Join BeerUnion and Gun Hill Brewing Co. tomorrow for the release of the brewery’s Frosted Hop Strong Ale which the two collaborated in making! The event will be held this Saturday, January 10th at 6pm (more details below!)
From the folks at BeerUnion:
“After finishing up our booktour this fall we thought it would be a great idea to do a collaboration beer with a brewery in the city that could highlight ingredients from New York State. Naturally we thought of Gun Hill (they are one of several brewers in the city with a farm brewery license). Owner Dave Lopez informed us that they were planning to release a beer called Frosted Hop Strong Ale using New York State hops. We decided that I would head up to the Bronx to help Brewmaster Chris Sheehan on brew day and we’d collaborate on a release party to benefit a local charity.
Gun Hill will be releasing the beer at the brewery on Saturday January 10, at 6 p.m. The $5 entry fee, along with a portion of every pint of Frosted Hop, and 10% of all the sales from our book Beer Lover’s New York during the event will be donated to Artsmith, a not for profit based in the Bronx. I hope to see you there!”
80 pounds of frozen New York State wet hops were used for this brew / Image Courtesy of BeerUnion
Two years ago, 22 year old Leonardo Gjoni and his family, of the Pelham Bay Park area of The Bronx, experienced one of anyone’s top fears: Their home had been burglarized and thieves had made away with a bicycle, some construction equipment and other items.
“We contacted the local police to tell them about the break in and they informed us that other homes in the area have also been broken into,” Gjoni told us when he reached out to Welcome2TheBronx last week. “Later that day, we approached our neighbors and told them about the break in, only to find out their homes were broken into a few weeks prior to ours.”, he added.
And that’s when the savvy young programmer came up with Shoutloc, a free smartphone app for Android and iPhone devices aimed at connecting communities, particularly urban ones — much like a modern-day bulletin board you would see at supermarkets and local establishments. Not only does Gjoni envision people using the app to alert others within the communities in real time about incidents so that residents can be on the look out but he also sees it as a way where people can connect by posting local events that may be happening.
Born in Albania, Leonardo Gjoni arrived in the United States at the age of 9 and his family eventually settled in The Bronx when he was 13 years old. A graduate of Lehman High School, he went on to attend Westchester Community College but decided to put school on hold as to focus on Shoutloc.
He describes the app as, “…a mobile application for iPhone and Android with the mission to bring together like-minded local residents in urban communities by providing them with the platform for communication to effectively express their interests and concerns within the community.
Gjoni told us that he did some research online and, “…and quickly realized there is a huge lack of transparency in urban communities like the one I live in. Citizens these days are very divided due to economic reasons, racial and cultural differences and don’t realize we’re all part of our communities together and what affects one of us, affects all of us.”
“With Shoutloc, people can Shout about a burglary in the community, a crime they just witnessed to make others aware, a community basketball event that’s taking place or whatever they feel is important to share. Shoutloc offers an efficient way to keep up with your surroundings and to discuss local topics.” he added. With concerns to crimes, he hopes that Shoutloc will encourage people to talk more freely about incidents since many times, crimes go unreported out of fear of retaliation.
We had the chance to test the app (as it’s not yet available and is pending approval by Google Play and Apple’s App Store) and quickly found it to be quite easy to use. The potential of this app can be immediately seen by its simplicity.
Check out the Shoutloc video below:
The app works using your phone’s geographic location (your personal information is not shown other than your chosen screen name, nor is your current address shown). Once you enter a ‘Shout’, you have up to 50 characters to give it a heading and up to 200 characters for a description. You can even add up to 3 images to your ‘Shout’ and once you enter it, it is visible to all users of the app within a 3 mile radius from where you posted it.
Much like Twitter, Facebook, and other social media applications, you can follow fellow subscribers (Shouters?) and see what they’re posting. There’s even a notification panel which gives you updates as people interact with your ‘Shout’ by commenting on it or even liking or “not” liking it by giving a click on the downwards arrow.
Gjoni also went as far as to make sure that objectionable content such as spam or that is racist, sexist, homophobic, sexually explicit, abusive, or otherwise offensive can be flagged for removal. Also, no exchange of private information such as phone numbers or home location is allowed as all shouts are visible by users of the app in the name of safety. Any violators will have their accounts permanently deleted.
Another great feature about the app is that you are not just limited to seeing what ‘Shouts’ are being posted within your 3 mile radius but you can input an address anywhere in the world to see what’s going around that immediate area giving you a portal into those communities as well but you can’t post in those locations unless you are physically there. This is pretty cool for travelers to see ahead of time what’s going on around where they’ll be staying since this is a
There are many other features and plans for Shoutloc in the future but Gjoni is currently focused on getting a few thousand users first once the app is officially approved so that he can further study user behavior. Once enough people are using the app, he’ll be able to determine how to further develop the innovative app.
You can sign up to be notified once Shoutloc is ready for download at over at their website and if you’re on Facebook make sure to join Shoutloc’s pageor Twitter to also receive the latest updates. (Please make sure you do sign up and also like their Facebook page, it’s important that we support our small businesses and entrepreneurs.
Once the app gets a critical mass of users, we definitely think this will be one of the most useful social apps out there because of the heavy focus on community and community building.
Bronx and Melrose resident, Dan Hoyle will be performing pieces from his show, “Each and Every Thing” at the Bronx Documentary Center Friday, January 16th at 7:00PM.
From the BDC:
Award-winning writer/performer Dan Hoyle will perform excerpts from his show “Each and Every Thing” discuss his research and creation process and take questions on Jan. 16, at the BDC.
“Each And Every Thing” received the highest rating from the San Francisco Chronicle, which called it a “smartly constructed and highly entertaining, globe trotting ‘slow-tech movement’ embodiment of the essential need to prioritize face-to-face, real-world relationships.” It was also called a “poignant, funny comment on the digital age” by the San Jose Mercury News. From a showdown with a violent felon in small-town Nebraska, to a childhood listening to anti-conformist rants in San Francisco; from the hard-scrabble corner boys of Chicago to the intellectual temple of Calcutta’s famed coffeehouse; from a Digital Detox retreat in remote Northern California to an intimate confession in Manhattan, Each And Every Thing finds Hoyle searching for true community, spontaneity, and wonder in a fractured and hyper-connected world.
Suggested donation: $5
The Bronx Documentary Center is located at 614 Courtlandt Avenue at E 151st Street
Bronx and Melrose resident, Dan Hoyle will be performing pieces from his show, “Each and Every Thing” at the Bronx Documentary Center Friday, January 16th at 7:00PM.
From the BDC:
Award-winning writer/performer Dan Hoyle will perform excerpts from his show “Each and Every Thing” discuss his research and creation process and take questions on Jan. 16, at the BDC.
“Each And Every Thing” received the highest rating from the San Francisco Chronicle, which called it a “smartly constructed and highly entertaining, globe trotting ‘slow-tech movement’ embodiment of the essential need to prioritize face-to-face, real-world relationships.” It was also called a “poignant, funny comment on the digital age” by the San Jose Mercury News. From a showdown with a violent felon in small-town Nebraska, to a childhood listening to anti-conformist rants in San Francisco; from the hard-scrabble corner boys of Chicago to the intellectual temple of Calcutta’s famed coffeehouse; from a Digital Detox retreat in remote Northern California to an intimate confession in Manhattan, Each And Every Thing finds Hoyle searching for true community, spontaneity, and wonder in a fractured and hyper-connected world.
Suggested donation: $5
The Bronx Documentary Center is located at 614 Courtlandt Avenue at E 151st Street
Peter, the awesome barista at Mix Coffehaus getting my chai latte ready!
We received pleasant news that The Mix Coffehaus pop up has extended their stay at 55 Bruckner Boulevard in Port Morris!
Peter served up a wicked chai latte (my go to beverage when I find myself at a Starbucks and will say that Starbucks ain’t got nothing on these guys!). The best part was that I was able to get cozy and have a nice, long conversation with some friends.
But don’t wait too long for The Mix Coffehaus will only be open until the end of January daily from 8am – 5PM and then it’s off to find a permanent space!
During that first initial conference, we talked about the many issues and pending developments in The Bronx. Now this year’s conference will be solution-oriented focused on the issues surrounding the controversial topic.
Please note: SPACE IS LIMITED and you must purchase tickets in advance. If you are a Bronx resident and cannot purchase a ticket in advance, there will be a total of 15 tickets at the door exclusively for Bronx residents ONLY and will be available at a discount of $7. A valid ID showing your Bronx address must be presented so that we can ensure that these tickets go to Bronx residents ONLY.
UPDATE: Due to a huge response for the gentrification conference, we are no longer holding 15 tickets at the door on the day of the event for Bronx residents who cannot purchase tickets online. Instead, we are asking that those interested in the 15 tickets to kindly purchase them at the BDC BEFORE the 17th. You can do so Mon – Fri between Noon and 6pm. Please call us at (718) 993-3512 to make sure tickets are still available before coming.
More information straight from the BDC below including links to purchase your tickets as well as the schedule of events for the conference.
Our second annual gentrification conference at the BDC will provide South Bronx residents with the opportunity to learn about and discuss issues surrounding gentrification. The conversation will focus on solutions to gentrification.Please note due to interest you must purchase an advance ticket to attend. Thank you for your understanding.
PURCHASE TICKETS AT: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/11482054:00PM: Before and after photo slideshow of the Bronx. Featuring work from: Jika González, Edwin Torres, Berthland Tekyi-Berto, Austin Crimmins, Mansura Khanam, and David Delgado4:15PM: Photographer Burroughs Lamar slideshow and talk.5:00PM: My Brooklyn Screening
A documentary about the ways public policy is fueling gentrification and displacement in Brooklyn by director Kelly Anderson and producer Allison Lirish Dean.
6:30PM: Panel discussion with director of My Brooklyn Kelly Anderson and Professor Michael Partis (additional panelists to be announced shortly).
About the Panelists:
Michael Partis (https://medium.com/@chewitblingon) is an applied anthropologist and instructor in the Center for Ethnic Studies at CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College. He is Chief Research and Policy Officer for Young Movement Inc., where he works on community-based economic development. He also is the co-founder and co-director of The Bronx Brotherhood Project, a community-based youth development program designed to provide college readiness and adult male mentorship to low-income Bronx Black and Latino high school males. Michael is the founder of the Hip-Hop Thought Project (http://smartpawns.tumblr.com/)
Kelly Anderson’s most recent film is My Brooklyn, a documentary about gentrification and the redevelopment of Downtown Brooklyn. Her other work includes Never Enough, a documentary about clutter, collecting and Americans’ relationships with their stuff, and Every Mother’s Son, a documentary she made with Tami Gold about mothers whose children have been killed by police officers and who have become national spokespeople on police reform. Every Mother’s Son won the Audience Award at the Tribeca Film Festival, aired on POV, and was nominated for a national Emmy for Directing. Kelly’s other documentaries include Out At Work (also with Tami Gold), which screened at the Sundance Film Festival and was broadcast on HBO. She is a Professor in the Department of Film and Media Studies at Hunter College (CUNY).
Suggested donation: $15, $7 Bronx residents, 18 and under free.
The Bronx Documentary Center is located at 614 Courtlandt Avenue at the corner of E 151st Street and is easily accessible by subway at the 2/5 trains at 3rd Avenue and 149th Street or a number of buses such as the 2, 4, 15, 19, 41, SB41, or by car. A 24 hour parking lot is located directly adjacent to the BDC.
Bess Myerson, 1945, upon being crowned Miss America – the first and only Jewish woman to have won the title. / Image credit: AP
Without much as a whisper of her passing, Bronx born and raised Bess Myerson, America’s first and only Jewish Miss America, passed away last month on December 14th at the age of 90. She was known as the woman who refused to change her name so it wouldn’t sound too Jewish.
Myerson, who was crowned Miss America in 1945 just days after the end of World War II, lived in Van Cortlandt Village area of The Bronx with her family at Shalom Aleichem Cooperative, one of the country’s first residential cooperatives.
Later in her life, she was constantly by the side of her friend, another former Bronxite, the late Mayor Ed Koch. Many accused Myerson of being the late Mayor’s cover up “companion” as accusations and rumors constantly swirled about that he was gay.
The New York Times reported on her death:
Ms. Myerson was one of a select group of American figures to parlay pop culture celebrity into positions of influence in the public square. She led two New York City agencies, Consumer and Cultural Affairs; advised three presidents; championed social causes; and supported powerful political careers. She also sought one for herself, entering a much-watched primary race for the United States Senate. For a long time she seemed rarely out of the news.
The headlines began the night she walked down the runway at the Warner Theater in Atlantic City, a musically talented daughter of a house painter from the Bronx wearing the most coveted crown in the land — an honor she would come to rue as narrowly defining her.
Bess Myerson, a New York house painter’s daughter who was crowned Miss America in 1945 and whose vibrant career as a television personality and consumer affairs activist was sullied by a tawdry municipal scandal involving her lover, has died at 90.
According to public records, she died Dec. 14 in Santa Monica, Calif., her town of residence. Her death was not announced publicly, marking an uncharacteristically obscure end to a life of dazzle and tumult.
A raven-haired, hazel-eyed beauty who stood 5-foot-10, Ms. Myerson was a captivating figure from the moment she was named the first — and still only — Jewish Miss America. Born to immigrant Jews from Russia, she was raised in a Bronx housing project and embodied an up-from-poverty success story that made her an overnight sensation and possibly the best-known Miss America in the contest’s history.
For decades, she enjoyed something close to reverence among a generation of Jews who had lived through the Holocaust and found in her win a symbol of Jewish assimilation and acceptance in an otherwise hostile world.
“In the Jewish community she was the most famous pretty girl since Queen Esther in ancient Persia,” author Susan Dworkin wrote in “Miss America, 1945: Bess Myerson’s Own Story,” a book published in 1987.
Behind the scenes, Ms. Myerson faced a thornier reality. In a time of rampant anti-Semitism, the Miss America pageant director urged her to change her name to make it sound less Jewish; she refused. As a Miss America representative, she found country clubs canceling her visits and corporate sponsorships dropping away. Bess Myerson, a Miss America tarnished by scandal, dies at 90 – Washington Post
NPR writes:
When Bess Myerson borrowed a bathing suit in 1945 to compete in the Miss New York City competition, she could not have known the wild wave she would ride during her life in the public eye.
Before Myerson competed in Atlantic City, N.J., for the title of Miss America, the director of the pageant tried to get her to change her name so it would sound less Jewish. Myerson rejected the advice and kept her name.
“It turned out to be one of the most important decisions I ever made,” she said in Susan Dworkin’s 1987 book, Miss America, 1945: Bess Myerson’s Own Story.
In the book, Myerson says, “Already I was losing my sense of who I was; already I was in a masquerade, marching across stages in bathing suits. Whatever was left of myself in this game, I had to keep, I sensed that. I knew I had to keep my name.”
While touring the country after winning the crown, she encountered “No Jews” signs, and many of the opportunities usually associated with winning the crown dried up. Disappointed at how she had been treated after her pageant win, she accepted an offer from the Anti-Defamation League to speak on the lecture circuit. The title of her speech was: “You Can’t Be Beautiful and Hate.” From Miss America To Tabloid Fodder: Bess Myerson Dies At 90 – NPR
Bess Myerson, 1945, upon being crowned Miss America – the first and only Jewish woman to have won the title. / Image credit: AP
Without much as a whisper of her passing, Bronx born and raised Bess Myerson, America’s first and only Jewish Miss America, passed away last month on December 14th, 2014 at the age of 90. She was known as the woman who refused to change her name so it wouldn’t sound too Jewish.
Myerson, who was crowned Miss America in 1945 just days after the end of World War II, lived in Van Cortlandt Village area of The Bronx with her family at Shalom Aleichem Cooperative, one of the country’s first residential cooperatives.
Later in her life, she was constantly by the side of her friend, another former Bronxite, the late Mayor Ed Koch. Many accused Myerson of being the late Mayor’s cover up “companion” as accusations and rumors constantly swirled about that he was gay.
The New York Times reported on her death:
Ms. Myerson was one of a select group of American figures to parlay pop culture celebrity into positions of influence in the public square. She led two New York City agencies, Consumer and Cultural Affairs; advised three presidents; championed social causes; and supported powerful political careers. She also sought one for herself, entering a much-watched primary race for the United States Senate. For a long time she seemed rarely out of the news.
The headlines began the night she walked down the runway at the Warner Theater in Atlantic City, a musically talented daughter of a house painter from the Bronx wearing the most coveted crown in the land — an honor she would come to rue as narrowly defining her.
Bess Myerson, a New York house painter’s daughter who was crowned Miss America in 1945 and whose vibrant career as a television personality and consumer affairs activist was sullied by a tawdry municipal scandal involving her lover, has died at 90.
According to public records, she died Dec. 14 in Santa Monica, Calif., her town of residence. Her death was not announced publicly, marking an uncharacteristically obscure end to a life of dazzle and tumult.
A raven-haired, hazel-eyed beauty who stood 5-foot-10, Ms. Myerson was a captivating figure from the moment she was named the first — and still only — Jewish Miss America. Born to immigrant Jews from Russia, she was raised in a Bronx housing project and embodied an up-from-poverty success story that made her an overnight sensation and possibly the best-known Miss America in the contest’s history.
For decades, she enjoyed something close to reverence among a generation of Jews who had lived through the Holocaust and found in her win a symbol of Jewish assimilation and acceptance in an otherwise hostile world.
“In the Jewish community she was the most famous pretty girl since Queen Esther in ancient Persia,” author Susan Dworkin wrote in “Miss America, 1945: Bess Myerson’s Own Story,” a book published in 1987.
Behind the scenes, Ms. Myerson faced a thornier reality. In a time of rampant anti-Semitism, the Miss America pageant director urged her to change her name to make it sound less Jewish; she refused. As a Miss America representative, she found country clubs canceling her visits and corporate sponsorships dropping away. Bess Myerson, a Miss America tarnished by scandal, dies at 90 – Washington Post
NPR writes:
When Bess Myerson borrowed a bathing suit in 1945 to compete in the Miss New York City competition, she could not have known the wild wave she would ride during her life in the public eye.
Before Myerson competed in Atlantic City, N.J., for the title of Miss America, the director of the pageant tried to get her to change her name so it would sound less Jewish. Myerson rejected the advice and kept her name.
“It turned out to be one of the most important decisions I ever made,” she said in Susan Dworkin’s 1987 book, Miss America, 1945: Bess Myerson’s Own Story.
In the book, Myerson says, “Already I was losing my sense of who I was; already I was in a masquerade, marching across stages in bathing suits. Whatever was left of myself in this game, I had to keep, I sensed that. I knew I had to keep my name.”
While touring the country after winning the crown, she encountered “No Jews” signs, and many of the opportunities usually associated with winning the crown dried up. Disappointed at how she had been treated after her pageant win, she accepted an offer from the Anti-Defamation League to speak on the lecture circuit. The title of her speech was: “You Can’t Be Beautiful and Hate.” From Miss America To Tabloid Fodder: Bess Myerson Dies At 90 – NPR
Proposed map of a new streetcar system in The Bronx which would benefit many underserved areas of our borough. Can the streetcar be the link which can help an already overburdened system in our borough and city? Some other routes to better connect the East and West Bronx can be along Fordham Road /Pelham Parkway and Gun Hill Road as well, creating a truly integrated transit experience in The Bronx
A couple of months ago we sat down with Bob Diamond, Chairman of the Brooklyn Historical Railway Association, along with several members of BHRA and Bronxite Richard Garey of the West Bronx. For some time now, Richard and I had been discussing the poor transit options in the West Bronx and the vacuum left behind when the Third Avenue El was ripped, leaving a hole in Morrisania straight up to Fordham forcing millions to make do with buses and transfers leading to longer commutes.
When the Third Avenue El was dismantled, the Bronx had lost over 300,000 people during the burning years but its loss is probably being felt the greatest today now that the population is growing and we are very near our historic high of 1.45 million residents in 1950. Development is rampant in these areas with thousands of affordable housing units being constructed each year yet our transportation network has not kept up with the pace.
Our buses are more crowded than ever and slower, our subway lines have residents packed like sardines and sure the new SB express buses have been introduced in The Bronx and other boroughs but they are just but band-aids on a serious problem.
So the big question is, can the streetcar make a come back in our borough and across the city and make our lives better? After sitting down with the group and pouring over the data it certainly seems like it can, with the right amount of backing from city, state, and federally elected politicians.
Extensive research has been done by Bob Diamond and BHRA showing how cost effective the entire plan is and now, more than ever, there are federal funds to actually achieve these projects.
On a typical rush hour morning in the Bronx, there are a few sounds that are so familiar that it is easy to drown them out. Whether it is the horn of the railroad trains, the rumbling of the elevated subways, or the revving of the buses, these stimuli seem like facts of daily life. However, as unremarkable as these images may seem there is something missing. Few people take the time to figure out what is missing or why. The missing link in our public transportation scene is the streetcar (also known as the trolley). At its apex it was the technological marvel of its time and omnipresent in the Bronx.
The tale of the streetcar begins in the 1830’s. As American cities began to expand, new forms of transportation were needed to transport citizens. Paved roads were a rarity and only heavily trafficked roads warranted the expense of pavement.[1] The main forms of transportation were walking and horse drawn omnibus. Rough road conditions of the era limited horse pulled omnibuses to a pitiful 4 mph.[2] They were also too expensive for most city dwellers.[3]
Fortunately there were some improvements. Innovative thinkers realized that it would be cheaper to lay iron rails on the road instead of paving it over.[4] In November of 1832, the New York and Harlem River Railroad built the world’s first horsecar railway from Prince Street to 14th Street along the Bowery.[5] The horsecar resembled a stagecoach on train tracks pulled by a horse.[6] It was more efficient because the metal wheels on metal rails reduced friction and the smooth rails allowed for 30% faster speeds.[7] Consequently, this allowed residents to commute 2-3 miles away from the city center.[8] New York mayor Walter Browne remarked that the horsecar was “the grandest achievement of man.”[9] This represented an important advancement in the concept of street railways.
Despite the success of the horsecar, it was still limited by its animal power source. Eventually their usefulness declined as cities developed to maximum extent of horsecar lines as Manhattan did in 1870.[10] The final blow to the horsecar came in 1872 with the Great Epizootic.[11] This was a strain of horse flu, which killed thousands of horses severely limiting the horsecar as a form of transportation.
Frank J. Sprague discovered the answer to the propulsion dilemma: electricity. Sprague is a relatively unknown visionary who worked under the famed Thomas Edison.[12] In 1884, Sprague attempted to bring electric technology to New York City. He set up an electric test track in an alley on E 24th street and asked to meet with Jay Gould who controlled the elevated lines.[13] At the time, the els were run using steam locomotives. Gould arrived for the test run but Sprague, perhaps excited, applied power too early creating an electrical malfunction.[14] There was a loud boom and a blinding flash, which severely frightened Gould.[15] Consequently, the scared millionaire refused to use the technology forcing Sprague to find a new venue for his idea. Sprague got his opportunity in 1887 when he won a contract to build a streetcar network in Richmond, Virginia.[16] A successful electric streetcar network had never been implemented anywhere else in the worldIn 1888 he successfully presented his masterpiece to the worldushering in the age of the electric streetcar.[17] By 1902, street railways were almost all electrified, had over 22,500 miles of track, and carried 5.8 billion passengers.[18]
In the Bronx, all streetcar lines were eventually consolidated under the Third Avenue Railway. It started as the Third Avenue Railroad Company in 1853 and originally operated a horsecar line between City Hall and 61st Street.[19] In 1898 it acquired the Union Railway, which had controlled almost all of the streetcar lines in the Bronx and Lower Westchester.[20] The Third Avenue Railroad went into receivership and for a time became part of the Metropolitan Street Railway.[21] The Metropolitan Street Railway was the result of several large mergers instituted by Thomas Fortune Ryan.[22] The company had 3000 streetcars and 300 miles of track.[23] It was so busy it required 10 streetcars per mile! In 1908, it was reorganized and became the Third Avenue Railway. The new company now controlled all the streetcar lines in the Bronx and put 800 new streetcars into service.[24] With this expansive network riders could potentially take the streetcar from Manhattan to Westchester. However, passengers typically used the streetcars for local trips. On long lines passenger loads would turn over several times.[25] This indicated that the streetcar network supplemented faster rail transit such as subways, els, and railroads. The streetcar was one link in a transportation network that included all the major transportation modes of its time. In 1926 the street railway industry had peaked and ridership reached a high of 17.2 billion passengers.[26] By the 1930’s these streetcars had been through both a World War and a depression and were in need of replacement.[27] However, Mayor Fiorello La Guardia viewed the streetcars with disdain and believed buses were more “modern.”[28] The mayor refused to renew Third Ave Railway’s operating franchise without the caveat that they convert their fleet of electric streetcars to diesel buses.[29]Unfortunately, in August 1948 all streetcar lines were converted to buses.[30]
The PCC was the premier model of streetcar and was developed in New York City.[31] An association of 25 electric street railways from around the country formed an organization, Electric Railway Presidents Conference Committee, dedicated to developing the next generation of streetcar.[32] They established a workshop in the 9th Ave trolley depot in Brooklyn with funding supplied by all 25 companies.[33] In a mere 5 year period during the Great Depression, the organization was able to design a modern streamlined streetcar with an improved propulsion and braking system and other ride quality improvements.[34] The first production streetcar PCC 1001 was tested on the streets of Brooklyn in 1936.[35] Ironically, later that year Mayor LaGuardia cut the ceremonial ribbon inaugurating the PCC’s first day of service in Manhattan.[36] Although the mayor disliked the streetcars, the general public loved them. The New York Times even called the PCC “ the greatest improvement in the streetcar since the elimination of the horse.”[37] The PCC’s were so important at their time that government allowed them to be manufactured during World War II.[38]
However, beginning in this period a consortium of fossil fuel interests created National City Lines, an organization whose goal was to replace streetcar lines with busses. The parties to this corporate scheme were not limited to Standard Oil, General Motors, and Firestone Tires.[39] Their aim was to convert streetcar systems to motorized busses and reap the benefits of increased profits.[40] The head of the Electric Railroaders Association, Edwin Quinby, began to sound the alarm as streetcars began to disappear from cities across the country. Following this expose the federal government brought antitrust proceedings against General Motors and others in the U.S v. National City Lines, which resulted in a guilty verdict and small fine of $5000.[41] Bus troubles continued into the 1970’s when New York City led a class action lawsuit against General Motors for monopolizing the bus industry.[42]
However, the growing demand for better public transit provided the foundation for the return of streetcars. A recent flurry of streetcar projects has been prompted by the availability of federal funds following the stimulus package and President Obama’s support.[43] Opportunities are finally arriving in New York. The MTA’s own reinvention commission report recently recommended utilizing light rail to supplement traditional rail lines.[44]
The streetcar can also function as a tourist attraction. It has been immortalized in American pop culture thanks to the entertainment industry in films such as A Streetcar Named Desire and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. This has helped to make the streetcar an entertaining form of transportation, especially in cities that run vintage streetcars. In this way the streetcar is analogous to the famed monorail in Disney World. This can help draw visitors into parts of the city that the usually would not go to. San Francisco utilized this approach to revitalize its waterfront. After an earthquake in 1989, the city tore down the Embarcadero freeway and built a new boulevard complete with vintage streetcars.[47] The line doubled as a tourist attraction and a new commuter resource.
Streetcars also present another advantage over buses, they energy efficient and non-polluting. The contact of the metal wheels on metal rails allows the streetcar to move more efficiently than any bus possibly could. [48] This reduces their operating costs in comparison with busses. Since they run on electricity, they are non-polluting. Historically, residents of New York City have struggled with the effects of harmful diesel emissions, which have caused spikes in asthma rates and other harmful health issues. The replacement of busses with streetcars will remove these emitters from our streets. Streetcars will increase the quality of life for all residents of the Bronx and will continue to make local neighborhoods a better place to live.
Streetcars represent a physical investment in a neighborhood. They have the effect of attract choice riders, those who have cars and don’t need to ride public transportation.[49] Attracting choice riders will help take cars off the road reducing automotive pollution and taking cars off the road. Streetcars give commuters a more pleasant ride than the bus. They have a certain romantic allure that buses do not have.
A more robust public transit will allow our citizens to save money that otherwise would have been spent on automobile maintenance. According to the American Public Transportation Association New Yorkers can save $14,835 annually by switching to public transportation.[50] The streetcar is a vital link in the transportation network.
Despite the benefits of streetcars, New York City has not jumped onto the streetcar bandwagon. Plans for streetcars have been floating around for decades. So far there have been attempts in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island but none have proved successful so far. In Manhattan, the group Vision 42 has pushed to transform 42nd Street into a car free boulevard to speed up crosstown transit. The 42nd Street crosstown initially had some momentum and was approved by the city council in 1994 but lack of funds derailed the project. [51] In Staten Island, the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation has been promoting light rail as the key to facilitate growth in the borough for over a decade.[52] However, the MTA’s recent capital budget did not include any funding for this project.[53] Finally in Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Historic Railway Association developed a plan to link the transit-starved community of Red Hook with Downtown Brooklyn. However, a DOT study conducted in 2011 stalled the project citing high costs and potentially low ridership. [54]
The common thread in all of these projects is the prohibitive costs. Even this should not stand in the way of streetcar development. Over the years enterprising streetcar groups have developed ways to lower costs and attract more private investment reducing the financial burden on municipal governments and making streetcars cost competitive with their rival Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). Detroit, which has made headlines recently for its financial troubles, is currently building a streetcar line of its own. The streetcar in Detroit is a product of a non-profit organization, M1 Rail, and is the first effort of its kind. The Detroit streetcar will be built and operated by this non-profit.[55] M1 has been successful in leveraging federal funding and private investment to pay for their project.[56] This funding scheme debunks the notion that streetcar lines are too expensive for cities to construct. In addition, the Brooklyn Historic Railway Association has developed a new construction paradigm that has promised to dramatically reduce construction costs. Using this paradigm, a mile of double track streetcar line will only cost $13 million, a fraction of the cost other cities have been paying for the same length. With reduction in costs and the multiple benefits streetcars present an obvious solution to many of the cities transportation woes.
The Brooklyn Historic Railway Association has developed a preliminary streetcar system for the Bronx that will alleviate crowding on public transit and connect the boroughs various landmarks. We have laid out a North – South Route that will connect places like Yankee Stadium to the planned Ice Center at the Kingsbridge armory. It will also serve the West Bronx and Third Avenue Corridor, which currently are only served by a few lonely Metro-North stops. This line will reinvigorate the heart of the Bronx, bringing life back to the neighborhoods surrounding the old courthouse. It will fill a gap left by the Third Ave el. Our East-West route will run along Tremont Ave and link the East Bronx to existing subway lines and provide a link to an underserved community. We believe that we can develop a modern and innovative streetcar at a price that will make it hard to ignore. We believe that the streetcar should be returned to the Bronx
Images:
OmnibusStreetcar New York and Harlem R.R Horsecar (http://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2013/06/21/the-streetcars-of-the-new-york-and-harlem-railroad/) NOTE: Because friction was greatly reduced by running the vehicle on rails, two horses pulling a streetcar, could do the work of 16 horses dragging an Omnibus. The same asymmetrical energy use holds true for today’s urban transportation vehicles…Physics of Efficiency “Fractional Hysteretic Energy Loss” inherent in all pneumatic tire vehicles
Electric Streetcars on the Bronx- Then And Now Scenes
Fordham Rd & Webster Ave
E 180th St
Bruckner Blvd & Tremont Ave
138th St & 3rd Ave
Burnside Ave & University Ave
Tremont Ave & Walton Ave167th St & Grand Concourse with Trolley Underpass
167th Street Trolley Station Today Could easily be re-opened for modern streetcar useNew Orleans Replica Vintage Streetcar http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streetcars_in_New_Orleans#mediaviewer/File:New_Orleans_Streetcars_2009_05.jpg
San Francisco PCC, F Market & Wharves Lines http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F_Market_%26_Wharves#mediaviewer/File:Car_1015_(Illinois_Terminal)_on_Market_Street.jpgPhiladelphia SEPTA Streetcar https://www.flickr.com/photos/studio34/2416404061/
[19]Kramer, Frederick A. Across New York by Trolley: A Pictorial Review of the Third Avenue Railway System in Manhattan, the Bronx and Westchester. New York: Quadrant, 1975. Print. p.5
[42] Ranzal, Edward. “COURT BACKS CITY ON ITS G.M. SUIT; Judge Allows a Class Action by 200 Localities Over Alleged Bus Monopoly.” New York Times 10 Aug. 1973: n. pag. Print.
[43]“The Appeal of Modern Streetcars Continues to Mount, But There Are Obstacles to It Bringing Mobility Gains.” The Transport Politic RSS. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2011/10/10/the-appeal-of-modern-streetcars-continues-to-mount-but-there-are-obstacles-to-it-bringing-mobility-gains/>.
[46]“KC Streetcar Sparks Half a Billion In Investment, But Is That Its Main Purpose?” – Next City. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://nextcity.org/daily/entry/kc-streetcar-sparks-half-a-billion-in-investment-is-that-its-main-purpose>.
[47]“San Francisco’s Embarcadero.”Congress for the New Urbanism. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://www.cnu.org/highways/sfembarcadero>.
[48]“Terra Nova: Roads to Rails, and the Streetcar of the Future.”Places Journal. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://placesjournal.org/article/roads-to-rails/>.
[49]“Race, Class, and the Stigma of Riding the Bus in America.”CityLab. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://www.citylab.com/cityfixer/2012/07/race-class-and-stigma-riding-bus-america/2510/>.
[52]“Frustrations, and Desperate Demands for More Public Transportation $$ on Staten Island as MTA Shapes Capital Plan.”SILive.com. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2014/08/a_call_for_more_public_transpo.html>.
[53]“North Shore Bus Rapid Transit and West Shore Light Rail Projects Excluded from MTA’s $32B Capital Plan.” SILive.com. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2014/09/mtas_32b_capital_plan_excludes.html>.
[54]“New Streetcar Plan Reignites Old Red Hook Controversy.” Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/2014/4/29/new-streetcar-plan-reignites-old-red-hook-controversy>.
Proposed map of a new streetcar system in The Bronx which would benefit many underserved areas of our borough. Can the streetcar be the link which can help an already overburdened system in our borough and city? Some other routes to better connect the East and West Bronx can be along Fordham Road /Pelham Parkway and Gun Hill Road as well, creating a truly integrated transit experience in The Bronx
A couple of months ago we sat down with Bob Diamond, Chairman of the Brooklyn Historical Railway Association, along with several members of BHRA and Bronxite Richard Garey of the West Bronx. For some time now, Richard and I had been discussing the poor transit options in the West Bronx and the vacuum left behind when the Third Avenue El was ripped, leaving a hole in Morrisania straight up to Fordham forcing millions to make do with buses and transfers leading to longer commutes.
When the Third Avenue El was dismantled, the Bronx had lost over 300,000 people during the burning years but its loss is probably being felt the greatest today now that the population is growing and we are very near our historic high of 1.45 million residents in 1950. Development is rampant in these areas with thousands of affordable housing units being constructed each year yet our transportation network has not kept up with the pace.
Our buses are more crowded than ever and slower, our subway lines have residents packed like sardines and sure the new SB express buses have been introduced in The Bronx and other boroughs but they are just but band-aids on a serious problem.
So the big question is, can the streetcar make a come back in our borough and across the city and make our lives better? After sitting down with the group and pouring over the data it certainly seems like it can, with the right amount of backing from city, state, and federally elected politicians.
Extensive research has been done by Bob Diamond and BHRA showing how cost effective the entire plan is and now, more than ever, there are federal funds to actually achieve these projects.
On a typical rush hour morning in the Bronx, there are a few sounds that are so familiar that it is easy to drown them out. Whether it is the horn of the railroad trains, the rumbling of the elevated subways, or the revving of the buses, these stimuli seem like facts of daily life. However, as unremarkable as these images may seem there is something missing. Few people take the time to figure out what is missing or why. The missing link in our public transportation scene is the streetcar (also known as the trolley). At its apex it was the technological marvel of its time and omnipresent in the Bronx.
The tale of the streetcar begins in the 1830’s. As American cities began to expand, new forms of transportation were needed to transport citizens. Paved roads were a rarity and only heavily trafficked roads warranted the expense of pavement.[1] The main forms of transportation were walking and horse drawn omnibus. Rough road conditions of the era limited horse pulled omnibuses to a pitiful 4 mph.[2] They were also too expensive for most city dwellers.[3]
Fortunately there were some improvements. Innovative thinkers realized that it would be cheaper to lay iron rails on the road instead of paving it over.[4] In November of 1832, the New York and Harlem River Railroad built the world’s first horsecar railway from Prince Street to 14th Street along the Bowery.[5] The horsecar resembled a stagecoach on train tracks pulled by a horse.[6] It was more efficient because the metal wheels on metal rails reduced friction and the smooth rails allowed for 30% faster speeds.[7] Consequently, this allowed residents to commute 2-3 miles away from the city center.[8] New York mayor Walter Browne remarked that the horsecar was “the grandest achievement of man.”[9] This represented an important advancement in the concept of street railways.
Despite the success of the horsecar, it was still limited by its animal power source. Eventually their usefulness declined as cities developed to maximum extent of horsecar lines as Manhattan did in 1870.[10] The final blow to the horsecar came in 1872 with the Great Epizootic.[11] This was a strain of horse flu, which killed thousands of horses severely limiting the horsecar as a form of transportation.
Frank J. Sprague discovered the answer to the propulsion dilemma: electricity. Sprague is a relatively unknown visionary who worked under the famed Thomas Edison.[12] In 1884, Sprague attempted to bring electric technology to New York City. He set up an electric test track in an alley on E 24th street and asked to meet with Jay Gould who controlled the elevated lines.[13] At the time, the els were run using steam locomotives. Gould arrived for the test run but Sprague, perhaps excited, applied power too early creating an electrical malfunction.[14] There was a loud boom and a blinding flash, which severely frightened Gould.[15] Consequently, the scared millionaire refused to use the technology forcing Sprague to find a new venue for his idea. Sprague got his opportunity in 1887 when he won a contract to build a streetcar network in Richmond, Virginia.[16] A successful electric streetcar network had never been implemented anywhere else in the worldIn 1888 he successfully presented his masterpiece to the worldushering in the age of the electric streetcar.[17] By 1902, street railways were almost all electrified, had over 22,500 miles of track, and carried 5.8 billion passengers.[18]
In the Bronx, all streetcar lines were eventually consolidated under the Third Avenue Railway. It started as the Third Avenue Railroad Company in 1853 and originally operated a horsecar line between City Hall and 61st Street.[19] In 1898 it acquired the Union Railway, which had controlled almost all of the streetcar lines in the Bronx and Lower Westchester.[20] The Third Avenue Railroad went into receivership and for a time became part of the Metropolitan Street Railway.[21] The Metropolitan Street Railway was the result of several large mergers instituted by Thomas Fortune Ryan.[22] The company had 3000 streetcars and 300 miles of track.[23] It was so busy it required 10 streetcars per mile! In 1908, it was reorganized and became the Third Avenue Railway. The new company now controlled all the streetcar lines in the Bronx and put 800 new streetcars into service.[24] With this expansive network riders could potentially take the streetcar from Manhattan to Westchester. However, passengers typically used the streetcars for local trips. On long lines passenger loads would turn over several times.[25] This indicated that the streetcar network supplemented faster rail transit such as subways, els, and railroads. The streetcar was one link in a transportation network that included all the major transportation modes of its time. In 1926 the street railway industry had peaked and ridership reached a high of 17.2 billion passengers.[26] By the 1930’s these streetcars had been through both a World War and a depression and were in need of replacement.[27] However, Mayor Fiorello La Guardia viewed the streetcars with disdain and believed buses were more “modern.”[28] The mayor refused to renew Third Ave Railway’s operating franchise without the caveat that they convert their fleet of electric streetcars to diesel buses.[29]Unfortunately, in August 1948 all streetcar lines were converted to buses.[30]
The PCC was the premier model of streetcar and was developed in New York City.[31] An association of 25 electric street railways from around the country formed an organization, Electric Railway Presidents Conference Committee, dedicated to developing the next generation of streetcar.[32] They established a workshop in the 9th Ave trolley depot in Brooklyn with funding supplied by all 25 companies.[33] In a mere 5 year period during the Great Depression, the organization was able to design a modern streamlined streetcar with an improved propulsion and braking system and other ride quality improvements.[34] The first production streetcar PCC 1001 was tested on the streets of Brooklyn in 1936.[35] Ironically, later that year Mayor LaGuardia cut the ceremonial ribbon inaugurating the PCC’s first day of service in Manhattan.[36] Although the mayor disliked the streetcars, the general public loved them. The New York Times even called the PCC “ the greatest improvement in the streetcar since the elimination of the horse.”[37] The PCC’s were so important at their time that government allowed them to be manufactured during World War II.[38]
However, beginning in this period a consortium of fossil fuel interests created National City Lines, an organization whose goal was to replace streetcar lines with busses. The parties to this corporate scheme were not limited to Standard Oil, General Motors, and Firestone Tires.[39] Their aim was to convert streetcar systems to motorized busses and reap the benefits of increased profits.[40] The head of the Electric Railroaders Association, Edwin Quinby, began to sound the alarm as streetcars began to disappear from cities across the country. Following this expose the federal government brought antitrust proceedings against General Motors and others in the U.S v. National City Lines, which resulted in a guilty verdict and small fine of $5000.[41] Bus troubles continued into the 1970’s when New York City led a class action lawsuit against General Motors for monopolizing the bus industry.[42]
However, the growing demand for better public transit provided the foundation for the return of streetcars. A recent flurry of streetcar projects has been prompted by the availability of federal funds following the stimulus package and President Obama’s support.[43] Opportunities are finally arriving in New York. The MTA’s own reinvention commission report recently recommended utilizing light rail to supplement traditional rail lines.[44]
The streetcar can also function as a tourist attraction. It has been immortalized in American pop culture thanks to the entertainment industry in films such as A Streetcar Named Desire and Who Framed Roger Rabbit. This has helped to make the streetcar an entertaining form of transportation, especially in cities that run vintage streetcars. In this way the streetcar is analogous to the famed monorail in Disney World. This can help draw visitors into parts of the city that the usually would not go to. San Francisco utilized this approach to revitalize its waterfront. After an earthquake in 1989, the city tore down the Embarcadero freeway and built a new boulevard complete with vintage streetcars.[47] The line doubled as a tourist attraction and a new commuter resource.
Streetcars also present another advantage over buses, they energy efficient and non-polluting. The contact of the metal wheels on metal rails allows the streetcar to move more efficiently than any bus possibly could. [48] This reduces their operating costs in comparison with busses. Since they run on electricity, they are non-polluting. Historically, residents of New York City have struggled with the effects of harmful diesel emissions, which have caused spikes in asthma rates and other harmful health issues. The replacement of busses with streetcars will remove these emitters from our streets. Streetcars will increase the quality of life for all residents of the Bronx and will continue to make local neighborhoods a better place to live.
Streetcars represent a physical investment in a neighborhood. They have the effect of attract choice riders, those who have cars and don’t need to ride public transportation.[49] Attracting choice riders will help take cars off the road reducing automotive pollution and taking cars off the road. Streetcars give commuters a more pleasant ride than the bus. They have a certain romantic allure that buses do not have.
A more robust public transit will allow our citizens to save money that otherwise would have been spent on automobile maintenance. According to the American Public Transportation Association New Yorkers can save $14,835 annually by switching to public transportation.[50] The streetcar is a vital link in the transportation network.
Despite the benefits of streetcars, New York City has not jumped onto the streetcar bandwagon. Plans for streetcars have been floating around for decades. So far there have been attempts in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island but none have proved successful so far. In Manhattan, the group Vision 42 has pushed to transform 42nd Street into a car free boulevard to speed up crosstown transit. The 42nd Street crosstown initially had some momentum and was approved by the city council in 1994 but lack of funds derailed the project. [51] In Staten Island, the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation has been promoting light rail as the key to facilitate growth in the borough for over a decade.[52] However, the MTA’s recent capital budget did not include any funding for this project.[53] Finally in Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Historic Railway Association developed a plan to link the transit-starved community of Red Hook with Downtown Brooklyn. However, a DOT study conducted in 2011 stalled the project citing high costs and potentially low ridership. [54]
The common thread in all of these projects is the prohibitive costs. Even this should not stand in the way of streetcar development. Over the years enterprising streetcar groups have developed ways to lower costs and attract more private investment reducing the financial burden on municipal governments and making streetcars cost competitive with their rival Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). Detroit, which has made headlines recently for its financial troubles, is currently building a streetcar line of its own. The streetcar in Detroit is a product of a non-profit organization, M1 Rail, and is the first effort of its kind. The Detroit streetcar will be built and operated by this non-profit.[55] M1 has been successful in leveraging federal funding and private investment to pay for their project.[56] This funding scheme debunks the notion that streetcar lines are too expensive for cities to construct. In addition, the Brooklyn Historic Railway Association has developed a new construction paradigm that has promised to dramatically reduce construction costs. Using this paradigm, a mile of double track streetcar line will only cost $13 million, a fraction of the cost other cities have been paying for the same length. With reduction in costs and the multiple benefits streetcars present an obvious solution to many of the cities transportation woes.
The Brooklyn Historic Railway Association has developed a preliminary streetcar system for the Bronx that will alleviate crowding on public transit and connect the boroughs various landmarks. We have laid out a North – South Route that will connect places like Yankee Stadium to the planned Ice Center at the Kingsbridge armory. It will also serve the West Bronx and Third Avenue Corridor, which currently are only served by a few lonely Metro-North stops. This line will reinvigorate the heart of the Bronx, bringing life back to the neighborhoods surrounding the old courthouse. It will fill a gap left by the Third Ave el. Our East-West route will run along Tremont Ave and link the East Bronx to existing subway lines and provide a link to an underserved community. We believe that we can develop a modern and innovative streetcar at a price that will make it hard to ignore. We believe that the streetcar should be returned to the Bronx
Images:
OmnibusStreetcar New York and Harlem R.R Horsecar (http://www.iridetheharlemline.com/2013/06/21/the-streetcars-of-the-new-york-and-harlem-railroad/) NOTE: Because friction was greatly reduced by running the vehicle on rails, two horses pulling a streetcar, could do the work of 16 horses dragging an Omnibus. The same asymmetrical energy use holds true for today’s urban transportation vehicles…Physics of Efficiency “Fractional Hysteretic Energy Loss” inherent in all pneumatic tire vehicles
Electric Streetcars on the Bronx- Then And Now Scenes
Fordham Rd & Webster Ave
E 180th St
Bruckner Blvd & Tremont Ave
138th St & 3rd Ave
Burnside Ave & University Ave
Tremont Ave & Walton Ave167th St & Grand Concourse with Trolley Underpass
167th Street Trolley Station Today Could easily be re-opened for modern streetcar useNew Orleans Replica Vintage Streetcar http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streetcars_in_New_Orleans#mediaviewer/File:New_Orleans_Streetcars_2009_05.jpg
San Francisco PCC, F Market & Wharves Lines http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F_Market_%26_Wharves#mediaviewer/File:Car_1015_(Illinois_Terminal)_on_Market_Street.jpgPhiladelphia SEPTA Streetcar https://www.flickr.com/photos/studio34/2416404061/
[19]Kramer, Frederick A. Across New York by Trolley: A Pictorial Review of the Third Avenue Railway System in Manhattan, the Bronx and Westchester. New York: Quadrant, 1975. Print. p.5
[42] Ranzal, Edward. “COURT BACKS CITY ON ITS G.M. SUIT; Judge Allows a Class Action by 200 Localities Over Alleged Bus Monopoly.” New York Times 10 Aug. 1973: n. pag. Print.
[43]“The Appeal of Modern Streetcars Continues to Mount, But There Are Obstacles to It Bringing Mobility Gains.” The Transport Politic RSS. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2011/10/10/the-appeal-of-modern-streetcars-continues-to-mount-but-there-are-obstacles-to-it-bringing-mobility-gains/>.
[46]“KC Streetcar Sparks Half a Billion In Investment, But Is That Its Main Purpose?” – Next City. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://nextcity.org/daily/entry/kc-streetcar-sparks-half-a-billion-in-investment-is-that-its-main-purpose>.
[47]“San Francisco’s Embarcadero.”Congress for the New Urbanism. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://www.cnu.org/highways/sfembarcadero>.
[48]“Terra Nova: Roads to Rails, and the Streetcar of the Future.”Places Journal. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://placesjournal.org/article/roads-to-rails/>.
[49]“Race, Class, and the Stigma of Riding the Bus in America.”CityLab. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://www.citylab.com/cityfixer/2012/07/race-class-and-stigma-riding-bus-america/2510/>.
[52]“Frustrations, and Desperate Demands for More Public Transportation $$ on Staten Island as MTA Shapes Capital Plan.”SILive.com. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2014/08/a_call_for_more_public_transpo.html>.
[53]“North Shore Bus Rapid Transit and West Shore Light Rail Projects Excluded from MTA’s $32B Capital Plan.” SILive.com. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2014/09/mtas_32b_capital_plan_excludes.html>.
[54]“New Streetcar Plan Reignites Old Red Hook Controversy.” Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Web. 10 Dec. 2014. <http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/2014/4/29/new-streetcar-plan-reignites-old-red-hook-controversy>.
After much voting (and folks arguing online on who the best neighborhood would be) City Island is Curbed’s Neighborhood of the Year!
Congratulations to The Bronx and all the Clamdiggers and Musselsuckers for coming out and voting. It’s not much but it gives our community and borough some bragging rights since Curbed, after all, is the premier real estate blog in NYC.
After much voting (and folks arguing online on who the best neighborhood would be) City Island is Curbed’s Neighborhood of the Year!
Congratulations to The Bronx and all the Clamdiggers and Musselsuckers for coming out and voting. It’s not much but it gives our community and borough some bragging rights since Curbed, after all, is the premier real estate blog in NYC.
