into four very sizable pieces and accompanied by 3 dipping sauces: Onion Chutney, Tamarind, and a spicy Green.
Drinking our thick mango lassis and noshing on the naan, we continued to pour over the menu wondering what to choose. With so many choices we didn’t even know where to begin so we did the next best thing and focused on appetizers.
The mango lassi was perfectly thick and just the right amount of sweetness. Honestly , it was a meal all on its own.
The vegetable samosas and the aloo papri (a mix of potatoes, chickpeas, yogurt, tamarind, and mint) were delicious, although we weren’t aware that aloo papri is a cold dish but still we ate it anyway and it was quite tasty.
You would think that all of this was enough (and believe me it definitely was) but we wanted more and that’s when our entrees arrived. I had the lamb biryani (biryani is a basmati rice dish with vegetables and traditional spices) , my friend had the vegetable one and our other friend ordered the vegetarian aloo gobi, a dish made with potatoes, cauliflower in cumin and other spices with green peas.
The aloo gobi is any vegetarian lover’s delight.
None of the dishes we had were disappointing and needless to say, we couldn’t eat everything so a doggy bag was in order to take home the leftovers (we weren’t letting anything go to waste).
Our hosts insisted that we try one of their deserts so we had the gulab jamun which is basically a fried ball of dough dipped in a sugary clear syrup and it was the perfect way this food-fest.
There is no doubt in my mind or my friends that we’re going back (in fact, this was my second time eating there already) and bonus: They deliver within a 2 mile radius and go as far South as Bruckner Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue in Port Morris and delivery is free.
I would definitely recommend a trip to the spot since the service is very good and makes you feel like you’re being served straight from someone’s home kitchen. The owners and staff are super friendly and patiently explained some of the dishes we weren’t familiar with. Each time they came out with food they carefully explained what we were getting (Indian food can be overwhelming for those not familiar so this is definitely a bonus for eating in).
For those who love ordering online, you can do so via grubHub, seamless and delivery.comor you can call them at 917-801-4900 ($12 minimum for delivery).
There were very few not so great reviews on several of the above sites but the majority of them were quite favorable so don’t let that put you off.
On Yelp, George T (who gave Hungry Bird 4 out of 5 stars) wrote,
“How happy was I when an Indian place popped up out of nowhere in THE BRONX. This momentous occasion is up there with my wedding night and the birth of my first born child, neither of which have happened just yet.
Regardless, There’s finally an indian restaurant close home, and just for existing its gets 3 stars, the extra 1 star is for just being edible. My standards are incredibly high given the 2 year elite status.
Now that i’ve wasted your time, the food is here is actually quite good. I’ve gotten the hungry bird special chicken vindaloo and chicken mahkani—the special is a killer deal, comes with rice, naan, appetizer, and the main dish, 2-3 meals. The curry doesn’t blow me away, but its definitely up to par, as are the sides. ****Chicken in the curry was not dry****
Urayoán Noel, a local writer, poet, performer, as well as assistant professor of English and Spanish at NYU wrote, “Delicious Indian food in the Concourse/Yankee Stadium area. Numerous vegetarian and vegan options. Quick and efficient delivery. A must if you’re in the South Bronx. I’m so glad they’re in the neighborhood!”
If Urayoán gave it 5 stars and thinks it’s good, then I can guarantee you that you WILL enjoy the food.
The opening of an Indian restaurant, along with its popularity, is a clear indication that folks want more diversity and are receptive in trying new things. Hopefully people from the many diverse cultural backgrounds in The Bronx will consider opening up such establishments in the area
If you’ve eaten there, let us know what you think and if you do go, we still want to hear about it!
Hungry Bird is located at 980 Morris Avenue between 164th and 165th Streets:
Now, months later after fund raising for his memorial, Nilka Martell, one of Morgan’s closest friends, has just announced that his family as agreed to allow his ashes to be placed in Woodlawn Cemetery — a place he loved so very much like all of The Bronx.
An exact date hasn’t been set yet but we’re looking at some time in the Spring. Once a date has been finalized, we will be letting you know.
We couldn’t be happier to have our beloved Morgan will finally be able to rest on the soil of The Bronx he loved so very much.
Thank you to everyone who has been patient and have helped this coming home journey come true for a real Bronx Hero
Morgan loved this picture Nilka Martell took of him so much. He said it was his favorite picture ever. The quote to the right was one of his last posts before his untimely passing.
Homeless families outside NYC’s only intake shelter located on 151st Street in The Bronx just off the Grand Concourse this past Monday as Winter Storm Juno hit the area.
The Bloomberg administration spent $65 million in new intake facility in The Bronx on 151st Street back in 2011 making it the only place the city’s homeless population could come to seeking a place to stay.
Now, the de Blasio administration is doing away with such failed policies by creating a second facility in Brooklyn which is scheduled to open sometime this Spring.
In 2014, 37% of the city’s homeless population had their last residence in The Bronx and combined with Brooklyn, both boroughs accounted for a whopping 65% of the homeless population.
In the largest city in the country — a city made up of five counties, it is unfathomable to have one borough take on an entire city’s homeless situation but more importantly, it is extremely cruel to have anyone trek so far from where they once lived.
The city needs to make sure that each borough has a center that is easily accessible to its population for such needed services.
I’ve often witnessed homeless families dragging their belongings on hours long train and bus rides just to get to the Bronx facility.
“We believe that having a place that is more neighborhood-based is more conducive to prevention than having a centralized place that is far away from the people who live in Brooklyn,” said Lilliam Barrios-Paoli, deputy mayor for health and human services. “The closer you are to the neighborhood, the more likely you will be to prevent bad things from happening to families.”
The Brooklyn center will offer families help with staying in their homes through a homelessness-prevention program known as Homebase, launched a decade ago. That program currently isn’t prominently featured at the Bronx facility. Officials hope putting Homebase at an intake facility will ultimately bring down the swelling shelter population.
In an interview, Ms. Barrios-Paoli and Gilbert Taylor, commissioner of the Department of Homeless Services, said locating Homebase at an intake facility is the cornerstone of the de Blasio administration’s new approach to reducing homelessness.
Not everyone is as hopeful, however, as the Wall Street Journal reports that several social services experts feel that providing easier access will only increase the number of people and families entering the system (really?) but the city went on to insist that nothing is changing as far as criteria goes on who is admitted.
All of this sounds good on paper but what does it mean for the homeless crisis our borough and city is experiencing?
At best, it’s only a band-aid on a water pipe solution as rising cost of living and rents coupled with stagnant wages will continue to make life difficult for most of our residents.
We need our communities and political leaders — our borough president included, to take care of our home base and focus more on these issues rather than rebrand our borough which is and will only continue to create a problem for the most vulnerable.
Our borough’s leadership has an opportunity to create a true legacy that will positively impact all Bronxites but only if they choose to focus on the real issues.
The Bronx cannot continue to improve on some level at the cost of others.
The yearning and desire to be loved doesn’t diminish with age. Let’s face it, dating is no easy picnic but it can be especially daunting for our elders who are looking for companionship during their golden years. Whether you have lost your spouse or partner to illness, death, or divorce, it’s never that easy to jump into the fray. AARP has even written articles about dating again and if you’re ready such as this one.
That’s why the Senior Center at The Riverdale YM-YWHA is putting together a speed dating session for folks 60-75 years of age.
From The Riverdale YM-YWHA:
Riverdale Y Senior Center Speed Dating Event
Meet, Mingle, and Match, for Ages 60-75
The Riverdale Y Senior Center will hold a speed dating event for adults 60 to 75 years of age, where participants will meet for seven-minute ‘dates’, mingling over coffee and danish, with the possibility of matching for friendship or more.
The event will take place on Thursday, February 12 from 9:30am to 11:30am at the Riverdale Y Senior Center, 5625 Arlington Avenue, just north of West 256th Street in the Bronx. Admission is free for members of the Riverdale Y and of the Riverdale Y Senior Center; $5 admission for non-members.
Pre-registration for this event is required, and space is limited. For more information and to register, contact Marie Sevy at (718) 548-8200, ext. 204, or msevy@riverdaley.org.
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Welcome2TheBronx has selected a few links on dating for seniors for your convenience:
Canadian Geese Gathering / Mill Pond Park along the Harlem River
The Bronx is beautiful — especially in the snow and we have pics from around our borough to share with you!
Winter Storm Juno was one of the most hyped up storms that never was — at least for The Bronx and the rest of New York City. Even though the original forecasts for NYC were off, not everyone was so lucky. Parts of Eastern Long Island in Suffolk County saw almost 3 feet of snow and many areas of New England were buried in up to 3 feet of snow with Massachusetts taking the brunt of coastal flooding and wind gusts of 58 – 78mph.
Check out our pics taken during and after Juno’s aftermath in The Bronx from both Welcome2TheBronx and many Bronxites alike!
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Have a photo you’d like to have included in the slideshow? Tag us on Instagram @welcome2thebronx or on Twitter @Welcome2TheBx or simply email us at submissions@welcome2thebronx.com !
