The Bronx

The view out into the Bronx from upstairs.

Of the five boro in New York City, I think I probably go into the Bronx and Staten Island the least. Staten Island makes sense, as it is a residential boro that really doesn't have "tourist" attractions all over it. The Bronx however is home to Yankee Stadium and it's surrounding neighborhoods, and yet I don't go there as much. Part of that is that i'm not a Yankees fan. The other part is that I think the Bronx gets an undeserving bad rap.

I had a good time in the Bronx yesterday. Yes, it's a blue collar neighborhood around Yankee Stadium, but for me that's the charm. It's gritty, it's working class, and it's got character. While I'm not a Yankee fan, I do have a lot of respect for keeping the stadium in the neighborhood, amongst actual residents, and therefore creating an economy there. People ask about the value of sports, I'd say the hundreds of people who were working on River Avenue last night after the game might be able to tell you.

The Bronx is old-school New York. It's not hipster Williamsburg, or banker South Manhattan, it's working-class people who work hard for what they have. Yes, the old immigrant neighborhoods are now much more Hispanic, but the same basic principle is involved. They work, they earn a living, and they live off of that living. The Bronx is what New York has always been about. I enjoy taking a trip up there for any purpose I can.