Bronx Stories

The Grand Concourse, Boulevard of Bronx Dreams

“THE Grand Concourse, the four-and-a-half-mile boulevard that for much of its life was described as the Champs-Élysées of the Bronx, has often sat for its portrait, as have many of the handsome buildings along its flanks. But there is one image that captures in poignant fashion exactly what the street represented in the mid-20th century.

It is a grainy black-and-white snapshot of a boy named Sam Goodman, a third-generation boulevard resident, wearing a dressy coat and hat and standing in front of the Lorelei fountain in Joyce Kilmer Park. Anyone who knew the area would recognize the luscious white-marble concoction of mermaids and riverfront siren, which had been created in Germany in 1893 and brought to the Bronx with much fanfare six years later.

Netflix & Baz Luhrmann’s ‘The Get Down’ Cast Revealed; No Latinos To Be Found

So much for Baz Lurhmann’s casting call seeking African American or Latino males.

The Bronx and Hip Hop community has been abuzz about Baz Luhrmann’s Netflix series ‘The Get Down’, due out in August 2016, ever since it was first announced several months ago. Most of the chatter was whether or not outsiders would get our story right (Welcome2TheBronx was the first to raise this issue) and now it seems we may have been right: Not one Latino cast member was introduced this week.

Bronx Man Celebrates 105th Birthday! – NY1

From NY1:

“It seems that a Bronx man has found the fountain of youth. Joe Binder from Belmont is celebrating his 105th birthday. NY1’s Erin Clarke filed this report.

Joe Binder has a secret to living a long life.

“You’ve got to be kind to people and stay away from stress,” Binder says. “I don’t carry any grudges. Turn the other cheek.”

That motto has served him well over the years—105 years yeas to be precise.”=

Casting Call To Bronx Residents for Netflix’s ‘The Get Down’ Due by March 10th!

So it seems the noise we made about making sure Netflix and Baz Luhrmann get their new series about the South Bronx set in the 1970s, ‘The Get Down’ accurate is off to a decent start by issuing a casting call to Bronx residents — which has a deadline of March 10, 2015.

Another Bronx Woman Makes History, This Time in NASCAR as 1st Female Starter

Bronx women are breaking barriers left and right.

Last week we had the story of Lt. Col Merryl Tengesdal, a Bronx native, who became the first African-American female to ever pilot the U-2 and now this Sunday, Kim Lopez, a Bronx native of Puerto Rican descent, will be the first woman and Hispanic to be the chief starter for the 57th Daytona 500.

Presidents’ Day: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, & The Bronx

While many of us are off today for Presidents’ Day, do you know the connections that The Bronx has to Washington and Lincoln?

Some of you may already know your Bronx history, especially if you’ve read our Bronx Facts we’ve been compiling since last year but since today’s a holiday why not talk a little more about our borough’s place in history.

New Series Focused on the South Bronx of the 70s is Coming to Netflix

The 70s was the decade that South Bronx became the poster child for urban decline. It’s when Howard Cosell, during the 1977 World Series at Yankee Stadium told the world, “Ladies and gentlemen, The Bronx is burning,” It was the decade that our borough lost over 20% of its population (more than 300,000 had fled) — most of it concentrated in The South Bronx.

Now, coming in 2016, a new Netflix series called ‘The Get Down’ will focus on a group of teenagers during that tumultuous era and the creativity that blossomed during those days giving way to hip-hop in all its forms from the music, to the dance, the graffiti artists and much more.

A Chinese Takeout, a Bronx Jewish Businessman & The Creation of the #1 Distributor of Popular Condiment

Here’s a fun story with Bronx history we found via The Atlantic about a Bronx Jewish businessman who was able to overcome some odds to become the top distributor of those little soy sauce packets we all know so well. After all these years of these soy sauce packets staring me in the face, little did I know this was the brainchild of a fellow Bronxite! Oh and did you know that soy sauce appears to go back as far as the year 160AD?

Blackie: A Story of a Bronx Boy and His Dog

Blackie had come into the family before I was born, while my parents were still living in Brooklyn. Soon after my folks moved to the Bronx, Blackie ran away. My parents combed the neighborhood looking for her and put signs up on lampposts, but to no avail. A week later, a former Brooklyn neighbor called my mother and told her that Blackie was sitting on the kitchen floor in the old, still empty Brooklyn apartment, whimpering. My father wanted to leave her there, but Mom made him drive to Brooklyn to bring her back.