Yes she can and she does! Bronx raised Sarina Olmo not only still lives in our borough but she also works as a firefighter in the Boogie Down.
The 38 year old Puerto Rican started first as an EMT before heading into becoming one of New York City’s Bravest in the FDNY.
9 years later, she’s still going strong saving lives and even delivering new ones into the world.
This is the first time that we’re raising funds for an awesome Bronx organization and we’re kindly asking you to donate whatever you can whether it’s $5 bucks or whatever you can! (We rarely, ask our readers to donate!)
The Bronx River Alliance has been an amazing steward of our beautiful Bronx River along with the many Bronxites who volunteer their precious time to take care and cleanup this beautiful resource.
Thanks to all the volunteers and the Alliance the Bronx River is the cleanest it has been in over 100 years with wildlife returning like the first beavers in New York City in 200 years!
So please consider donating for a great cause!
To make a secured donation via FirstGiving, click hereand donate directly to the Welcome2TheBronx team!
It’s the story of the little big borough that could.
For decades, the business and commercial sector had given up on The Bronx as the city abandoned us along with the arson by landlords trying to unload quickly devaluing properties.
But through it all, we persevered and rebuilt ourselves the best way we could—by ourselves with the sweat equity of volunteers community leaders, orgs and everything in between.
New York’s strong economic recovery is breathing new life into the Bronx. As Manhattan and Brooklyn struggle to cope with housing affordability, more and more people are moving to the Bronx, enticed by its strong transportation access and affordable housing stock.
In 2015 alone, more than 13,500 people relocated to the Bronx. Since 2010, the borough’s population has increased by 70,300 people, or 5.1 percent. The Bronx has led not just the city of New York, but also the entire state, in terms of growth.
The Bronx’s Creative Class—workers who make a living using their minds, whether in science, technology, law, and medical industries, or academia, media, management, and finance—contains just over 86,000 workers, or about 32 percent of the borough’s workforce. On average, creative workers in the Bronx earn an annual salary of $77,875 per year—4 percent more than those working in Brooklyn. Just two out of every ten residents in the Bronx—around 130,000 workers—are members of the Creative Class.
The Bronx’s creative workforce pales in comparison to the size of its Service Class, which consists of routine jobs in food preparation and service, retail trade, personal care, and clerical and administrative positions. With 132,000 employees, the Service Class accounts for nearly half of the Bronx’s workforce, or approximately 272,000 residents. Service workers in the Bronx earn just $30,400 annually—34 percent less than those working in Manhattan.
While many still think of the Bronx as a manufacturing center, the Bronx’s Working Class accounts for just 18.2 percent of its total workforce—50,000 workers. Members of the Working Class in the Bronx earn an average annual salary of $39,000—more than the Service Class, but just half the average salary of the Bronx’s Creative Class. Altogether, an estimated 140,000 blue-collar workers call the Bronx home—around 25.7 percent of the borough’s total residents.
The Bronx’s Creative Clusters
While dominated by the Service Class, the Bronx boasts a number of competitive strengths in the creative economy. The chart below breaks down the borough’s creative clusters by employment, ten-year projection, annual salary, and location quotient.
The conservatory/Image via Halstead Property from an old listing.
The opulent 15,000 square foot Riverdale mansion which was built for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ finally has sold after being on and off the market since 2009.
Sold for $6,250,000 on January 9th of this year, it closed for considerably less than its original listing price of $15 million in 2009 and the most recent listing in 2015 for $10,000,000.
Below is what we wrote when it hit the market in 2015:
Sitting on the second highest peak in NYC, Jesus has apparently been priced put of Manhattan and will have to settle in The Bronx once he makes his comeback and rule the world from our borough.
As much as this sounds like a satirical piece from The Onion, it isn’t.
The extravagant mansion began construction in 1928 by the wife of a wealthy executive and she was part of a religious group that was considered by many a cult.
Genevieve Ludlow Griscom was a member of the Outer Court of the Order of the Living Christ—Theosocial order for short who along with other members apparently lived on the property but never inside the mansion itself. Instead, they lived in shacks and cottages on the property.
The conservatory/Image via Halstead Property from an old listing.
With 17 rooms, 7 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, 3 half baths, the 15,000 square foot home is simply an excess of opulence—not quite sure that a carpenter would feel so comfortable among these riches. Along with the aforementioned rooms, the mansion also boasts a conservatory, library, a fitness center (perhaps to keep Jesus in top physical condition and those six pack abs we always see), a home theater, staff quarters (because Jesus loved to have servants, no?), and of course a wine cellar (you know, to keep all the bottles of water he’ll turn into wine).
All this can be yours for $10 million and remember that it sits atop the 2nd highest peak in NYC (perfect for sermons) on a lush 2.3 acre lot. (For those not familiar with the estate section of Riverdale, most properties sit on HUGE lots compared with the standard 25’x100′ lots throughout NYC).
Yet another only in New York story right here in our own borough.
The master bedroom / Image via Halstead Property from an old listing.
Image via Halstead Property from an old listing.
For when Jesus entertains, they can do so in the billiards room / Image via Halstead Property from an old listing.
So much space. For all the loaves and fish? Image via Halstead Property from an old listing.
Image via Halstead Property from an old listing.
Image via Halstead Property from an old listing.
Image via Halstead Property from an old listing.
The property even features marble floors from the Vatican and chandeliers from The Plaza Hotel / Image via Halstead Property from an old listing.
Roughly 800,000 low-income New Yorkers have enough to get to their jobs, schools, interviews, or simply getting around.
For years, activists have called for reducing the MTA fares for the most economically disadvantaged of New Yorkers but the State hasn’t budged in a program that would cost $200 million to do so.
But a proposed $50 million pilot program put into the budget by the New York City Council can potentially pave the way the State to take on the responsibility of helping this segment of the population.
Under the pilot program, over 72,000 CUNY students who’s income falls below the poverty line would benefit from the program.
Too many at risk New Yorkers have to choose between missing meals so that they can get to work and provide for their families.
The discount fare program would cost $212 million annually, according to Riders Alliance and the Community Service Society annually, and save someone who buys monthly MetroCards about $700 a year.
“I often skip meals so I have enough cash in hand to make sure I get back,” said Riders Alliance member Monica Martinez. “My family and all low-income families in New York really need this half-priced MetroCard.”
The Fair Fares campaign has picked up support from more than two-thirds of the City Council. While Mayor de Blasio has expressed support for the concept, he has declined to fund it, arguing that the MTA is the state’s responsibility.
This is a no brainer and something that needs to pass and then eventually pressure the state to take over and lessen the burden on low-income New Yorkers since the 1% get all the tax breaks.
So close yet so far…even friggin Jersey got Citi Bikes!
Well maybe. The New York City Council has proposed $12 million in funding for Citi Bike as the only solution to finally bringing the bike share program to The Bronx and other parts of the city.
Since the inception of the bike share service, Citi Bike has predominantly ignored low income communities of color (with the exception of East Harlem/El Barrio which finally got the service last year) and even Jersey City got them before us!
Bike sharing programs such as Citi Bikes are actually more beneficial to low income communities as an alternative to ever rising MTA fare hikes so if this proposal goes through, it can have a positive impact on our communities that need it the most.
A yearly membership is $163 for unlimited use for a full year (up to 45 minutes per ride) or $14 per month.
Best of all, residents of NYCHA get a major discount at just $5 a month (just $60 a year).
Clearly this is a better way of getting around with one way subway fare at $2.75 a pop or $121 monthly unlimited.
According to the Daily News, the $12 million can get an additional 2,000 bikes on the ground without having to wait for Citi Bike to actually do it themselves.
While these amenities can clearly be seen as a vehicle (pun intended) for gentrification especially since they’d be coming to the South Bronx, is it if everyone else has access to them too?
Let’s hope this gets approved so our residents can get a move on!
On April 23rd, Nilka Martell of Loving The Bronx will be conducting a 5k walking tour through the South Bronx inspired by Baz Luhrman’s Netflix original series, The Get Down.
According to Nilka,
“We will visit some of the places where scenes were filmed, discuss the history and future plans for the Bronx, share personal experiences and meet pioneer of hip hop Grandmaster Melle Mel.
Please note the route is over the 5k distance, approximately 3.8 miles. Please wear comfortable shoes and attire.
We will be meeting at St. Mary’s Park, the northern entrance on East 149th Street and St. Ann’s Ave, Bronx, New York.
Water will be provided at the end of the tour.”
If you want a real treat then get your tickets NOW as you won’t want to miss this tour. Nilka is just a walking, talking encyclopedia of Bronx knowledge and trivia!
Tickets are $30 bucks which is a good deal for all the knowledge she’ll be dropping plus you get to walk 3.8 miles through our beautiful Bronx and keeping in shape!
Growing Up Gonzales, a play by Félix Rojas and performed by Andres “Chulisi” Rodríguez is a loving and brilliant tribute to brotherly and family love while growing up in The Bronx during the 1970s.
Through the writings of Rojas interpreted on the stage by Chulisi, one is transported into that era, where although life was harsh in the South Bronx, it still managed to thrive with a colorful cast of characters in our families, neighborhoods, and our everyday lives.
Even for those who didn’t experience that era, Chulisi has a way of hypnotizing you and taking you there with just a few props and a modest set on stage that you can clearly see yourself in the midst of the stories he weaves for the audience.
But through the joy there is pain. Pain in the death of his brother, a brother who’s gay, a brother who has died from AIDS. A brother he swore to protect.
All these emotions that range the spectrum of the human condition are felt throughout the performance which the entire audience could feel and reacted to.
Last week we received a bit of annoying news on Twitter: Google (or rather their algorithm) stereotypes The Bronx.
When you do an image search on Google for The Bronx, along with the images you’re served six categories: Ghetto, Streets, Maps, Projects Gangs, 1970s.
The digital diss was found by Jer Thorp, an artist and writer in Brooklyn, who posted it to his twitter account.
Clearly it’s not Google intentionally serving this since the giant search engine is run by algorithms but it serves as a reminder of what people still think about The Bronx.
Despite all the efforts of the thousands of residents who helped our borough during the roughest years when we were burning and after the fires were but memories, people still think we’re this forbidden, crime-ridden land.
Fact of the matter is that there is so much beauty to be found within our streets, “ghettos” , and projects.
There’s no denying that we still have many societal ills to overcome but The Bronx is more complex, more diverse than merely six categories can ever try to define us.
We are one of the most diverse counties in the country (actually according to the US Census, we’re the most diverse), we are the greenest borough of NYC, we are the birthplace of hip hop, salsa, and other music genres.
There’s a lot to be proud of even our so-called ghettos.
Back in April, Welcome2TheBronx broke this exclusive story that Zaro’s is coming back to Parkchester after closing its store in 2015. Now, Pix11 news has picked up the story (4 months later) so check it out below!
April 8, 2017
Several weeks ago we received a tip that Zaro’s Bakery was returning to Parkchester after over a year since it closed down their iconic location.
The tipster said they were reopening at a nearby location.
We called Zaro’s to confirm their reopening several weeks ago and an employee laughed and said “maybe” but we’d have to speak to someone else regarding it.
This past Saturday we received an email from their PR department declining an interview at this time.
Although we didn’t get official confirmation from Zaro’s, we’re pretty confident that indeed they are returning (hey, dreams do come true!) but until then, we’ll be patiently awaiting any official announcement.
Are you excited about this? Make sure to like and share this post to show your love!
The masterminds behind the failed “Piano District” rebranding of the South Bronx neighborhood of Port Morris are seeking a $500 million loan to finance the construction of their 7 building, 1,300 unit luxury market rate development on the waterfront at the foot of the Third Avenue Bridge.
It will be interesting to see how banks will react to one of the largest ever financing for residential development in our borough especially in a police precinct which saw the only increase in murder in all of New York City—the 40th Precinct.
The 7 buildings range 22 to 25 stories in height will begin construction next month regardless if they have the loan approved by then.
This is single handedly the biggest gamble in the entire Bronx in a largely untested market rate sector in the South Bronx which has largely been dominated by smaller scale market rate buildings like The Clocktower on Lincoln and Bruckner and JCAL’s three Alexander Avenue low-rise lofts.
Are people going to flock to the neighborhood in gentrifying hoards as these speculative developers are hoping?
Will they feel comfortable surrounded by NYCHA projects and the thousands of residents who live below the poverty line making this the poorest congressional district in the entire United States?
Perhaps they will since already they’re creating their own community separated and divided from the rest of the area by the Deegan Expressway and the river.
But at one point they will have to intersect whether on mass transit walking to the 6 train on 138th Street and Alexander Avenue where everyone’s forced to mingle whether they like it or not.
Whatever the outcome, we’re already knee-deep in the gentrification process as residential rents continue to ride and overburden our residents, as commercial landlords, blinded by greed and the prospect of higher rents kick out long time mom and pop businesses waiting for the higher bidder,and as property values continue to rise well out of reach of many living in the community who have a chance at homeownership only to have their dreams crushed.
No amount of gleaming towers will save our communities regardless of what we’re told that, “they’re good for us.”
