Bronx: Bedford Park Article (Lee: transfer, train, stations)

[el luchador]

My wife and I bought an 2 br coop apartment in Bedford Park last April (07). We have since had our first baby! We really do love Bedford Park. The Value can't be beat. We used to rent in Park Slope...obviously we couldn't afford a 2 br there.. We are members now to the Bontanical Garden (w/in walking distance and only $100 for the year!) and take walks there almost every day. The transportation is great in Bedford Park. I am actually changing jobs and used to work on the West Side (b/d line). Now I'll be working on the UES and the 4 makes the commute just as easy!

My wife and I are 28 yo white people and feel perfectly at home. Certainly Bedford Park has its rough edges and there are some things I would lke to change (i.e. people who don't take care of their own nabe by littering and letting their dogs defecate on the sidewalk w/o cleaning it up and a lack of restaraunts in the immediate - althought Arthur Ave is very close.

In the final analysis, Bedford Park is a quiet and stable nabe with affordable housing stock. To be honest I am not sure why it hasn't caught on sooner. Greenspace everywhere and fantastic transportation, not to mention a University (Fordham) and College( Lehman) close by. In fact Lehman has the Bronx opera and an art gallery and Fordham has a hidden little antiquities gallery in its library (suiff from ancient Greece and Rome) not to mention great lectures and A-10 hoops! Lots to do....ohhh, I forgot the Zoo!..Williamsbridge oval just got an 11 million dollar facelift.

[davisdartman]

I took the D train up to BP a few months ago. It was a rainy day, so things were a little gray...

The Botanical Gardens were amazing! I didn't really go in, but even the flowers next to their fence were beautiful. BP seemed like a nice place, pretty clean, the apartment buildings seemed to be in pretty good shape. Lots of trees.

The businesses seemed a little run-down looking, and the stretch of businesses between the 4 and the B/D line was not the most aesthetically pleasing. However, for the amount you pay for rent and the convenience of Midtown commuting, BP seems like a nice place!

[Guywithacause]

El Luchador thanks for your perspective..it was very valuable to the thread. I find it very interesting that I hear people moving from prime areas of Brooklyn and moving to areas all around the Bronx...this is a recurring theme lately in places across the borough.

[rlrl]

BPB gets nice as you go east of the Concourse. Some beautiful bldgs and houses. I think it hasn't caught on sooner because of the boro's bad rep and also people don't know that little enclave is very well taken care of. It's much more interesting architecturally than Norwood across the pkwy. I heard decades ago they had art shows on the streets.

[Guywithacause]

Yes I agree...but as the borough's rep is quickly changing....Bedford Park is poised to regain its shine. And I am glad to see it!

[SeventhFloor]

Originally Posted by Guywithacause

What happened to Bedford Park??? Open up another thread for the South bronx stuff please. Seventh help me out here!

Regarding Beford Park, has anyone actually been there, shopped there, lived there, recently moved there or moved out? Let's hear from someone who knows.

i apologize GWAC...
:::bows gracefully out of thread::

[rlrl]

read El Luchador's post. I've driven through there countless times and i like what i see, but only within the confines of Webster-Concourse, Mosholu Pky-BPB. The nicest blocks seem to be Bainbridge, Perry, Marion between BPB, 201 and Mosholu

[Pete Piper]

Congratulations on the baby, Luchador!

We're also a white family of three who bought an apartment here. Coming from upper Manhattan (Washington Hts--Ft. Washington Ave.) it felt real familiar. I agree with Luchador, there's a lot to do, very green, yeah a few rough edges, but really a pleasant place to live. Green space was very important for us since we were used to having Fort Tryon park so close. We're members of of the Botanical Gardens and the Zoo, and go very frequently. We're also big fans of the huge Bronx branch library by Fordham--it's like having a Barnes and Nobles but everything is free.

Someone said that on-street parking was bad here. I found parking here pretty easy (compared to my old hood, which was a true nightmare). We got rid of the car (or it got rid of us but that's another story), and find that it's easy to live here car free. Most everything you need is within walking distance (a world-class hospital too), and public transportation is very good, better than in Upper Manhattan in my opinion. I hope that eventually they'll run the D train express also at non-rush hours. It's very fast during rush hours, but on weekends it takes much longer running local.

By the way, it seems the Botanical Garden is building a Green Walled parking garage on the corner of Webster and Bedford. Normally I wouldn't get excited about a parking garage, but this sounds pretty cool and Webster Ave. needs all the beautification it can get.

[BronxPride]

[quote=Pete Piper;4326672]I hope that eventually they'll run the D train express also at non-rush hours. It's very fast during rush hours, but on weekends it takes much longer running local.quote]

I completely agree. When I lived in Fordham I used to hate coming from Manhattan late at night. There's only one express track, but it can still be used to go downtown during the morning rush hour till maybe 2pm and then uptown from 3pm to like 3am. Instead the express track is only used during the morning and evening rush hours. When it goes express, the D line is super fast!

[Fred314X]

Well, you know, the problem with a non-rush hour express along the Concourse is that it's a three-track line. But that shouldn't be the end of the world; the service pattern could be arranged similarly to the #7 (also a three-track line). Express trains to Manhattan until, say, noon. And coming up to The Bronx from 3 to 9PM. Next month, there will be an expanded service plan going into effect--the B line will be running several hours past its current 9PM. There's no reason why its hours of service couldn't be expanded in The Bronx, allowing for an express run on the D line.

MTA does periodic studies of line usage, and when there's enough of an increase, service can be adjusted. I, personally, would suggest making the idea of a non-rush hour express on the Concourse line known to MTA chairman Lee Sanders. He's the first-ever head of MTA who actually has a background in urban transportation (and he's a resident of NYC), and comments to him from the riding public don't get deposited in the recycle bin.