The Bronx
In the late 1970s, The Bronx was so crime-ridden, poverty-stricken, crime-stricken, poverty-ridden, stricken-poverty, poverty-crime, stricken-ridden and poverty-ridden-stricken-crime that a wave of arson struck (rode?) the borough, allowing landlords to claim the insurance payouts which were in fact more valuable than the property attached to them.
In 2017, The Bronx is still notable for being less affluent than the rest of New York, although this mostly seems to mean that monthly rents aren’t the size of the average mortgage in the rest of the Western world. The Bronx today is a pleasant place full of pleasant people.
That said, I wasn’t there after dark.
All photos November 19th, 2017.
Street view, near Bronx Park East.
Bronx Park itself, at the eastern edge.
The Healing Totem in Bronx Park, a 9/11 memorial sculpture from 2002 (didn’t find any memorials in Brooklyn or Queens; someone’s slacking).
The Bronx River, which nearby signage assures us is no longer polluted to the point of resembling molasses. Of course, non-Americans have no idea about the Bronx’s former kinship with the Cuyahoga, so this doesn’t spark confidence at all.
A black squirrel in Bronx Park — a little fuzzy, because these things move fast.
Street view near the New York Botanical Gardens.
View across the north-east of the Botanical Gardens.
The view down Stone Mill Road.
The Goldman Stone Mill, powered by the Bronx River during its pre-molasses days.
200+ year old Black Oak, dating back to at least the Revolutionary War. Some trees in the Gardens predate both the Gardens and the United States.
Xmas trees.
The Fountain of Life, slightly bigger and more impressive than this photo might suggest.
Entrance to the Mertz Library and Steere Herbarium; the Gardens are also a major centre for research on plantlife.
View of the Bronx River Parkway from a pedestrian overpass.
Street view, facing north.
Ganzo’s Food Market, which sells all kinds of foods, but in particular, sandwiches. Including —
— chopped cheese. Allegedly invented in Spanish Harlem and also available in Queens, but I only ever found one in The Bronx.
Subway platform, Bronx Park East on the 2 line.
Yankee Stadium, i.e. the actual one.
The stadium actually opened in 2009, but took influence from the previous ballpark.
View along East 161st Street.
The view at East 149th Street and Grand Concourse.
Another view of Grand Concourse.
Reverse shot, from Hostos Community College.
