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The Bronx has many interesting,even some fascinating nooks and crannies but it is very difficult to recommend without knowing a) where your interests might lie and b) whether you will have a car or will be completely reliant on public transportation.
Without hesitation I would recommend a tour that combines a trip to The New York Botanical Garden with a walk around and a meal in Little Italy,which is only a 10 minute or so walk from The Botanical Garden.I would go to The Botanical Garden either in the morning or afternoon and then have either lunch or an early dinner in Little Italy.It's the best Botanical Garden in the US and one of the best in the world.....truly spectacular. A tour of Little Italy will provide you with a glimpse of what most of NYC was like before most of it became so corporate and homogenized.It looks like Greenwich Village in the 1960's.Lots of great shops and great restaurants.One could easily spend an entire day in The Botanical Garden and 3 or 4 hours is probably a minimum so the Garden and Little Italy with a meal would really be a day.There is a metro north Botanical Garden stop and as I said,Little Italy is a short walk away so this could be done easily without a car.
Many people who I bring on tours of The Bronx are ,surprisingly to me, somehow fascinated with Fordham Road.They say it is like nothing else in NYC or like nothing else in the country.Well, it's right there near the Botanical Garden and Little Italy if you care to take a stroll.
I could understand at the park separates Riverdale geographically, but not the hills, since this is a feature not limited to Riverdale. But the hills of Northern Manhattan/West Bronx are lovely. If the OP will be coming up this way, and likes parks, I'd also consider Fort Tryon Park, and the Fort Washington area of Washington Heights.
You cannot reach "upstairs" Riverdale without going up the hills so we are indeed separated geographically from the rest of the Bronx. I am not referring to the area by Van Cortlandt Park which is considered "downstairs" Riverdale, but rather the steep and meandering hills that lead you to Central Riverdale and Spuyten Duyvil. In fact you can see the wall that separates us from Kingsbridge at the foot of the hill at Riverdale Avenue and West 231st st. The only other way to reach those areas or Riverdale is via the stairs.
if you would rather wear yourself out
biking through the whole big bx, that's your business lol.
personally, i wouldn't loaf like that.
Of course the OP plans on stopping. I doubt the OP wants to just drive through the Bronx and leave.
Some of these sites are one or two miles apart max, completely bikeable. The Bronx is pretty compact, you can ride across the entire borough, East to West (or North to South) in less then an hour at an average pace. Some people walk the entirety of the Grand Concourse to appreciate the individual structures and absorb the urbanity of the surrounding neighborhood.
Quote:
Originally Posted by yodel
So the hills separate one part of Riverdale from another, and from Kingsbridge - I get it.
I'm personally not a fan of Riverdale (nor the isolationist attitude some residents have). I find neighborhoods like Mott Haven, the Grand Concourse areas, Bronx Park East, Belmont, and City Island much more interesting.
I am trying to become a more refined New York tourist by making a trip to one of the other five boroughs while I stay in the city. Last time I checked out Williamsburg, Brooklyn, which I was not impressed by, so I have decided to extend my exploring into Queens and the Bronx.
I understand the Bronx has a reputation for being the most dangerous borough but I figured there might be some neighborhoods worth visiting. I've heard decent things about Riverdale and a few others. What is your opinion?
Not sure what you're looking for, it's hard for me to understand someone not finding Williamsburg interesting (in a good way or a bad way), but to each his own.
I think Little Italy and Botanical Gardens are a good choices for a day. Fordham Rd.? Not so much in my opinion.
Lol.My first surprise at interest in Fordham Road came when I was taking a friend from my neighborhood to The Cloisters so we took the Bx12..When we got stuck in traffic along Fordham Road my friend started asking "what is this?","where are we?" This is amazing he said,"I've never seen anything like this in the US before" "I feel like I'm in another country". The next day he made me take him back over there ( to Fordham Rd) to walk around and go in and out of all the stores.He was completely fascinated by it.I have had similar feelings expressed by others ,so you never know really what people are going to find interesting.
I personally feel sort of like you do.I view Fordham road as an obstacle to get through on the way to something else,to be avoided if possible.The only time i intentionally go there is to show it to people.
I'm personally not a fan of Riverdale (nor the isolationist attitude some residents have). I find neighborhoods like Mott Haven, the Grand Concourse areas, Bronx Park East, Belmont, and City Island much more interesting.
Lol.My first surprise at interest in Fordham Road came when I was taking a friend from my neighborhood to The Cloisters so we took the Bx12..When we got stuck in traffic along Fordham Road my friend started asking "what is this?","where are we?" This is amazing he said,"I've never seen anything like this in the US before" "I feel like I'm in another country". The next day he made me take him back over there ( to Fordham Rd) to walk around and go in and out of all the stores.He was completely fascinated by it.I have had similar feelings expressed by others ,so you never know really what people are going to find interesting.
I personally feel sort of like you do.I view Fordham road as an obstacle to get through on the way to something else,to be avoided if possible.The only time i intentionally go there is to show it to people.
That's funny - he hadn't seen anything like it. That's probably a good thing! I think they should rip all the huge signs out and start over again.
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