Screen capture from Vanessa Gibson's Facebook page.
I’M SO BLESSED!
According to our sources, the Bronx Board of Elections was in quite the rush to verify the 16th City Council District election last week.
Our source tells us that Democratic Party appointees at the Board of Elections were scurrying about to ensure that the election was verified so that council-woman-elect Vanessa Gibson could be officially sworn into office later that evening.
The answer given by Councilwoman Gibson’s office when called was: “Well, Helen Foster left the seat to become New York State Commissioner of the Division of Human Rights, so no one was serving the council district.”
Of course I followed that up with, “That’s fine, but now Assembly District 77 is vacant, so why is the council more important than the assembly?”
That was met with, “Someone will have to get back to you, sir. Where are you calling from?”
So I am left with speculation: could Gibson, a drone-like loyalist to the Bronx Democratic Party Machine, be a pivotal vote in the Council Speaker race? Maybe it has something to do with the Kingsbridge Armory Ice Rink development project? Is it even legal to expedite the swearing-in of a councilmember at the expense of leaving an assembly district unrepresented?
Who knows? All we can know for certain is that Vanessa Gibson is just so blessed! And the 77th Assembly District is now represented by no one.
Gentrification is a very controversial topic which brings out a lot of passionate opinions both in favor and against gentrification.
The question of whether the South Bronx, particularly Melrose, Mott Haven, Port Morris, and the Lower Concourse, will ever gentrify is no longer the correct one. The question is when.
Recently the Gothamist took it upon themselves to answer a reader submitted question on the topic and as usual of journalists who don’t walk the beat and simply research the topic by using Google, they got it all wrong in essentially saying no.
The signs are already there in the aforementioned neighborhoods.
Places like Bruckner Bar and Grill, Ceetay, and the Clock Bar cater to the denizens living in the various loft buildings of Port Morris and Mott Haven.
Former Manhattanites have snatched up Co-op apartments along the lower Concourse below 167th Street for a 3rd or even a 4th of what they would pay for one across the river.
Meanwhile in Melrose, which was one of the fastest growing neighborhoods as most of the rubble strewn lots were developed, you have developments such as the Northrose with middle income units going from $1,146 to $1,900 for a studio. Market rate condominiums opened up in several developments for the first time as well. The old YMCA Center on 161st recently sold for $6.6 million – a clear indicator of how hot the market has become.
Planet Fitness opened up the first national chain gym in the neighborhood which was immediately followed by not one but two Blink Fitness locations which is a no frills fitness center owned by the more exclusive Equinox gym.
The Opera House Hotel, the first luxury boutique hotel in the Bronx also opened in Melrose and with it, Crunch Fitness – a full service and high-end gym will be opening sometime in 2014.
With the 2 and 5 express trains at 3rd Ave and 149th Street where you can get to midtown in 15 minutes as well as the Melrose Metro-North station which gets you in as fast, it is not a question of if we will experience it but when we will begin experiencing it head on.
To that end, the Bronx Documentary Center will host the First Annual Bronx Gentrification Conference where we will go over the documented changes in the neighborhood in an effort to keep an eye on developers.
Many folks welcome new developments and changes as well as new retailers, however we must be ever vigilant in making sure that the Bronx remains for everyone. The South Bronx is home to many of New York’s working class and immigrants painting a beautiful tapestry across our neighborhoods. We cannot let a wave of gentrification wipe it all clean and leaving behind the very people who stayed here to struggle while we were abandoned.
Bruckner Bar was flooded with patrons this past Monday as it reopened its doors after being shut down for over a year due to major damage from Superstorm Sandy.
Upon walking in, it was great to see the place so packed as well as seeing so many familiar faces and friends.
The food and drinks were great as always but don’t just take my word for it, head on down and see for yourself!
People often question why I do what I do and why I am so vocal in helping others.
My simple answer is because someone has to do it and I really and truly believe that we can help bring about change.
Last Friday morning when I found out that our beloved alma mater, Cardinal Spellman High School, was going to host a controversial Anti-Gay speaker at the school I was heartbroken.
I came to Cardinal Spellman High School as a freshman in September of 1989 from a relatively small parochial grade school in the South Bronx.
St Anselm’s, on Tinton Avenue, was all I knew from Head Start straight through 8th grade graduation. You can imagine the culture shock I faced on that day when I went from a class of about 50 in two 8th grade home rooms to a freshman class of over 600 – the largest entering freshman class in Spellman’s history at that point.
As a student in Spellman, I was suddenly different. Where in St Anselm’s we were pretty much all students of color, here I was in sea of multiculturalism. Different. Being gay compounded that fact even further.
But even with a student body that numbered over 2,000 students, the faculty knew us personally and throughout my four years, I felt nothing but compassion and understanding from these mentors. This is why I was disturbed upon hearing that a representative of an organization that lacks this compassion was going to speak at our school.
What contradictory messages were the LGBTQ students to receive if this speaker were to address the Spellman family when being told that they “suffer from an affliction”?
Haven’t we had enough teen suicides from LGBTQ youth because they felt ostracized? This coupled with the fact that Spellman is one of the most academically challenging and demanding schools in the region was not a good combination.
Rather than doing nothing, I immediately wrote a plea to my fellow Spellman graduates to email or call the school and tell them that they would withhold any donations to the school if this meeting took place.
And they did.
I am so proud of our classmates and especially Carlos Solano who was the first one I contacted. He immediately spread the word like fire, wrote an impassioned open letter to the principal, got everyone organized and almost immediately our voice grew to hundreds and hundreds.
The media took note and it culminated in an excellent and balanced article in the New York Times late last night.
And guess what? All you naysayers who thought we were fighting a hopeless battle against one of the oldest institutions were proven wrong this morning as Cardinal Spellman High School has CANCELED tonight’s meeting.
Cardinal Spellman provided us with an unparalleled education, including its religious program which taught us of the compassion of Christ and his acceptance of others, particularly the most marginalized.
We are the result of over 50 years excellence the school has provided. We are the leaders they have produced across the world.
In the ultimate moment of irony, we the students came together and became the teachers using the very skills we were taught by our alma mater.
I have always been fiercely proud of being a Spellman alumn but never prouder than this very moment.
Thank you for all of your support. We truly couldn’t have done it without you.
To our fellow Spellman LGBTQ students: You are not alone and we are here for you. Always.
Statistics overwhelmingly show that white males are more likely to use marijuana yet over 80% of such arrests in NYC are African American or Latino males.
In this article from the New York Times by Jim Dwyer, read about the harsh realities of just one aspect of what a divided city Bloomberg will be leaving us. Perhaps it’s simply because men of color are the new cash crop?
From The New York Times:
A Marijuana Stash That Carried Little Risk
While scores of people are arrested on marijuana charges every day in the city, the laws apparently don’t apply to middle-aged white guys.
Got $8.6 million to spare? This is bedroom, 7 bathroom beauty with 2 swimming pools and 7 fireplaces can be yours. (photos from Trebach Realty)
Many forget that Riverdale is indeed the Bronx and more forget that it is home to some of the most expensive homes outside of the island of Manhattan within New York City.
During the last several weeks, a listing in the Fieldston section of Riverdale caused a raucous on the Internet because finally a castle (of sorts) could be purchased for the price of a New York City apartment – in NYC! Can't quite afford $8.6 million? You're in luck. 4720 Grosvenor Avenue is for sale for only a mere $3.65 million. (photos from Stribling & Associates)
4941 Arlington Avenue is on the market for a whopping $8.6 million and features both an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, 7 full bathrooms and 7 fireplaces and 7 bedrooms (lucky 7 anyone?). The home is beautifully situated on 1.6 acres (unheard of in NYC but quite common in Riverdale) in the Estate Section which is west of the Henry Hudson Parkway.
This past Monday as I was running my errands in the neighborhood, I ran across this new exhibit at the College of New Rochelle’s Gordon Parks Gallery.
Although it was closed when I walked by, I was pleased that Jeffrey Guard at the Bronx Art Exchange had just written about it so allow me to share with you a little more on the exhibit honoring the gallery’s namesake.
“…Gordon Parks was many things, a photographer, composer, filmmaker, writer and activist. His life-journey was filled with extraordinary challenges including losing his mother at 14 and shortly thereafter having to fend for himself on the streets. During the early and mid 20th century he had to fight against the ugly specter of racism that would often deny him one career-making opportunity after another.
Yet, despite these obstacles his talent found its way to the light and, gratefully, all of us can enjoy some of his work; a series of portraits that he took during the 1940’s-1960’s. Most of them are ORIGINAL black and white portraits, composite images of various African Americans ranging from an ordinary husband and wife on their way to church, to the famous and all-powerful Muhammad Ali (after destroying Henry Cooper in the famous 1966 Heavy Weight World Champion Fight held in London.)
His technique and innate mastery of composition, light and the use of negative and positive space all seem effortless. Each of these portraits has a depth to them that could fill a novel. His portrait American Gothic illustrates this most effectively. A slender African-American woman is photographed standing in front of an American flag hold in one hand a broom and in the other a mop. It’s a powerful statement for so many who were relegated to the back-breaking, physically demanding positions of labor without any hope for other career prospects.
All of these images, some might say, ordinary pictures of folk would most likely never have been captured, were it not for Gordon Parks. In dealing with institutionalized racism he captured everyone else who had also been swept to the sidelines of opportunity. But he did not do so from the perspective of victimhood—in fact, if you did not know the history of the US they would otherwise seem like ordinary people just going through things. It’s precisely this aspect that gives the work its longevity.
For any photographer or visual art lover, visiting the Gordon Parks Gallery will truly be a revelation if you have never seen his work or are becoming acquainted with him for the first time.”
Image from old Bruckner Bar and Grill Facebook page.
Over a year after Superstorm Sandy devastated the region and flooded Bruckner Bar & Grill, the beloved restaurant and local watering hole is reopening this coming Monday.
Next Monday, from 6PM to 9PM, the folks from the Bronx Brewery will be serving up their brew all the while welcoming back customers to the famed establishment.
Bruckner Bar & Grill’s absence since it was destroyed by the storm left a big hole in our local community being that it was a favorite meeting spot for locals and Bronxites alike.
Even though it’s opening under new ownership and management, we sure hope we’ll get the same great food and service that we’re used to. Only time will tell but in the meantime, make sure to stop by next week and join in the welcome back festivities!
30 years ago Henry Chalfant’s ground breaking documentary, ‘Style Wars‘ was released and took the Bronx, graffiti culture as well as the relatively then nascent scene of Hip Hop across the world.
Now this Saturday, the Bronx Documentary Center will screen the sequel to the award-winning film which documents what has transpired since the cultural landmark original in the world of graffiti.
Directors of ‘Style Wars II‘ Veli and Amos will follow the screening with a panel discussion together with Henry Chalfant and graff legend BLADE. After Banksy’s month-long residency in New York City and controversial visits to the Bronx, I’m quite sure this is gonna be an excellent discussion.
Saturday, November 9th
Doors open at 6:30PM
Screening starts at 7PM followed by panel discussion.
Suggested donation is $10
Join Banana Kelly Improvement Association along with Andrew Padilla, filmmaker of El Barrio Tours at Hostos Community College for a screening of the film showcasing the sensitive and often emotional topic of gentrification.
The Bronx and particularly Melrose, Mott Haven, and the Lower Concourse in the South Bronx are already seeing the impacts of what some would call gentrification as developments – along with rents continue to rise.
Following the screening there will be an opportunity for discussion so it’s important to come to this event and come together as a community regardless of what side of the issue you’re on.
The event is scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, November 7th at 6PM in the MBJ Cafeteria, Building C at Hostos Community College.
Living in the age where you can easily order anything over your smartphone via the Web or custom apps has made life easier for many of us but did you know that you have easy access to government services at your fingertips too?
For years now I’ve been taking advantage of 311 whenever I encountered anything needing repairs or attention in my neighborhood and they always responded swiftly. From broken streetlights to garbage on empty lots or replacing dead trees, I’ve been able to make a very small impact for the better in my area.
I’ve even used the service to have unsightly graffiti removed.
Now helping keep your neighborhood in order has become easier via your Android phone or iPhone with 311’s handy app. No longer do you need to write down reference numbers and call back or log in to check the status of your claim. That all resides on your app with just a click or two.
When filing a claim you can even submit pictures so that the city agency responding will have a better grasp of the situation.
The app itself is pretty handy as you can quickly check in alerts in NYC and whether or not alternate side parking is in effect so it’s not just limited to complaints.
So when you see something in your neighborhood that requires attention,, rather than complaining and forgetting about it you can quickly get it fixed using the 311 app, their website, or simply calling them.
Have you used 311? Has your experience been a positive or a negative one? Tell Us!
Today I received rather surprising news that New York City’s tourism marketing department, NYC & CO, made a major push to promote the Bronx to both domestic and international visitors to the city. The announcement was made earlier today in London, UK at the World Travel Market, one of the premier travel trade shows.
The United Kingdom remains the top country of origination of international tourists who flock to NYC each year – of which last year over 52 million visitors came to our city.
For years, many of us have been very vocal about trying to get tourists to visit the Bronx so that they too may enjoy the wonderful borough we all love but it was a gargantuan task without the backing of the main tourism company in the city.
Whether it’s the Ramirez brothers and crew at Mainland Media, From the Bronx and the Bronx Beer Hall, Nicole Perrino, founder and editor of BronxMama, Shannon Lee Gistad, founder of Bronx Movers & Shakers, yours truly here at Welcome2TheBronx and Welcome2Melrose, or any of the other countless Bronxites – you’ve heard the clarion call to showcase our home and shed our negative, media-driven stereotypes.
This year, however, none spoke louder than Alexandra Maruri, founder and operate of MCNY Tours, a Bronx-based tour company offering historic tours of some of our great neighborhoods often overlooked by many.
Alexandra was constantly contacting NYC & CO and asking why the Bronx is generally never promoted in their materials other than the usual suspects of Yankee Stadium, Bronx Zoo, and the New York Botanical Garden. The city has been getting millions upon millions of tourists but they were never directed up north so that we can capture some of the $35 billion generated annually in economic activity.
Most of her communications with NYC & CO went ignored or met with resistance. After an article in a local paper described Maruri’s battle with the tourism department to get them to do what’s right, they cancelled her membership out of retaliation and asked her to remove her Bronx marketing brochures from their tourist center.
Numerous calls and emails were sent but they refused to comment. Now several months later we see get this wonderful news and opportunity for the Bronx to shine and cash in on the tourism industry.
To our international readers, of which there are many, the Bronx has always been ready for your visit and we hope you’ll come and enjoy your stay with us now that NYC & CO has given you even more of a reason to do so.
Stay tuned as we will continue to provide you with even more reasons to come visit us.
For excellent tours of our diverse borough, make sure to check out MCNY Tours so you can see the best of the Bronx tours!
If you want to know what to do with your kids and entire family, check out BronxMama.
Interested in the ever growing Bronx art scene? Then Jeffrey Guard and theBronx Art Exchange is your go to destination!
Oh and don’t forget to take a walk with Ruth Papazian via her GoogleGlass as she shows you the Morris Park neighborhood (noted as the CLEANEST neighborhood in all of New York City) through her eyes.
