The Metropolitan Transit Authority, the agency that runs the New York City bus and subway system, is considering a fare hike that would start in the middle of 2023 and push fares to $2.90 per ride and to $3.02 per ride by 2025 in order to close an ever-increasing budget gap.
While the agency hasn’t voted on any plan and any plan pushed forward would require a public hearing period before the board actually votes on it, a fare hike is almost certain as the base fare of $2.75 per ride hasn’t changed since 2015.
According to the MTA, the fare hikes are needed in order to raise revenues that have been lost due to historic low ridership as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As of last week’s work week, daily ridership on subways was averaged just 63.4% of the pre-pandemic daily averages.
A Manhattan-bound 4 train enters the 149th Street and Grand Concourse station in The Bronx
With many workers continuing to work remotely, New York City’s subway system is a literal ghost of its former self but in a borough of essential workers, like in The Bronx, many didn’t have the choice and luxury to stay and work from home during the height of the pandemic. In fact, some of the highest ridership on the subway system came from The Bronx during that period and the borough continues to have some of the highest ridership numbers in the city as a result of its high numbers of essential workforce.
And while a hike may seem necessary, as usual, it will come at the cost of the most vulnerable and in New York City, that, unfortunately means residents in The Bronx who have the highest poverty rate not just in the city but in the state.
The MTA must have its funding increased by Governor Kathy Hochul as well as the federal government in order to avoid such an increase.
In a time of rampant inflation, this is the last thing that Bronx residents need to worry about.
After decades of promises and false starts, ground has finally broken on the transformative Metro North Penn Station access in The Bronx today.
The ceremonial groundbreaking event was held at the site of the future Parkchester/Van Nest Metro North stop—one of four to be constructed in the East Bronx—that will bring direct rail service to Manhattan’s Penn Station as well as points north to Westchester and Connecticut in the estimated $3.18 billion project.
Local elected officials, including Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, Congressman Ritchie Torres, and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, join Governor Hochul in Parkchester for the ceremonial groundbreaking/via Governor’s Office
“We are bringing modern, safe, and reliable public transportation to East Bronx communities and with it, more economic opportunity for New Yorkers,” Governor Hochul said in a statement.
“In partnership with Senator Schumer, Representatives Torres, Ocasio-Cortez, and Bowman, and Amtrak, Penn Station Access will not only drastically reduce commute times, but it will also help connect hundreds of thousands of residents and boost local economies. I’m thankful for MTA’s partnership to get this project off the ground, and I look forward to seeing the completed project to help ensure all New Yorkers have access to the modern public transportation that they deserve.” added governor Hochul.
The future stations, which will be located in Co-op City, Morris Park, Parkchester/Van Nest, and Hunts Point, will provide 500,000 residents with not only a new way of commuting into Manhattan, but will also drastically reduce commute times by almost an hour each way thus providing an increased quality of life for so many Bronx residents.
Rendering of the Morris Park Station/via MTA
For too long, these communities have been considered transit deserts due to the fact that many residents need to travel by at least one bus just to simply connect to a subway line.
Representative Ritchie Torres said, “For too long the Bronx has been neglected when it comes to public transportation. The Penn Access metro expansion project is a step forward in ensuring that the Bronx has adequate Metro access. This expansion not only cuts down on travel time, improves regional connectivity, and it provides for local economic benefits. The Bronx is thriving and not just surviving, and this project is a critical step in ensuring the growth of our community.”
Today’s groundbreaking comes on the heels of New York City Mayor Eric Adam’s announcement yesterday of his ambitious housing plan where he called to relax rules for developers that would speed up construction by up to 50% in order to address the housing crisis facing the city. Adams also called for the construction of 500,000 new homes in 10 years including 6,000 new residential units around the four new East Bronx Metro North Stations to be built by 2027.
The Hell’s Gate Line, as it’s being called, will branch off from the New Haven Metro North Line which currently runs from Connecticut through east Westchester County/Via NYC.gov
While this is a momentous time in history for Bronx residents in terms of quality of life issues surrounding transportation, in order for this project to reach its full potential impact, the MTA must make fares for intra-city commute the same as the subway.
If a resident is traveling into Penn Station or say from Co-op City to Hunts Point or any of the other stations within The Bronx, the fare shouldn’t cost more than the bus or subway.
Elected officials must push the governor and MTA to reconsider how they price rides within the city in order to truly make this an equitable project that benefits everyone and not just a select few who can afford it.
As New Yorkers, we’ve always known that living in New York City was expensive compared to other cities worldwide.
Many often believed it to be the most expensive in the world. Still, it wasn’t until a report released in recent days by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) that declared New York City to, in fact, be the most expensive city on the planet.
It’s official: New York City is the most expensive city in the world.
Bumped up from number six just a year ago by the EIU, New York City ties in first place with Singapore for the not-so-pleasant recognition as such.
The methodology utilized in the report to come up with the rankings is pretty straightforward. It surveys more than 400 individual prices of over 200 essential products and services, including utility bills, food, rent, drinks, cost of commuting via public transportation, taxis, gas prices, recreational costs, and other essential expenses and compares then across 172 different cities across the globe.
Soaring inflation has increased these prices in the past year by an average of 8.1%, according to the report, which accounts for how New York City was propelled to the number one spot for the first time in the report’s 30-year history. The EIU reports that this is the fastest rate it has increased for at least 20 years and attributes the increase to the war in Ukraine and China’s continuing restrictions and lockdowns due to COVID-19.
The report also cites a strengthened US dollar this year as one of the other factors that has pushed New York City.
And in The Bronx, residents are all too familiar with these increased prices. Grocery budgets buy less than they did a year ago, let alone two.
Hundreds of Bronx residents line up in the rain at a food pantry, often standing for hours just to get a hold of basic food staples.
Nowhere else in New York City has felt inflation the way Bronxites do, given the unfortunate fact that the borough has the lowest median household income, which was $43,540 in 2019 and, according to a report by the NYU Furman Center, was 40% lower than the citywide median of $72,930 and is coupled with the highest poverty rate in the city which is 26.4% versus the citywide rate of 16%.
Local Bronx residents continue to flock to food pantry lines to supplement what they can no longer afford at the cash register.
Rents continue to rise, and according to Zumper, an online real estate listing website, rental prices in The Bronx have increased by 15% compared to last year, with the average one bedroom listing rent at $2,000 a month.
Most of the rent increase in average asking rents can be attributed to the influx of luxury apartments in the South Bronx neighborhoods of Port Morris and Mott Haven, where the average asking rent listed on StreetEasy is $2,785 for one-bedroom apartments.
The following is the full list of the top ten most expensive cities in the world:
A lottery has launched for affordable apartments in a newly constructed development in the South Bronx.
Located at 341 E 162nd Street in the Melrose neighborhood of The Bronx, the development was constructed on a lot that had sat vacant for decades and owned by NYCHA.
Melrose North Apartments
60 percent of the 171 units are set aside for set aside for formerly unhoused individuals or families with special needs that have been referred by city agencies and the remaining 40 percent of the units are the ones that are available via the affordable housing lottery system on Housing Connect.
Rents start as low as $919 a month for a one bedroom unit and $1,094 a month for a two bedroom apartment. There are also several units available with rents as low as $0 a month depending on your household income, however, no details have been provided as to how exactly qualify for these.
Melrose North Apartments, as the development is known, doesn’t have many amenities to write about other than the basic shared laundry room, community room, and outdoor space as well as a bike storage room which has become pretty standard in developments in recent years.
The development is also served by several bus lines and sits directly adjacent to the Melrose Metro North station which can easily take residents to, say Fordham, in just 6 minutes.
Breakdown, rents and income requirements for units are as follows:
50%
$919 a month for 1 bedroom units for households making $34,689-$60,050
$1,094 a month for 2 bedroom units for households making $41,966-$72,050
70%
$1,345 a month for 1 bedroom units for households making $49,475-$84,070
$1,606 a month for 2 bedroom units for households making $59,520-$100,870
$1,844 a month for 3 bedroom units for households making $68,778-$115,850
80%
$1,559 a month for 1 bedroom units for households making $56,812-$96,080
$1,862 a month for 2 bedroom units for households making $68,298-$115,280
$2,140 a month for 3 bedroom units for households making $78,926-$132,400
There are also 8 units set aside for households with no minimum income requirements but making no greater than 50% of the Area Median Income and those breakdowns are as follows:
50%
$0 a month for 2 bedroom units for households making $0-72,050
$0 a month for 3 bedroom units for households making $0-$82,750
Melrose North Apartments
Please note, for each unit, there are other requirements such as number of people per household and further income requirements based on household size so refer to the Housing Connect website for further details.
How to Apply
For those interested in applying, you have until December 27, 2022 and you can do so online or you can request an application by mail by sending a self-addressed envelope to:
To request an application by mail, send a self-addressed envelope to:
P.O. Box 3004 2024 Jerome Avenue Bronx, NY 10453
Remember, you can only apply ONCE and you may not apply both online and by mail. Applying more than once can and will disqualify you according to the lottery rules.
25% of units are set aside for NYCHA residents, 5% of units are set aside for individuals with mobility issues and 2% for those with vision and/or hearing impairments. 50% preference for residents of Community Board 4 (to see which community board you live in, click here), and 5% for New York City employees.
Also, please note: We are NOT connected with this or any other real estate developments and cannot assist you in obtaining an apartment so please do not contact us regarding these units.
Every once in a while, we’ll take a look at current real estate listings in The Bronx for available properties for sale just to see what’s going on in the borough and each time we do, we’ll spot something that catches our eye.
This time around, 4715 Independence Avenue in Riverdale just took the cake at not only currently being the most expensive single family home on the market in The Bronx but actually having some sort of historical claim.
4715 Independence Avenue, aka Alderbook Mansion, is up for sale for just $5,495,000/Image via Corcoran Group
Known as Alderbook Mansion (yes, the home has a name, how chic, no?), 4715 Independence Avenue is currently listed for sale for a mere $5,495,000 by the Corcoran Group and according to public records, it’s a huge 7,324 square foot home on over half an acre of land.
Such oversized lots for single family homes are extremely rare and are only found in a handful of neighborhoods within New York City like Riverdale and Fieldston in The Bronx, Todt Hill on Staten Island, and Jamaica Estates in Queens to name some of the very few.
Alderbook Mansion’s foyer/Via Corcoran Group
According to the listing, the mansion was constructed around 1858 (New York City public records reports the year as 1859) when Riverdale and the rest of The Bronx were still part of Westchester County and it is the only one of Park Riverdale’s original villas to still remain as a single family home, or as in this case, a mansion.
While the home is nearly 200 years old, it was extensively renovated throughout back in 2009.
Alderbook Mansion features 8 bedrooms, 6.5 bathrooms, and 8 fireplaces and sits right across from one of The Bronx’s best gems, Wave Hill.
So if you have a few extra millions of dollars around doing nothing in your bank account and are looking for a mansion, look no further than The Bronx where you can have the best of both worlds.
Check out that breakfast nook in the kitchen/Via Corcoran Group
If not, check out the gallery below or scroll back up and take a video tour of the most expensive home for sale in The Bronx or just go to the listing and check out more details.
This story is part of MISSING THEM, THE CITY’s COVID-19 memorial and journalism project. MISSING THEM wants to understand the pandemic’s collective impact on New Yorkers. Did you experience long-term health problems after getting sick with COVID? Share your experience with us here. We’d also like to hear from those of you who are caring for people with long COVID including family members, caregivers and medical professionals.
By Sarah Luft of The City
Latinos across the entire city and residents of The Bronx reported long COVID symptoms at disproportionately high rates last year, according to new data from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene obtained by THE CITY.
In The Bronx — which has the highest COVID death rate in New York City — 28% of adults who had COVID said they had lingering symptoms, the highest percentage in the city. In Manhattan, 20% of adults who had COVID said they had lingering symptoms, the lowest percentage in the five boroughs.
Of Latino adults in New York City, 30% who had COVID reported at least one long COVID symptom, compared to 23% of all white adults who had COVID.
Corona, Queens residents wait on a blocks-long line to collect food from a church during coronavirus outbreak, April 27, 2020 | Ben Fractenberg/THE CITY
This data comes from the DOHMH’s 2021 New York City Community Health Survey, which has yet to be released.
The survey randomly selected around 10,000 adults in New York City and asked if they had experienced any long-lasting health effects following a COVID infection such as cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, brain fog, headaches, joint pain, gastrointestinal upset, blood clots and depression. This marked the first time the department had asked these questions in its annual community health survey.
Dr. Celia Quinn, the health department’s deputy commissioner for disease control, testified at a City Council hearing last month that the 2021 health survey suggests that “up to 30% of New York adults who have had COVID-19 may experience some form of long COVID.”
Women were 1.4 times more likely to report symptoms than men.
“This represents a major public health burden and threat,” said Dr. Denis Nash, an epidemiologist and the executive director of CUNY’s Institute for Implementation Science in Population Health. “Once someone recovers from the acute phase of their COVID infection, it doesn’t mean that they’re necessarily going to be back to normal in a short period of time. Many, many people are struggling.”
https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/Eu6xz/3/
The survey, which relies on New Yorkers to self-report symptoms, may not capture the full picture. “We could potentially underestimate the burden of long COVID in some communities,” Nash said. “Those with better access to care might be more likely to endorse the link [to COVID].”
The high rates of long COVID in The Bronx confirm that “a lot of the risk factors for long COVID overlap with COVID, and they also overlap with socioeconomic disadvantage,” he added.
City to Track Long COVID
Since COVID-19 is a new virus, studies like this one “are important to expand our understanding of its impacts,” Quinn said in an email through a health department spokesperson. The city health department is working to establish a system to monitor the prevalence and severity of long COVID among New Yorkers over time, the spokesperson added.
Scientists can’t yet say conclusively what’s driving disparities in long COVID rates, though experts point to a few possible causes. Black, Latino and low-income New Yorkers are more likely to have Type 2 diabetes and HIV — conditions that research shows increasethe likelihood of developing long COVID.
Women are more likely to experience autoimmune diseases, and scientists have observed a correlation between some of these conditions and long COVID. Women also tend to take on a higher share of household labor, which can inhibit adequate rest. Lack of rest, especially early on during illness, has been shown to exacerbate long COVID.
Transgender, bisexual and disabled people are also reporting higher rates of the condition, according to national data.
“Infectious diseases can be markers of inequity, marginalization, and discrimination,” said JD Davids, a New Yorker and longtime HIV and AIDS activist who co-founded The Network for Long COVID Justice. “I think it’s imperative that we look specifically in New York City to see what’s happening.”
Little Relief, Few Answers
Katrina Corbell, 44, caught COVID-19 in March 2020 as the city was shutting down. Each time she thought she might be on the mend, her shortness of breath, migraines, sinus pain and diarrhea returned in full force.
Corbell wears an N95 mask after getting food at a Manhattan soup kitchen, Nov. 22, 2022. | Hiram Alejandro Durán/THE CITY
“I just kept getting worse and worse,” she said. “I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t even stay awake.”
In the months that followed, Corbell, who lives in The Bronx, found little relief. She developed a racing heart rate and dizziness, while old health challenges reemerged. Corbell has a history of epilepsy. She had been without seizures for two years; suddenly, they were back.
Like many people with long COVID, Corbell found few answers from her doctors. Some were supportive, some dismissive — and all were puzzled. After almost three months of escalating symptoms, her primary-care physician identified high levels of D-dimer protein in her blood, which can indicate blood clotting. Her doctor urged her to stay calm, pack a bag, put out food for her cat and go to the ER.
There, she was treated for a pulmonary embolism, which occurs when blood clots block blood flow in an artery in the lung. Just a week prior, her pulmonologist had dismissed Corbell’s COVID concerns and failed to detect the clots.
Like Corbell, people with long COVID can experience a range of symptoms and related conditions. Both blood clots and neurological conditions like seizures are associated with long COVID. It’s estimated that half of people with long COVID meet the diagnostic criteria for myalgic encephalomyelitis, or chronic fatigue syndrome, a complex and debilitating condition.
New Yorkers can be screened for long COVID at two dozen private and public clinics across the city, including three city-run COVID-19 Centers of Excellence in The Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens. To date, the centers have had more than 20,000 visits, according to testimony by NYC Test and Treat Executive Director Ted Long at the Council hearing last month.
The city also offers AfterCare, a phone line and webpage that directs New Yorkers with long COVID to local clinics and an online support group.
Searching for More Support
Yet health advocates say these services don’t go far enough. They point to a dearth of doctors who know how to identify and treat long COVID, as well as barriers patients face such as high costs and denied insurance claims.
At a City Council hearing in October, Mount Sinai’s director of rehabilitation, David Putrino, urged city leaders to develop policies to “guide and enforce standards of necessary care” for New Yorkers with long COVID.
AfterCare directs residents to Body Politic, a patient-led, largely volunteer-run support group.
“It’s like one of the city’s main forms of places where people get support, information, connection,” said Davids, of the Network for Long Covid Justice. On Nov. 1 the Body Politic team announced that the 13,000-person community, which houses a NYC-focused Slack channel, is at risk of dissolving in early 2023 without additional funding.
Advocates like Davids are also calling for city leaders to create a robust long COVID support system modeled after the city’s own HIV/AIDS Administration where those living with long COVID can be paired with a case worker to get help accessing benefits, housing and medical care.
Unable to Work
Corbell had two jobs lined up in the spring of 2020: one with the U.S. Census Bureau and another with the New York City Board of Elections. Both positions were put on hold with the arrival of the pandemic. That June, Corbell got a call to start working as the city reopened. But she was too unwell to accept either position. “I had turned them both down because I literally couldn’t get out of bed,” she said.
Across the U.S., around 3.5 to 4.5 million people are currently out of work due to long COVID, according to a recent data analysis by the Brookings Institution. Research published in The Lancet shows around 20% of people with long COVID are unable to work, and almost half coped by reducing working hours.
With no income, Corbell relied on unemployment benefits and federal stimulus funds to get by. “A nonprofit was able to provide me a gift card,” she said. “And that’s how I was able to buy my cat food.” After the benefits dried up, Corbell said she lived on $183 a month in cash assistance from the Human Resources Administration for more than a year. Then, in December 2021, Corbell’s application for Supplemental Security Income was granted.
Now, she is finishing up a New York Peer Specialist certification with the Academy of Peer Services to help New Yorkers struggling with mental health and substance use. And Corbell is back to regularly volunteering with her church. Yet she’s not fully recovered.
After a three-month-long wait, Corbell was admitted into NYU’s Post-COVID Care Program, and still attends regular appointments with neurology and pulmonology specialists. While some of the worst symptoms are gone, her stamina is limited.
“I still can’t do like the uphill, upstairs, upwards. And I remember before March of 2020, I could still handle, like, four flights of stairs.”
For the past two years, MISSING THEM has been documenting stories of New Yorkers who died of COVID. Now, the team is turning to understand the pandemic’s collective and ongoing impact on the city. If you’re a New Yorker with long COVID, we’d like to hear from you. What are your biggest challenges and unanswered questions? What advice do you have for fellow New Yorkers with long COVID? Let us know here.
MISSING THEM is supported in part by the Brown Institute for Media Innovation at Columbia Journalism School.
THE CITY is an independent, nonprofit news outlet dedicated to hard-hitting reporting that serves the people of New York.
You better think twice before your impatience pushes you to drive down a bus lane or, worse yet, double park on one and creating a traffic jam.
The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) announced last week that it has activated its automated bus lane enforcement cameras for the first time in The Bronx. They are now on the Bx12 and the Bx41 routes and will activate it in the coming days along the Bx19.
This is part of a program that was announced last month that added the cameras to 300 buses across the city to deter motorists from blocking bus lanes and improve service and commute times along these routes which are notoriously some of the slowest in the borough.
Fordham Road, one of the busiest roads in the city may soon actually get some relief as bus lane enforcement cameras are activated in hopes of clearing the bus lane.
Violators will be issued a warning for 60 days from the first offense by the New York City Department of Transportation in accordance with state laws in order to make motorists aware about the program before they actually receive a fine.
But after that grace period ends, any offending motorist will receive a $50 fine for the first violation. If a motorist repeats the offense within a 12-month period, the fines will increase as follows per incident:
• $100 for a second offense • $150 for a third offense • $200 for a fourth offense • $250 for a fifth violation and each subsequent offense thereafter within a 12-month period
Bx19, one of the slowest buses in The Bronx and New York City moving across 149th Street.
What many drivers do not realize is that driving and double parking on bus lanes not only create traffic jams because buses then have to weave in and out of traffic because the lanes are blocked, but it also prevents emergency vehicles from getting to where they need to get to.
We have recorded these instances many times along the Bx19 route on 149th Street at The Hub, where you can sometimes find the entire lane blocked by double-parked vehicles from Melrose Avenue to Courtlandt Avenue on any given day.
“For many of our residents, public transportation is an essential means to getting to their destination,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. “With this initiative, MTA is prioritizing safety, accessibility, and speed. In choosing the Bx12 and Bx40 routes, the MTA is demonstrating its commitment to seeing these and other issues raised by our commuters addressed,” added Gibson.
“Fordham Road is one of the most highly-trafficked areas in NYC, and we must ensure residents have access to reliable public transportation,” said Council Member Oswald Feliz.
Feliz added, “For too long, buses, including the 12-bus, have moved unacceptably slow because bus lanes have been often blocked by private cars – delaying thousands of students and workers who rely on public transportation.” I’m thankful that the MTA is taking steps to improve bus speeds, by creating a system that enforces rules related to bus lanes. At the same time, given that the goal of the program is to prevent motorists from entering bus lanes, I’m thankful that the first offense will serve as a warning, rather than a fine, so that motorists can be aware of the program.”
Council Member Pierina Sanchez of The Bronx, who’s an ardent supporter of safer streets and transportation equity said, “Improving the bus network must remain a priority for the MTA, particularly for our seniors and students who rely on a functional and timely system every day.”
“With MTA’s bus-mounted cameras, improving bus speeds along the Bx12 will be that much easier. Drivers who repeatedly block bus lanes must make way for the 7 million riders who rely on the Bx12 to get to school, work, medical appointments and more each year. From Inwood to the East Bronx, through my district, ABLE cameras will clear bus lanes so MTA buses can efficiently connect our neighborhoods across the boroughs,” added Sanchez.
Given that enforcement and education on such violations in The Bronx have been relatively non-existent, this perhaps will help motorists realize that they are breaking the law and will be fined if caught doing so, and perhaps we’ll have less traffic and safer streets along these critical routes.
One of the most iconic singers and recognizable voices of the late 20th century, Irene Cara, is dead at 63.
Born Irene Cara Escalera, on March 18, 1959, in The Bronx to a Puerto Rican father and a Cuban-American mother, she was taking piano lessons by age five after learning to play the instrument by ear.
Before she was even a teenager, Cara was already performing on New York City’s local Spanish-language television. By age 12 she had already appeared on Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show.
It wasn’t until 1980, at the age of 21, that Cara was catapulted into stardom starring as Coco Hernandez in the hit movie Fame, about a group of city kids auditioning to attend New York City’s High School for Performing Arts, of which she also sang the hit, titular song, “Fame.”
But that wasn’t the only song she sang that was nominated for an Oscar that year. Irene Cara was one of the rare artists who had not one but two songs from the same movie that were nominated in the same category from the same film, the second being the chart-topping “Out Here on My Own.”
Then, in 1983, she sang the titular song for another movie—Flashdance—for which she won the Oscar that year, and in 1984, she garnered both a Grammy and a Golden Globe for the same song.
Despite this being the peak of her career, Cara remained an iconic musical legend from the 80s until the end. Her voice and songs were timeless, constantly playing on the radio waves.
At the time of this writing, her cause of death remains unknown, and a message on her website today stated that the family requests privacy during this difficult time.
Rest in Peace to one of The Bronx’s very own legends, Irene Cara.
What started out as a mission 17 years ago to create the borough’s first children’s museum is finally a dream come true that will positively impact the almost 200,000 children that call The Bronx home.
Yesterday, the borough came out to celebrate the ribbon cutting ceremony for The Bronx’s Children’s Museum’s official brick and mortar home at the landmark Powerhouse building inside Mill Pond Park along the Harlem River just north of 149th Street and south of Yankee Stadium after years serving the community from a converted school bus that traveled the borough.
The casita is one of the main areas at the Bronx Children’s Museum
Beset with construction delays, which was then compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, the long-awaited opening of the museum was worth the wait as the resulting 13,000 square foot museum is a gorgeous space that Bronx residents can be proud of.
John Ahern’s sculptures line a wall in the museum.
The Bronx Children’s Museum does an excellent job at not just providing a wide variety of educational and artistic experiences for children but at how they connect the space with The Bronx whether through its natural resources like the Bronx River or notable Bronxites that have made major contributions to our communities.
The museum is located on the second floor of the old landmarked Powerhouse in Mill Pond Park
In the Water is Life section of the museum, which overlooks the Harlem River, there are interactive water features that represent the Bronx and Harlem rivers and even Orchard Beach as well as a model of the High Bridge. Through these features, children can learn about the aquatic environments and ecologies of The Bronx.
One of the most notable features of the museum that illustrates just how deeply they’re committed to highlighting the history of The Bronx and its people is the brightly colored and decorated Casita—the tiny, wood houses that are the central focus of the many community gardens found throughout the South Bronx that were central to the Puerto Rican community of the borough as a reminder of their homes back on the island.
The interior of the Casita
Designed and decorated by local Bronx artist and illustrator, Charles George Esperanza, the inside of the casita is decorated with all the knickknacks you’d encounter inside an authentic one like old record albums of Puerto Rican musicians and groups, decorative figurines and the likes.
Esperanza also decorated the interior with portraits he created of local notable Bronxites like Sonia Manzano, the actor and writer who’s best known as Maria on Sesame Street, Sonia Sotomayor, the country’s first Latina Supreme Court Justice, Bill Aguado, who was the director for the Bronx Council on the Arts for almost 30 years, and Tanya Fields of the Black Feminist Project known for her work on food justice issues both in and out of The Bronx.
Sonia’s Corner
Speaking of the two famous Sonias from The Bronx, the museum also has a dedicated room called Sonia’s Corner in honor of both Sonia Manzano and Justice Sotomayor both of whom have been ardent supporters of the Bronx Children’s Museum.
The room is filled with children’s books as well as resources for the entire family.
Another section at the museum is the early learner’s area known as “The Nest” for children under the age of 3 where they can roam around and play with numerous interactive toys.
The early learning section, known as The Nest, is intended for children under 3 years of age.
Everywhere you turn, there’s something to see or do and the space has been thoughtfully and beautifully designed easily making it one of the crown jewels of the artistic and cultural tapestry that makes up our borough.
Official opening date to the public is Saturday, December 3rd but tickets are already booked straight through the end of January so that means that unfortunately you’ll have to wait a bit longer to get in.
The museum’s lobby
Currently, tickets are free for a limited time during the opening period and once that’s over, tickets for adults and children will be $8 and free for children under 1. Adults MUST be accompanied by a child as per museum rules and all children must be supervised by accompanying adult.
The Bronx Children’s Museum is located at 725 Exterior Street and is located on the second floor of the building.
It’s that time of the year again when thousands of Bronx residents along with people from all over the city and region come to the borough to enjoy one of New York City’s most cherished traditions: The Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden.
Now in its 31st year, the beloved train show is larger and more magical than ever with over 190 New York landmarks carefully recreated using materials provided straight from nature like twigs, bark, cinnamon sticks, pine cone scales, seeds, and leaves.
A miniature replica of the Haupt Conservatory
The miniature replicas of beloved landmarks, from buildings that have long since been demolished like the old Penn Station as well as newer buildings like The Oculus and One World Trade Center are carefully laid out throughout the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory as over two dozen replica model trains make their way through the charming display along almost a full half-mile of track.
The Mertz Library is also beautifully lit up at night with a short light show experience.
A new feature this year at the show is the use of interpretive signage throughout the exhibition which links to exclusive content via the Bloomberg Connects app that explains some of the plants utilized to create the models on display.
The newly revamped replica of the George Washington Bridge
Another new, or rather updated edition, is the model of the George Washington Bridge which has been made to more closely resemble the actual bridge and in particular, the lighting across the famed span that connects New York and New Jersey over the Hudson River.
But the fun doesn’t end at the Holiday Train Show.
Twinkling Topiaries illuminated for your delight
Back for its third year is the NYBG GLOW which is New York City’s largest outdoor holiday light experience which also has been expanded where you can see, on select nights (which have been sold-out for the past two years), gorgeous displays around the garden grounds like Twinkling Topiaries, Luminous Lake, and Glittering Gazebo just to name a few.
The Statue of Liberty along with several other landmarks like the Empire State Building, The Oculus, One World Trade Center and several others.
Together, these two events create for a truly magical experience right here in our borough that’s fun for the entire family.
The Holiday Train Show runs from Saturday, November 19, 2022 through Monday, January 16, 2023 and NYBG Glow will be held on the following dates from 5PM to 10PM: November 18–19, 23, 25–26; December 2–3, 9–11, 15–17, 22–23, 26–30, 2022; January 1, 7, 14, 2023 so make sure to coordinate your visit to get the best from both experiences.
For tickets, head over to NYBG’s website for pricing and information.
Launched in 2021 and expanded this past summer, the East Bronx Shared E-Scooter Pilot Program is being touted a great success by the New York City Department of Transportation in a report issued this past Monday by the agency, and will become permanent and hopefully expand across the city.
According to the data gathered over the course of twelve months, over 1.3 million rides were logged by 86,000 riders utilizing a fleet of 6,000 e-scooters provided by Lime, Bird, and Veo, with no fatalities during the pilot period in the East Bronx.
Council member Amanda Farias addresses riders at a group ride provided by Lime last year
“From Soundview to Wakefield, thanks to e-scooters from three different companies, residents availed themselves of a completely new form of transportation that got them from point A to point B — or to subways, bus stops, and ferry transit hubs. Over 1.3 million safe rides later, the pilot has been a great success,” said Ydanis Rodriguez, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation.
The neighborhoods with the highest rate of trips started are Van Nest/Morris Park/Westchester Square at 15% of total trips followed by Williamsbridge/Olinville at 12%, Pelham Parkway at 11%, and Eastchester/Edenwald/Baychester at 10%.
East Bronx E-Scooter Pilot Area/Via NYC DOT
Many of these trips originated or ended at or near subway stations and transit hubs as well as commercial corridors connecting residents in an area that has limited modes of public transportation outside of bus services despite being served by 3 subway lines.
While some area residents were vocal in their complaints that the program would be a disaster and would lead to fatalities, only 152 crashes were reported out of the 1.3 million trips and of those, 70 percent were minor and required no visit to a hospital or doctor.
Areas of ride origin/Via NYC DOT
“Riders with three or fewer trips accounted for 17 percent of crashes where experience was noted while the median level of rider experience was 18 trips. However, 80 percent of crashes with available details did not include a collision with a motor vehicle, pedestrian, bicycle, or other vehicle type. Findings show a low crash rate overall,” the report from DOT cites.
“The success of the e-scooter program is undeniable,” said Shawn Garcia, the Bronx and Uptown organizer for Transportation Alternatives.
He added, “With over a million rides taken in its first year — of which 85% were from communities of color — e-scooters are connecting communities left out by our transit system. As DOT builds on these successes, we urge them to invest in the infrastructure needed in the Bronx, especially in the East Bronx, to protect riders from crashes. Just 1.06% of New York City’s protected bike infrastructure is in the East Bronx, according to Spatial Equity NYC.”
Trip destinations during pilot program/Via NYC DOT
One of the requirements for the pilot was to provide discounted rides to low-income residents in order to make the service equitable and accessible to all. According to the report, participants in the program for low-income residents averaged 25 trips during the 12 month period versus the system-wide average of 11 trips indicating that such riders made good use of the service.
As the city begins to make the pilot program permanent in the East Bronx and expand it across areas of the city, the agency needs to ensure that City Island is added to the service area which was the only community within the East Bronx that was omitted from the pilot.
Many naysayers said that no one would use the service but over 1.3 million rides by 86,000 users indicate otherwise and shows a strong demand for such services and if all goes according to plan, they are here to stay.
A lottery for affordable apartments for seniors is now available in the Parkchester neighborhood of The Bronx in a newly constructed development.
Located at 1701 Purdy Street, Parkchester Gardens Senior Apartments is a 153 unit, 8-story building directly across from the historic Parkchester Condominiums, features a host of amenities that are perfect for The Bronx’s aging population including an on-site gym, bike storage lockers, a shared laundry room, a recreation room, outdoor areas, package lockers, security guard, and even a dishwasher in every unit.
The closest subway station is Castle Hill on the 6 and the development is also served by the Bx4, Bx4A, Bx22, Bx40, and Bx42 bus routes as well as the Q44 to Queens, and the BxM 6 express bus to Manhattan all within the immediate area.
Parkchester Gardens Senior Apartments will also eventually also be served by a brand new Metro North stop, part of the Metro North Penn Station Access which includes four new stations in the East Bronx, once it’s constructed.
Rendering for 1701 Purdy Street/Via Housing Connect
Unfortunately, the building has a no-pet policy so if you’re a senior with a furry companion, you will not be able to move in with them.
The building is comprised of 88 studio units and 65 1 bedroom apartments and rents are all based on income requiring prospective tenants to pay 30% of their income in rent.
Actual kitchen at 1701 Purdy Street/Via Housing Connnect
This means that rents can be as low as $0 a month for those residents with no income.
Income requirements for the apartments are as follows:
$0 a month for studios for households making $0-$53,400
$0 a month for 1 bedroom units for households making $0-$60,050
Typical bathroom at 1701 Purdy Street/Via Housing Connect
In order to qualify, you must meet the above income requirements, qualify for Section-8, and have at least one member of your household who is 62 years of age or older.
Please note, for each unit, there are other requirements such as number of people per household and further income requirements based on household size so refer to the Housing Connect website for further details.
How to Apply
For those interested in applying, you have until December 14, 2022 and you can do so online or you can request an application by mail by sending a self-addressed envelope to: Parkchester Gardens Senior Apartments c/o Wavecrest Consulting LLC, 87-14 116th Street, Richmond Hill, NY 11418
A kitchen, fully equipped with a dishwasher, at 1701 Purdy Street/Via Housing Connect
Remember, you can only apply ONCE and you may not apply both online and by mail. Applying more than once can and will disqualify you according to the lottery rules.
Living room/area looking towards a kitchen/Via Housing Connect
5% of units are set aside for individuals with mobility issues and 2% for those with vision and/or hearing impairments.
Also, please note: We are NOT connected with this or any other real estate developments and cannot assist you in obtaining an apartment so please do not contact us regarding these units.
