[BTinSF]

With some emphasis on food (since I went there not just to see and photograph, but to eat). Let's just say Tony Soprano would feel right at home.

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x128/BSTJr/P1000516.jpg?t=1199596281

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x128/BSTJr/P1000514.jpg?t=1199596405

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x128/BSTJr/P1000517.jpg?t=1199596537

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x128/BSTJr/P1000519.jpg?t=1199596600

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x128/BSTJr/P1000520.jpg?t=1199596634

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x128/BSTJr/P1000521.jpg?t=1199596679

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x128/BSTJr/P1000522.jpg?t=1199596790

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x128/BSTJr/P1000525.jpg?t=1199596907

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x128/BSTJr/P1000524.jpg?t=1199596863

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x128/BSTJr/P1000526.jpg?t=1199596939

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x128/BSTJr/P1000527.jpg?t=1199596979

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x128/BSTJr/P1000529.jpg?t=1199597026

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x128/BSTJr/P1000531.jpg?t=1199597137

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x128/BSTJr/P1000532.jpg?t=1199597173

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x128/BSTJr/P1000533.jpg?t=1199597210

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x128/BSTJr/P1000536.jpg?t=1199597286

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x128/BSTJr/P1000538.jpg?t=1199597355

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x128/BSTJr/P1000542.jpg?t=1199597414

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x128/BSTJr/P1000543.jpg?t=1199597454

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x128/BSTJr/P1000544.jpg?t=1199597493

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x128/BSTJr/P1000548.jpg?t=1199597616

And, just in case you were wondering where I did eat dinner, it was here:

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x128/BSTJr/P1000545.jpg?t=1199597523

And it was extraordinary.

[Jularc]

Very good. I had no idea you were visiting the city. I have to get myself there for some yummy Italian food.

[BTinSF]

^^^D train to Fordham Rd. and a long but interesting walk. ;)

[STLgasm]

mama mia!

[MobyLL]

Nice! I was last in that neighborhood about 20 years ago, and some people back then were predicting it's demise with the continued migration of people to the suburbs. Glad to see it's looking even better today than it was back then.

[Evergrey]

Looks like a fun neighborhood!

[Crawford]

^^^D train to Fordham Rd. and a long but interesting walk. ;)

I really appreciate the pics. The Bronx, particularly the South and Central portions, does not get much Skyscraperpage coverage.

Most Arthur Avenue visitors take the Metro North to the Fordham University station, which is definitely a much less "interesting" walk (you don't pass through any "tough" parts), but I think you made the right decision. And you got to take the D train through the Bronx, which in its southern parts, straddles the largest West African neighborhood in North America.

You walked through Tremont which is one of the poorest neighborhoods in NYC. but very vibrant and interesting, and typical for this portion of the South and Central Bronx. Fordham Road in particular is bustling and packed with activity. Tremont is turning Dominican and Mexican though still has a minority of Puerto Ricans and blacks. The area has lots of steep hills and rows of art deco apartment buildings, both which may come as a surprise to an outsider.

When I lived in Upper Manhattan I sometimes biked up to the Arthur Avenue neighborhood to Mike's Deli (in the indoor Arthur Avenue retail market). Mike's has great Italian sandwiches and sides. I also highly recommend the Pelham Parkway neighborhood to the east of Arthur Avenue. This area is heavily Albanian and has great burek places. Bureks are very tasty Albanian meat, vegetable or cheese pies with a flaky crust.

Some Bronx Italians would quibble with the characterization of Arthur Avenue as the Bronx Little Italy. In 2007, Bronx still has many Italians, but the vast majority live in the much whiter and more prosperous East Bronx, especially in Morris Park. Many Italians claim Morris Park is the real Bronx Little Italy, and the Italian retail strips around Morris Park Avenue and Eastchester Road are quite popular. This area is also more convenient to Manhattan by subway, since it is a short walk from the Morris Park or Pelham Parkway stations on the 5 train.

Personally, I prefer Morris Park for authenticity and cheap eats, while I like Arthur Avenue for atmosphere and landmark restaurants.

[Cbautz]

I Agree with above. There is so much in New York, that someone could spend a lifetime documenting it all. By the time they finished every neighborhood/district, it would have all changed. We need more New York on the forum.

[LMJCobalt]

Nice photos!

I was just over on Arthur Ave two weeks ago. Here are my recommendations, Terra Nova Bakery from some amazing Italian Bread and Joe Deli next door; delicious.

[matt602]

Very nice looking neighborhood. Reminds me of James North in Hamilton. Very friendly and tight streets with tons of sidewalk sales.

[pico44]

Roberto's! Fine choice BT, fine choice. It is the place to go for Italian food in the Bronx, and maybe the best place in all of New York that won't set you back 150 bucks a person.

[Swinefeld]

That was interesting. Thanks.

[ColDayMan]

Nice!

[the urban politician]

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x128/BSTJr/P1000543.jpg?t=1199597454

^ I wonder how many people have lost fingers here ;)

[BTinSF]

Most Arthur Avenue visitors take the Metro North to the Fordham University station, which is definitely a much less "interesting" walk (you don't pass through any "tough" parts), but I think you made the right decision.

First of all, let me thank you and the others here who enlightened me on the area. Places like this aren't covered in tour guides and it's so much more interesting if you know what you're seeing (or saw).

I walked past the Metro North Station (where I bought some peanuts) and it looked all closed up. It was Saturday--do the trains run on weekends? Anyway, first thing I always do upon arrival in NYC is buy a 7-day Metrocard so the subway ride was "free" while I don't think the Metro North would have been (am I wrong?)--yes, I'm a cheap SOB ;) .

You walked through Tremont which is one of the poorest neighborhoods in NYC. but very vibrant and interesting, and typical for this portion of the South and Central Bronx. Fordham Road in particular is bustling and packed with activity. Tremont is turning Dominican and Mexican though still has a minority of Puerto Ricans and blacks. The area has lots of steep hills and rows of art deco apartment buildings, both which may come as a surprise to an outsider.

I certainly noticed the Hispanic and black influences. On Fordham Rd I went into any number of athletic shoe places and sort of shopped my way along the street. I did not, however, take any pics. I thought it a place where it was best not to look like a naive (or lost) tourist. But in truth, maybe I am naive but I felt quite safe and was really surprised by how friendly and polite everyone seemed. I was indeed surprised by the hills but not so much the architecture, having seen other photos.

When I lived in Upper Manhattan I sometimes biked up to the Arthur Avenue neighborhood to Mike's Deli (in the indoor Arthur Avenue retail market). Mike's has great Italian sandwiches and sides. I also highly recommend the Pelham Parkway neighborhood to the east of Arthur Avenue. This area is heavily Albanian and has great burek places. Bureks are very tasty Albanian meat, vegetable or cheese pies with a flaky crust.



I noticed a couple of Balkan places on Arthur Ave. For some reason I though they were Kosovar.

[denveraztec]

Fun tour of another area in NYC I have yet to visit. So true, NYC has so much and we don't see enough of it on SSP.

[Kilgore Trout]

Thanks for the photos. I've always been curious to see this neighbourhood.

[DC83]

Very nice looking neighborhood. Reminds me of James North in Hamilton. Very friendly and tight streets with tons of sidewalk sales.

I actually had to recheck the name of the thread to make sure I WASN'T looking at another James North Hamilton thread!
What a great-looking, ped-friendly hood!
Thanks for sharing!

[arbeiter]

I hope everything worked out well for your trip... good pictures

[Wheelingman04]

Wonderful photos of a great city.

[plinko]

My GF took me to Arthur Avenue when we were there in November. She's an Italian from the neighborhood. We did the full Italian dinner with 'the family'. Totally dug it. The indoor market that Crawford mentioned was fascinating.

Accoring to Uncle Joe...this place is a f*cking tourist trap:
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x128/BSTJr/P1000522.jpg

The Pork Store freaked me out.

[JivecitySTL]

Bronxolicious!

[tiger47]

ah! I go back to Fordham this weekend and was feeling very schoolsick, so these were a great find.

Roberto is definitely the best, if you're willing to pay the price. It's not expensive for New York, but it is for the neighborhood. Emilia's and Ann & Tony's are my usuals, though. Tino's Chicken Parm heroes are magical. And despite all the neighborhood controversy, Palombo's is the best place for a cannoli and espresso.

[BTinSF]

Accoring to Uncle Joe...this place is a f*cking tourist trap:
http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x128/BSTJr/P1000522.jpg



He's right but it's a well-known tourist trap which is why I took its picture--I'd never eat there myself.

[KVNBKLYN]

I walked past the Metro North Station (where I bought some peanuts) and it looked all closed up. It was Saturday--do the trains run on weekends? Anyway, first thing I always do upon arrival in NYC is buy a 7-day Metrocard so the subway ride was "free" while I don't think the Metro North would have been (am I wrong?)--yes, I'm a cheap SOB ;) .



You're right that an unlimited Metrocard doesn't work on Metronorth. On the weekends there's a discount ticket called Cityticket that lets you take MN and the LIRR within the city for $3 one way, but for some reason I think the Harlem line (which serves Fordham Road) is exempt.

The station is open 7 days a week, though, and it's usually pretty busy.

[tiger47]

You're right that an unlimited Metrocard doesn't work on Metronorth. On the weekends there's a discount ticket called Cityticket that lets you take MN and the LIRR within the city for $3 one way, but for some reason I think the Harlem line (which serves Fordham Road) is exempt.

The station is open 7 days a week, though, and it's usually pretty busy.

The City Ticket works on the Harlem line.

[BTinSF]

Guys, after I discovered this option when I walked past and through the Fordham Road terminal area (it's a bus depot too), I considered going back downtown this way, but I saw a sign that said "Tickets cheaper before getting on train" next to a shuttered kiosk that I (apparently wrongly) deduced was where you normally could buy a ticket. I watched the station entrance for a while (while eating peanuts)--where you could go down to the trains--and no one came or went, so I also deduced (again, wrongly) the trains might not run on Saturdays since they were essentially commuter trains.

[Ex-Ithacan]

What a fun tour of the kind of hood we don't see very often. Dandy stuff BT, look forward to more of your NY wanderings.

[LWR]

Great photos. It's a part of my heritage that I like (food). Can you give a definition of interesting without getting whacked? ;)

Hope your trip has been an great one... again, great photos. Were they taken before or after Christmas holiday? I see decorations, but not that many, or at least not as many as I remember.

[BTinSF]

^^^They were taken the day the thread was started--even though it's now 8 days into the New Year, lots of decorations just beginning to come down (and the stores are having their final desperation sales). I laughed in Brooks Brothers because there was this huge sign saying "Sale ends Jan 6" but the sales lady readily admitted to me that what that really meant was that there would be further markdowns Jan 7. 50% off the pre-existing markdown was common today but expect to have to compete with the hordes of Euro-wielding Eurotrash to get anything good. :shrug: