Four years ago when Mayor Bill de Blasio was running for office for mayor, he pledged hard to end the so called tale of two cities where communities and the services they receive were generally better in more affluent parts of the city.

But the mayor and his administration has failed miserably, particularly in the case of Roberto Clemente Plaza at The Hub in the South Bronx.

Although this is a project that began 8 years ago under Bloomberg, it is one that has been stalled for far too long costing the city more money at this point with all the delays than it should.

When Michael Brady first came on board as executive director of the Third Avenue Business Improvement District (of which I am a board member as of July of this year) last December, one of the many issues impacting the area which he focused on was to make sure that the plaza construction wasn’t delayed any further.

He brought together the necessary city agencies, DOT, NYC Council members to get concrete timelines on completion and at first it looked like things were finally getting done.

Pavers arrived, trees were planted and it looked as if it would be all ready by June of this year.

But then nothing happened.

Construction pretty much came to a stand still and a lot of it has to do with simply gross incompetence from the city. The wrong size power box which is to provide the necessary electrical connection to the plaza was ordered.

We were told that it would take about 3 months to rectify that problem.

In the meantime, pavers to line the plaza had arrived a month prior to that. They sat and sat there on the plaza with zero installation. We were then told that the wrong pavers were ordered.

What exactly is going on at DOT? How incompetent do you have to be for such continuous errors? How is it that a small plaza can take 10 years to construct, yet the Times Square pedestrian plaza in the madhouse that is midtown was able to be constructed in 7 years which spans 5 blocks and according to amNY spans about 2.5 football fields in size.

In a statement to Welcome2TheBronx, Michael Brady, said, “The Third Avenue Business Improvement District in partnership with the Bronx Borough President and Councilmember Salamanca have worked tirelessly to ensure this public infrastructure project comes to completion. The silence received from City Hall and lack of work undertaken by the DDC sends a very clear message to South Bronx residents, a message of neglect and inequity in services and resources. It is time that City Hall gets it together and delivers on broken promises for area residents and businesses. ”

“This project now in its 8th year is a symbol of the unfair and unjust treatment of South Bronx residents. After decades of community disinvestment, I would encourage the Mayor to get on board with the renewed community hope that is in our borough. The BID will continue to fight for equity in resources and services for the South Bronx and calls on City government to take action on the beleagered public works project. ” Brady added.

And he’s right. We aren’t second class citizens, we all deserve equal and fair treatment on all matters. We are just as important as the Upper East Side, TriBeCa, downtown Brooklyn, we do not matter any less.

“We will accept nothing less.” said Brady.

We know The Bronx is awesome and simply the best borough of NYC because we are, afterall, the one true borough where you can still get a taste of what New York City life is all about before the white-washing of gentrification took it over and made it into a mid-westerner’s playground.

So here’s why The Bronx is pretty amazing or as we say, dope:

Bodegas.

Now why bodegas you might be asking yourself? Well, besides that on one block you can find four of them, each with their own feel and regular customers (and hopefully a bodega cat), these spaces usually can extend credit to local residents who might be in need.

Relationships are fostered here like true communities so not only do you get the local paper but you get the local gossip with that chopped cheese, cereal, milk and basic staples you need to keep you going or feed your family.

The bodeguero will often let regular customers keep a running tab when they need it. You can’t do that at your local Upper East Side Duane Reade or your Harlem Whole Foods.

Arthur Avenue.

We weren’t gonna put this one on this list because it’s so obvious but heck, we’ll put it just to make sure it makes it (and before you guys yell at us for not including it!).

This is New York City’s real Little Italy. It isn’t up for debate. It is not an opinion it is fact written in stone (at least for now).

Fresh baked bread from Madonia Brothers Bakery or Addeo Bakers, fresh homemade pasta from Borgatti’s (spinach and cheese or pumpkin ravioli anyone?), fine dining at Roberto’s or Enzo’s or any one of the awesome restaurants that line area all make for a special outing right here in our borough.

Food.

Speaking of fine dining, thanks to the diversity of our borough, you can enjoy cuisine from all over world right here in The Bronx. As a Puerto Rican kid from the South Bronx, I was able to not only relish in the culinary delights of Puerto Rico but also that of my Italian friends where I could eat REAL Italian cooking at their place on summer nights during school break, or Dominican mangu.

As I got older and the population began to change I was able to also try a plethora of Mexican dishes thanks to restaurants like Xochimilco, Mexicocina, and La Morada, each with their distinct style of home cooking and from different regions in Mexico. African food, like that at Bate, became more accessible as The Bronx became home to one of the largest African diaspora in the United States.

Then there’s Albanian burek, Salvadoran pupusas, Indian chicken tikka masala, Garifunan hudut, Colombian empanadas like La Masa’s ridiculously delicious varieties, Latin American and Cuban pastries at Capri Bakery, and of course, a nice Jewish pastrami on rye (perhaps the best in the city) from Liebman’s.

City Island.

We can’t have a list of awesome Bronx places without talking about one of the most unique communities in NYC (ok THE most unique community in all of New York City).

With a population just over 4,300, this island neighborhood is quite compact on a 1.5 mile by .5 mile island that’s part of the Pelham Archipelago (sounds pretty exotic no?) in the Long Island Sound.

From end to end along City Island Avenue, the neighborhood’s “Main Street” you can find some of the best seafood restaurants in the city taking full advantage of this New England style nautical community.

Archie’s Tap and Table is one of my personal favorites and is run by Chef Alex Pertsovsky and offers what they all, “homemade comfort food with a modern American twist.”

Now with all these really good restaurants, you aren’t a Bronxite if you didn’t end up at the end of City Island Avenue at Tony’s Pier or Johnny’s Reef for some delicious fried fast seafood.

The New York Botanical Gardens.

NYBG, founded in 1891, the 250 acre sanctuary is an oasis of carefully sculpted and designed gardens to the last “wild” and original forest that once covered NYC.

Living in a borough that is home to one of the premier and most respected institutions in the world of botany kind of spoils you because there simply isn’t anywhere else in the city that can compare to what you get here from world-class science and educational programs to entertainment and amazing yearly exhibitions like Frida Kahlo which broke attendance records and this year’s return of glass sculpture Dale Chihuly.

NYBG has always been a favorite of mine since a kid and as an adult in college it was one of my go to places to just get away from it all. In a borough of 1.4 million people, to have a place like this to escape to is just simply precious.

Wave Hill.

Although nowhere near as large as NYBG, at 21 acres, this landmark garden in Riverdale isn’t any less grand and packs a wallop for its size. This was another escape for me within the confines of The Bronx and NYC. To be able to wander along a country estate overlooking the Hudson River and the New Jersey Palisades is yet another unique Bronx experience. It is a place steeped in history just like our borough.

Parks.

On the subject of these green spaces, parks is what makes The Bronx pretty dope. We are the greenest borough with 25% of our land dedicated to parks and we are home to NYC’s largest park, Pelham Bay Park (home to The Bronx’s Riviera aka Orchard Beach), Van Cortland Park (which is probably one of my favorites but don’t tell anyone), the city’s 3rd largest.

But from big parks like the aforementioned or smaller parks there’s something to do like Virginia Park in Parkchester where Bronx artist (and Morris Perk coffee entrepeneur) has a year-long art installation called “Daylighting” with retired canoes completely repurposed and the Bronx River painted along the asphalt surface along White Plains Road section of the park.

In collaboration with Loving The Bronx run by Nilka Martell, this tiny .92 acre park is offering programming like movie nights, game nights and so much more on Fridays from 6PM to 8PM.

So you see, whether it’s a giant park like Pelham Bay at 2,772 acres or a small park, there’s something always going on for everyone across this great borough.

The Grand Concourse.

The Bronx’s ‘Boulevard of Dreams’ The Grand Boulevard and Concourse is yet another reason why The Bronx is so awesome. With one of the largest collection of art deco buildings in the world, this 4 mile long, 180 feet wide thoroughfare winds through a diverse bunch of Bronx neighborhoods of all socio-economic walks of life but somehow still manages to have a rather cohesive feel to it.

In recent years, thanks to Boogie On The Boulevard, for one Sunday a month during the summer, the center lanes of this huge boulevard are closed to traffic and opened to pedestrians on foot, bike, rollerblades. There are also art and fitness programs happening on any of these given Sundays (the next and last one is on September 10th).

Community Gardens.

What do you do with empty lots filled with rubble and garbage during the turmoil of the 1970s and 80s? You jump in, begin to clean them and turn them into little garden paradises! At least that’s how it started with the late Jose “Chema” Soto of Melrose in The Bronx.

Around 1975 or so, he couldn’t stand walking by one of the many abandoned lots in the South Bronx and began to clean one up by himself.

By the end of the day, he was joined by 50 other community residents inspired by his actions. Soon after, they built what is considered to be one of the first garden casitas at Rincon Criollo (aka Casa de Chema aka La Casita) the little houses that dot many of these gardens in Puerto Rican communities inspired by the old shacks that once dotted the countryside across Puerto Rico.

In The Bronx, community gardens are an important part of the fabric of our communities where activism intersects with so many other aspects of daily life whether its guerrilla urban farming like Libertad Farm run by Tanya Fields or Friends of Brook Park with their army of youth volunteers that are gardening, farming and even canoeing, collectively these gems provide and fill in the many gaps for our children and communities where the city has often failed and short-changed us.

People.

The Bronx’s most precious resource is its people and that’s where the beauty is. We wouldn’t be awesome without this diversity that we have whether it’s a celebration of Puerto Rican culture at Rincon Criollo or Ferragosto celebration of all things Italian or simply one of the dozens and dozens of other ethnic groups in our borough, we are only as amazing as our people are.

We live mostly in harmony alongside each other.

I live in a neighborhood filled with Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Mexicans, Africans, Blacks, Christians and Muslims and so many more and everyone is getting along fine. No DRAMA. That’s what The Bronx is about, it’s a borough of immigrants where everyone can work together for the greater good and that’s what ultimately makes this a truly wonderful place to live and raise your family. I mean, do you want to live in isolated homogeneous communities that are rather bland or would you rather be in a vibrant, thriving community composed of people from everywhere?

This is why we are so vocal against gentrification and it’s white-washing brush that destroys communities and turns them into Midwestern paradises. That’s simply not who we are.

What makes YOUR Bronx awesome? We want to know. This list is by far complete and perhaps will never be complete. We’ll revisit it in the future sure, but let us know what makes it awesome to live in The Bronx to YOU!

MELROSE―Porto Salvo, a new Italian restaurant in the South Bronx, has beaten my expectations after being spoiled by Arthur Avenue, The Bronx’s real Little Italy.

Armed with a full bar offering traditional and specialty drinks and a generous happy hour from 4pm to 8pm Mondays through Fridays, this new restaurant isn’t just on par with The Bronx’s Little Italy, it actually manages to surpass many of them and that’s a pretty difficult feat if you’ve regularly dined on Arthur Avenue but more importantly, Porto Salvo simply enhances what The Bronx has to offer in terms of fine, authentic Italian cuisine.

Now when most people think Italian food, they immediately tend to think Olive Garden, fettuccine alfredo, and other very generic, mainstream Italian dishes but that’s not what you’ll get here.

Executive chef, Luigi Ghidetti, created a menu of Old Italian style cooking with a diverse range of dishes like homemade crab cakes over mushrooms and Canellinni beans (no imitation crab here or frozen patty reheated, actually the REAL deal) or several different bruschetta (I’ve tried them all but my favorite is the funghi e fontina with fontina cheese, mushrooms and truffle oil…it’s as delicious as it sounds).

And those are just the appetizers all affordably priced at $9 bucks.

Moving on to the main dishes, (all priced at $14, salads at $12) you’ll have an equally difficult time in choosing just one because they all sound pretty darn good (and they taste even better).

I’ve been here now EIGHT TIMES in the past 3 weeks (ok maybe 2 weeks) so I’ve had the time to sample quite a number of dishes and let’s just say that I have yet to be disappointed. I mean, how could you with fresh pasta they either make right here or have imported directly from Italy?

Everything is just so exquisitely prepared and tastes so good but best of all it is so affordable that you can eat here quite often but let’s not get too side tracked and back to the food.

The Costolette di Agnello alla Griglia, grilled lamb chops with roasted potatoes and cannellini beans are just the right balance of a meat dish and sides that work beautifully together. The flavors don’t overwhelm or compete but rather enhance each other.

And that has been the case with pretty much every dish I’ve tried where you’re actually able to taste the different herbs, spices, and seasonings letting the food speak for itself, so to speak.

There’s a trofie al pesto di pistacchi which is a homemade pasta with pistachio pesto that blew me away.

For the pescatarian in you, fret not, for there are plenty of seafood options including the salmone al salmoriglio, a Sicilian style grilled salmon with roasted potatoes and cannellini beans in a salmoriglio sauce, a traditional southern Italian condiment that usually consists of olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, oregano, parsley, and pepper.

That’s what my father ordered this past Friday and nothing was left on his plate so I guess it was good, no?

The only selection I have yet to try is the crudo (Italian style raw seafood and meat dishes) but will do so the next time I stop by (maybe tonight or tomorrow?).

After you’ve had all that food, is there room for dessert? Well, considering the portions are very good and yes you might very well be full, there’s ALWAYS room for dessert.

Last night we tried to get out of dessert because we were stuffed but then we were told that they just made chocolate mousse and who are we to deny our taste buds the delights of homemade mousse?

It would be blasphemy to do so.

Do we need to even describe how rich and creamy it was? Probably not.

All desserts are made right at Porto Salvo so you’re not getting a second hand dessert from elsewhere even if it is freshly made.

Here, you’re getting something straight from their kitchen made to the same standards you’d expect after eating all these delicious meals.

The tiramisu is just like nonna makes (well not my nonna but my friend’s nonna but again, you get the picture) but my favorite was the basil infused crème brule.

For those who like to imbibe a bit, may we suggest the sangria (we love the white with a hint of limoncello) or the Ombra, the house wine? Or literally just ask for your favorite cocktail because the bartenders do a great job of mixing up your go to drink and somehow make it taste even better.

Besides the food and the drinks as well as the ambiance which makes you feel like you are in an old Italian port tavern, it’s the entire experience that makes Porto Salvo a special place and somehow they manage to take it even a step further.

This isn’t just a restaurant or bar but a true part of the community and Porto Salvo is leading by example of how a business should come into The Bronx and operate.

Mark Lu, Porto Salvo’s owner and general manager as well as Luigi’s husband says that, “Besides a place for encountering good and perhaps great food, we want this to be a place where Bronxites can network.”

The couple have been living in the neighborhood for just over 5 years and since arriving, their goal was to somehow contribute in a concrete way to our borough.

One such way is through a scholarship program that will also provide internship opportunities for students graduating in the culinary arts to get real, hands on experience not just at Porto Salvo but with other diverse Bronx restaurants so these Bronx students can get the necessary experience to elevate their careers to the next level and be able to be competitive in the food industry here in NYC which, as Mark Lu points out is not always just about talent and skills but who you know.

“We don’t want to be another business in the community but we want to be a part of the community.” said Lu.

How can you not love a restaurant or business for that matter, who’s sincerely looking to contribute to our community?

That being said, I think you have plenty of reasons to support this business and I’m happy to say this is a new and welcomed gem to our borough and neighborhood.

We wish them nothing but success.

Oh and don’t forget, even if you’re not in the mood to eat, they’re a great spot for drinks and happy hour, something which the staff and attorneys at The Bronx Defenders have figured out so it’s the perfect lunch or dinner spot for not just locals but those who work in the Bronx court system too.

Porto Salvo is open Mon-Thurs from 12PM to 11PM, Friday from 12PM to 12AM, Saturday from 11AM to 12PM and Sundays from 11AM to 11PM and is located at 424 E 161st Street between Melrose and Elton Avenues.

Brunch is served Saturdays from 10AM to 4PM.

Grilled octopus (below) and bruschetta funghi e fontina are some of the perfect appetizers to get you started.

The cocktails here are top notch as well.

Locals as well as attorneys and staff from nearby Bronx Defenders have made this their go to place after work. The crowd starts streaming in generally around 4 to 5PM.

Have we mentioned they have a nice selection of bruschetta?

The space was designed by executive chef and owner Luigi Ghidetti and you can see the attention to detail even in the most basic ways as the garnishes at the bar and their presentation.

Local residents appreciate the option to dine al fresco.

Three different types of sangria made by 3 different bartenders are part of the happy hour and just $6 bucks. The owners encourage the bartenders to unleash their creativity, and it shows in their signature cocktails.

Owner and General Manager, Mark Lu (left) chats with local residents. Luigi and Mark can often be seen at the restaurant mingling with the patrons.

Each day, unmarked buses come up to The Bronx to parade tourists through our neighborhoods for quick photo ops and then scoot them quickly back onto the bus onto their next destination.

One such destination is the 42nd Precinct in Melrose off 3rd Avenue and 160th Street where the exploitative film Fort Apache was filmed and each day hundreds of tourists descend like vultures and parasites picking off the carrion flesh of a rotting corpse.

That rotting corpse is the 40 year old image of a burning Bronx that still is alive in the global consciousness of our borough, one they seem to think is still alive and well.

We have come a long way since then but such tours are beyond offensive because they neglect the history, the decades between then where thousands of lives were lost in our neighborhoods through the subsequent drugs and violence; to the activists like Yolanda Garcia and Dr Evelina Lopez Antonetty, the Hell Lady of The Bronx who passed away much too soon and long before they could complete their life’s work of rebuilding our communities from within.

These “ghetto gawking” tours contribute NOTHING to our communities as they do not even spend a dime in our communities.

There’s so much to see and learn in The Bronx and this is not the way. We are not a zoological exhibition on display for you to come on a bus as if on safari but don’t interact with the local culture, it’s people or at the very least patronize a local business.

I’ve witnessed this on a daily basis for well over a decade but something just snapped yesterday morning and made me just hold up the camera and record them with reckless abandon. Some people became visibly uncomfortable as I recorded them and narrated what was going on and that was my intention: To turn the lens back on these clueless parasites.

If you’re coming to the Bronx, learn about our histories and people through local home grown Bronx tourists who won’t exploit our people like Bronx Historical Tours or ‘Loving The Bronx’ run by Nilka Martell.

The popular department stores Burlington and Marshall’s are coming to The Hub in Melrose at the old Alexander’s building on Third Avenue at 153rd Street.

These will be the second stores in the immediate area for both chains as they are currently located less than a mile away over at The Bronx Terminal Market.

The building, which dates back to 1928 when the now defunct Alexander’s Department stores was founded at that very location and lasted until 1992 when they went bankrupt and eventually became a Conway’s until they too folded.

In September 2013 the building sold to its current owner for slightly above $16 million and since last year the building has been going major gut renovations. In fact, very little is left of the original art deco department store as everything from interior to exterior walls were demolished.

Gone are the beautiful terrazzo floors that graced the department store that served The Bronx for almost 7 decades.

Marshall’s will be occupying the cellar level of the building while Burlington will take up the 2nd and 3rd floors leaving the ground floor still available for lease but no leads so far have been reported as to who will take up the space.

The Hub, the Bronx’s oldest and busiest shopping district which sees over 200,000 pedestrians pass by daily, has seen a lot of changes in the past 5 years as both landlords and retail chains have increased confidence in the area thus leading to higher rents and displacement of long time businesses on the avenue that stayed put during the burning years.

Five years ago was when Planet Fitness, the national affordable chain of 24 hour gyms opened up on Third Avenue just a block south from the old Alexander’s.

This marked the first foray of a national chain at The Hub outside of cell phone stores like AT&T, Verizon, & T-Mobile.

Shortly thereafter, Blink Fitness opened up 5 blocks away followed by Children’s Place, Carter’s, the opening of two luxury boutique hotels, The Opera House and Umbrella hotels, a Crunch Fitness, and a Boston Market.

Last year we documented how these national chains have driven up rents and forced longtime businesses out to the point that there were over 20 vacant storefronts throughout the shopping corridor of Third Avenue and 149th Street.

Now landlords are beginning to activate the upper floors of these commercial properties which have been dormant and vacant for over 40 years.

Blink Fitness is opening it’s third Melrose location at the old Sach’s building on 150th and Third Avenue and will be occupying the 2nd and 3rd floors of that building.

The building where Children’s Place is located, 2918 Third Avenue, has been completely renovated from the exterior to the interior with new mechanicals hoping to lease the upper floors as more offices are relocating to the area.

Bronx Coworking Space located on the 3rd floor of 2825 Third Avenue (where our offices are located), the area’s first office sharing space which opened in May, is already 75% occupied as local businesses have taken up the spaces and Bronx FlexSpace, another coworking space in the area at 452 E 149th Street is also starting to gain tenants as well.

With gentrification already creeping in something must be done to protect existing mom and pop shops which are the lifeblood of commercial corridors like The Hub. Large big box stores and national chains are already here and will continue to come but there is still room for everyone if landlords can agree to somehow let the smaller businesses thrive.

In the meantime, at the very least, Burlington and Marshall’s offers deep discounts that are affordable to the existing population of the neighborhood and not out of reach for the average consumer in the area.

The stores are slated to open early 2018.

Yes, you read that correctly.

Two Bronx cats inherited $300,000 after their owner, author Ellen Frey-Wouters of Fieldston in The Bronx passed away in 2015 and wanted to make sure that they would be taken care of in her absence.

This isn’t the first time pets get treated better than their human counterparts when it comes to the reading of the will.

Remember back in 2007 when Leona Helmsley passed away and left $12 million to her dog?

Yeah, that also happened.

At the very least, though, the late Bronxite Frey-Wouters had her $3 million estate divided by her two former home health aide and attorney.

Once the cats die, a sister in her native Netherlands will receive the balance of what’s left of the kitty, pun intended.

Watch the story on CBS:

Yesterday, Gothamist revealed that there were two busts of Confederate generals at the Hall of Fame for Great Americans at Bronx Community College during a search across the city following the aftermath of white supremacists and neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, Virginia this past weekend.

This is not up for debate, at least on a rational level: Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson are NOT great Americans to be celebrated. They are traitors in American history who defended the secession of the South and formation of the Confederacy to continue the immoral practice of slavery.

What other nation has allowed monuments to traitors of our country to go up unchallenged?

And in a borough of immigrants and people of color, the fact that these vestiges of racist pride still exist here in The Bronx is a slap in the face to any one with basic moral and ethical tenants guiding their lives.

I mean come on, this is THE ORIGINAL Hall of Fame and the inspiration for all subsequent hall of fames we know today and dates back to its 1901 dedication at was then New York University and it remained an NYU campus until 1973.

Of course there are those who says they are a part of history and while this is true, it is not an erasure of history as those who cling to their bigotry argue. It is merely taking them down from public places and having them put where they belong if the populace so chooses: In a museum.

New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito said it best, “Clearly Confederate Army Generals are not great Americans and have no business being part of this display,” City Council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito told Gothamist in an email according to Curbed.

After the local media storm and outcry upon the revelation that these American traitors had a place of honor in The Bronx, Bronx Community College president Thomas A Isekenegbe, PhD wrote:

“For 60 years, Bronx Community College of The City University of New York has remained committed to reflecting its values of diversity and inclusion in all of its actions and statements. Embracing difference includes creating space where all people feel respected, welcomed, and valued. To that end, we will be removing and replacing the busts of Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson from the Hall of Fame for Great Americans.”

No details of when they will be removed or who will replace them but at the very least, the right thing is being done.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said shortly after via Twitter, “There are many great Americans, many of them New Yorkers worthy of a spot in this great hall. These two confederates are not among them.”

In another tweet, Cuomo said, “Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson will be removed from the CUNY hall of great Americans because New York stands against racism.”

And as we said earlier, there really is no debate on this as to why we should uphold these traitors and symbols of white supremacy and neo-Nazis among the Hall of Fame of Great Americans.

Our country, our people have suffered enough under the lasting legacy of institutional racism our nation was founded upon which still permeates society to this day.

Mark Naison, PhD, professor of history and African-American studies at Fordham University told Welcome2TheBronx, “The movement to remove Confederate monuments is only one part of a much larger project making the country come to terms with the legacy of slavery, something it never has done.”

“This also involved exploring how some of our major universities were built on proceeds derived from slavery and the slavery trade ( as Fordham Grad Craig Steven Wilder did in his book “Ebony and Ivy”) exposing how prevalent slave markets were in almost every major Southern city; and creating exhibits throughout the South and the nation which explore how central slavery was to the economic development of the nation and how cruel it was in its daily functioning, especially in terms of the systematic breeding and sale of slaves.” added Dr Naison.

Oh and one more thing to serve as food for thought: No, racism will not go away if we ignore it or don’t talk about it.

As Dr Naison said, “This movement is being driven by the brilliant young race scholars who are now on the faculty of almost every university in the nation. It is not going away. It is only going to gather momentum in coming years.”

The massive 948 unit Mitchell-Lama housing complex in Soundview, Stevenson Commons, will undergo major and much needed capital improvements and upgrades all the while preserving their affordability for at least another 40 years.

Located at 755 White Plains Road at Lafayette, Stevenson Commons will undergo a $36 million renovations and upgrades of roofs, elevators, lobbies, security systems, new landscaping and all apartments will get new kitchens and bathrooms including appliances, countertops, cabinets, and tiles―all while preserving affordability.

This is a huge relief for residents since the rents are extremely affordable and below market rate, ranging from $646-$812 for a studio for folks making $21,720 to $48,100 and $1,299 to $1,631 for a four bedroom for incomes ranging $38,360 to $90,700 depending on family size.

At least these apartments are saved for a couple more generations.

Last year when the city announced the stops for the new Citywide Ferry coming to the transit-starved neighborhood of Soundview in The Bronx, the first thing we noticed was that the route would skip 34th Street where 3 other lines converge from Queens and Brooklyn.

Of course we spoke up and urged Citywide to reconsider because once again, The Bronx would get shafted, I mean, it doesn’t make sense to provide a service and not stop in midtown.

In fact, we were the ONLY ones in the media making noise about this.

Soon after, Bronx politicians and residents also raised their concerns about this short-sighted planning but now that all has changed thanks to our collective voices telling the city to rethink their plans.

Once the service begins next year for Bronxites, residents will be able to not just stop at 9oth Street, and Wall Street but also at 34th Street and switch over to another ferry and head to Queens or Brooklyn for an estimated 22/23 minutes shaved off commute times.

amNewYork reports:

The announcement comes after Manhattan Councilman Daniel Garodnick, who represents a district covering a large swath of Midtown East, penned a letter to the agency asking it to add a 34th Street stop to the route. Garodnick believes the stop would boost options for riders looking to access jobs in Midtown, where NYC Ferry offers a free shuttle bus, and increase transfer opportunities to other ferry routes.

By adding the stop, Garodnick estimated that Bronx commuters could save 23 minutes in commuting to Astoria or Long Island City in Queens and 22 minutes to Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

“A 34th Street connection on this route is a no brainer — and will serve to the benefit of riders from the Bronx on down,” Garodnick said in a statement. “This additional connection to Midtown’s transit hubs and job centers is a big win for the commuting public in New York.”

So now let’s get the ferry running elsewhere in The Bronx so we all have equitable access!

This past Tuesday, we attended my 94 year old great aunt’s funeral mass at St Benedict’s Roman Catholic Church in Throggs Neck. For decades, I walked by this house of worship but never stepped foot inside but was impressed at its beauty when I did for my aunt’s farewell.

But of course for me, it’s not just the building itself but the history that I’m interested in (documented on the church’s website) and I immediately noticed the cornerstone declaring it was laid in 1957 just 60 years ago. Although the exterior of the church looks pretty traditional, the interior is a different, mid-century feeling if you will.

The history of the parish began much earlier, however, going back to St Benedict’s Parish first Sunday mass celebrated on Sunday, April 8, 1923 with an estimated crowd of 500 faithful parishioners.

Before that, the growing community of Throggs Neck had to travel to St Raymond’s miles away.

St Benedict’s Church actually has a South Bronx connection too as it was the “articles required for church services were transported from St Anselm’s” and it was that church’s pastor, Father Bernard Kevenhoerster who was appointed by the Archdiocese to, “…take charge of the entire section of land in Throggs Neck, Edgewater, Silver Beach, and any other settlements embraced in this general territory.” and it was St Anselm’s first assistant, Rev Louis Traufler who became St Benedict’s first pastor.

A month after the first mass, the archdiocese granted the parish permission to procure new land for a permanent church as well as $35,000 to do so.

As luck would have it, the property on Eastern Boulevard (now Bruckner Boulevard) across the street from the chapel where that first mass took place was available and vacant and would eventually become the current home of the church.

Throggs Neck grew and so did the parish. By 1930, the new school had opened to the tune of $450,000 and by 1955, the archdiocese granted permission to construct a larger church to better accommodate the faithful which leads up to the current structure we know today at 2969 Otis Avenue which costed a whopping $1,410,900!

Today, the church still serves the Irish and Italian community of the area along with a continuously grown number of Latino parishioners.

Although not quite the flying cars from the Jetsons we thought as kids we’d see by this time zooming around, alternative fuel vehicles are the way towards a more sustainable green future―and The Bronx will be getting a fueling station for such cars soon.

Permits have been filed for a hydrogen station at 2274 Tillotson Avenue in the Co-op City neighborhood of The Bronx by French company, Air Liquide.

Unlike battery electric vehicles which take hours or longer for a full charge, Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs), which run on hydrogen, are refueled in approximately 5 minutes.

Although FCEV cars are currently only being sold in California due to their network of 28 hydrogen refueling stations, according to a Huffington Post article, once multiple hydrogen refueling stations are completed in the Northeast New York-Boston corridor, carmakers will begin to offer the zero emission vehicles.

The hydrogen station, once completed, will be conveniently located right off exit 13 on I95/New England Thruway providing easy on/off access to the busy highway.

Visit Bronx Auto Sales

No exact date has been set for the construction or opening of the station as the application is currently pending zoning approval but in the meantime, check out this video below to learn more about these new cars:

This excellent news segment by CBS shows some of the best of the best handball players and talks a little bit about the history of this beloved sport. Whether at one of the courts at Orchard Beach or in Bronx Park along the Bronx River, handball has the power to unite genders, ages, and ethnic groups together in friendly competition.

Watch below and tell us what you think!