We already know that Arthur Avenue in Belmont is the undisputed REAL Little Italy of New York and each time we read about it we get even happier that it continues to receive that distinction.
This time, SpoiledNYC writes:
Let’s be honest, Arthur Avenue is one of the best-kept secrets of New York City.
From the size of the crowd at the City Island Alehouse Saturday, Feb.7th, you’d think that they were giving away free food.
Oops! …they were.
Despite the snow, ice and frigid temperatures, City Islanders and their friends came by the hundreds to eat, drink and rock and roll, all in celebration of City Island winning the 2014 Curbed Cup Neighborhood of the Year award, sponsored by Curbed, a prominent online magazine serving the real estate industry.
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.
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?
The Bronx really does it best.
Six 13 year old students from The Bronx who attend the Bronx Academy of Promise edged out 350 other teams across the country for a chance to create a math app in a contest sponsored by Verizon. Now these industrious Bronx children have an increased thirst for the STEM field (Science, Technology, Engineering and mathematics) where people of color make up less than 10% of the workforce in this industry and they will also be featured in a Verizon ad that will run all month long for Black History Month.
Last September we lost a great pillar of our Bronx family and community, the late Morgan Powell. The void that his passing created in our community was immeasurable along with the outpouring of grief .
Now, months later after fund raising for his memorial, Nilka Martell, one of Morgan’s closest friends, has just announced that his family as agreed to allow his ashes to be placed in Woodlawn Cemetery — a place he loved so very much like all of The Bronx.
January 27th, 1945, approximately 200,000 jewish concentration camp survivors of Auschwitz were liberated by Soviet soldiers. Many spread out across the globe with a number finding freedom in The Bronx amongst their mishpocheh (Yiddish for family — a term also often times attributed to extended family and friends).
Bronx resident and artist, Cinnamon Willis has been keeping herself quite busy making beautiful — yet haunting — dolls between working and displaying her work from exhibition to exhibition and not least of all increasing her profile in the international world.
Meet Doña Carmen, a resident of Melrose since leaving her native #PuertoRico many decades ago.
85 years young and you can always spot her in the early morning hours running her errands. Even though she cannot walk without the aid of her walker, she does not solicit help from anyone.
According to an article in The Washington Post’s PostEverything section, by Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld, 7,000 French Jews have fled France in the past year and moved to Israel over growing concerns of antisemitic movements. Herzfeld writes that, “The U.S. should open its doors to imperiled European Jews,” and goes on to inform us that a Bronx rabbinical school, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, is already doing just that.
We can go on and on about the amazing work Tanya Fields has been doing in The Bronx since moving here 13 years ago but I’ll let you read her story below. After you read her story please do NOT forget to donate to this amazing project. Even if it’s $1.00 and you share this with your friends, we can easily help them reach their goal. That’s just $1.00 to help create change.
For 35 years, Primavera Italian Language and Culture program has been providing free Italian language courses to elementary and middle school students in The Bronx. Along with the study of the language, the program has also taught and helped preserve the Italian culture — a community which has long and deep roots in our borough and has made great contributions to our communities.
Now several elected officials and Bronxites are trying to save the program.
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