Things to Do in the Bronx
It used to be that the mere mention of the words “the Bronx” brought shivers to one's spine. No more. A day in the Bronx can be quite a fun family affair, with a visit to the Bronx Zoo, Yankee Stadium, the New York Botanical Garden, and dinner in one of the fabulous Italian restaurants along Arthur Avenue.
The New York Botanical Garden
200th Street and Southern Blvd.
Bedford Park Blvd. station (train B or D)
718-817-8700
The most beautiful 250 acres you'll find in the Bronx, and possibly in all of New York City, are in the New York Botanical Garden. A serene refuge from the big city, the garden is worth the trip to the northern borough, especially if you also visit the neighboring Bronx Zoo.
The site was selected back in 1891 and developed as a place for the public to enjoy the beautifully landscaped outdoors. Today the facility incorporates dramatic rock outcroppings, wetlands, ponds, a waterfall, and a forty-acre forest, along with sixteen specialty gardens including a rose garden and a rock garden. A Victorian-era glass-house has been home to indoor plants since 1902 (the orchids are world-renowned), and there is a museum building and stone cottage. The garden is also in the scientific research game; its new Plant Studies Center and a new plant studies library is one of the biggest in the country with more than 1.26 million print and nonprint items.
Plan ahead. Schedule shopping for later in the day. Major sights have gift shops, and your purchases can add up (in weight and in cost). If you plan to take photos, check your camera batteries and bring an extra memory card or roll of film. The big chain pharmacies are a good place to buy inexpensive cameras, supplies, and water.
Included among the gardens you'll find the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden, with a central iron gazebo and thousands of varieties of roses. Along with a 2.5-acre rock garden, you'll enjoy a native plant garden with nine different habitats displaying plants indigenous to the northeastern United States. More than 150 herbs are found in the Nancy Bryan Luce Herb Garden, and the Demonstration Gardens offer a variety of gardens that visitors can re-create in their backyards, including fragrance, country, and cutting gardens. In the Everett Children's Adventure Garden, youngsters can learn about tending to plants while engrossed in larger-than-life interactive games.
From bulbs to daffodils to daylilies to chrysanthemums, if it's a plant or part of a garden, it's most likely found in the New York Botanical Garden. There is even a forest with birds and wildlife in one of the oldest tracts of uncut nature remaining in the city. The outdoor children's garden is a delight, and kids can build a bird's nest, look at pond life with a magnifying glass, and wander through mazes and topiary gardens. There is a wonderful botanical research center with workshops.
The garden shop is a great place for buying anything you need for a garden, from seeds to watering cans; it also has a great selection of gardening books and unusual gift items. You'll find a children's shop in the Everett Children's Adventure Garden, and on the weekends there are wonderful workshops for kids.
There are special events and several tours are offered, including a tram tour (a small extra fee), a golf cart tour (no putting allowed), and walking tours of the gardens or the forest. The Garden Café is a good place to grab a bite to eat, and picnic tables are available. A visitors' center provides maps as you enter — you will need one to find your way around.
Hours and FeesThe New York Botanical Garden is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10
The Bronx Zoo
Fordham Road and Bronx River Parkway
West Farms Square-East Tremont Avenue station (2 or 5 train)
718-367-1010
The Bronx Zoo has for more than a century been a marvelous adventure for children and adults alike. The zoo, now officially known as the International Wildlife Conservation Center, is home to more than 4,000 animals in a variety of settings designed to simulate their natural habitats. Encompassing 265 acres, it is the largest urban wildlife conservation facility in America.
The zoo provides a full day of activities for families, with numerous exhibits including the Congo Gorilla Forest, which covers more than 6.5 acres and re-creates an African rain forest with more than 400 animals from fifty-five species.
Other exhibits include JungleWorld, an indoor tropical rain forest exhibit, complete with Asian gibbons and numerous other fascinating creatures. The zoo also features the Wild Asia Monorail, a ride through the re-created forests and meadows of Asia. It's populated with all the creatures of those nature documentaries on public television, including elephants, rhinos, and Indo-Chinese tigers. The Baboon Reserve is a simulated archeological dig tracing the evolution of the Gelada baboons, complete with numerous baboons playing on the side of the miniature mountain range.
Kids love the World of Darkness, which gives you a glimpse into the nocturnal creatures of the night, including various bats and rats. The Himalayan Highlands exhibit features red pandas, endangered snow leopards, and other animals of the Himalayas.
The Children's Zoo allows the kids to meet, greet, and feed a variety of animals and participate in various kid-friendly activities. Closed during winter months, the Children's Zoo costs $3 more for admission and includes a petting zoo. Still other exhibits include Mousehouse, Skyfari, World of Birds, and African Plains. Feedings and demonstrations are carried on throughout the day.
Nobody goes hungry at the zoo. There are numerous food stands and mobile carts, plus a wealth of restaurants: the Dancing Crane Café, the Terrace Café near the Children's Zoo, Asia Restaurant, and the African Market. There is also an unusual gift shop with some unique choices for friends and family.
Tickets are sold up until an hour before the zoo closes, but you should allow yourself at least three hours to see everything. Check the weather before you plan a day at the zoo to avoid getting caught in any inclement weather.
Hours and FeesThe Bronx Zoo is open 365 days a year, although several exhibits close down during the winter months. The hours are 10
Wave Hill
West 249th Street and Independence Avenue
231st Street station (1 train), then the Bx7 or Bx10 bus to 252nd Street
Riverdale station (Metro-North)
718-549-3200
This is one of those beautiful, quiet spots in the big city. It's the site of a former mansion overlooking the Hudson River with undisturbed vistas of the New Jersey Palisades. Artists, writers, and readers come here just to sit and think. This twenty-eight-acre public garden houses a greenhouse and a conservatory as well as herb, wildflower, and aquatic gardens. There are wonderful art workshops for kids every Saturday and a delightful café with deliciously creative sandwiches and soups (which may be a bit outré for your kids, so check the menu on Wave Hill's Web site). There is also a terrific gift shop. Celebrity weddings are often held here.
Hours and FeesWave Hill is closed Mondays except for certain holidays. From April 15 through October 15, the estate is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9
Take your kids to Poe's Cottage at Kingsbridge Road and the Grand Concourse Kingsbridge Road station (B, D, or 4 train). This is where Edgar Allan Poe and his wife lived between 1846 and 1849, and it is believed that he wrote “The Bells,” about the church bells of St. John's College (now Fordham University), while living there. Open Saturday 10
City Island
A small bridge connects this 230-acre, four-block-wide island in Long Island Sound with the northeast section of Bronx. Less than an hour from Manhattan by car, City Island is a worthwhile excursion that even some longtime New Yorkers don't know about. It's quaint, it's fun, and if you love seafood, bring your appetite. The best way to get there is by car. If you prefer public transportation, take the 6 train to Pelham Bay Parkway, and then the Bx29 bus. April through October are the months to visit.
Fishing, sailing, and boat-building have been more than just pastimes on the island since its founding days in the eighteenth century. The soul of this little island is contained in a charming little museum run by the City Island Historical Society. The City Island Historical Museum (190 Fordham Street) contains displays, models, memorabilia, tools, photographs, maps, and writings about the sea in general and City Island in particular. There is no admission fee, but donations are welcome. Open Sundays from 1
An attractively laid out miniature golf course, Turtle Cove, is located next to a full-sized driving range, where you can stop to play along the way as you head to City Island Bridge. Once over the bridge, the smell of fresh seafood will entice you. City Island has all the great seafood that can be found on the shores of Maine or Massachusetts. The tiny island is also chock full of boats, and you can rent one and take a ride.
As you drive along the one main road on the island, you'll encounter a slew of restaurants. With names like Crab Shanty, The Harbor, Lobster Box, Lobster House, Sammy's Fish Box, and Sea Shore, you'll immediately get the message that it's time to don a bib and prepare for some great seafood. Portions in most of these eateries are large, the food is fresh, and the dining experience at most of the twenty-plus restaurants is first rate.
Yankee Stadium
East 161st Street and River Avenue
East 161st Street-Yankee Stadium station (B, D, or 4 train)
718-293-6000 (box office)
718-579-4531 (stadium tours)
If you want to experience a bit of sports history, act fast. Built in 1923, the year the Babe hit his first home run, and home to the winningest baseball franchise in major league history, this venerable structure will soon be rubble. A new Yankee Stadium will rise in its place. Pains have been taken to design a state-of-the-art facility with the flavor and feel of the old stadium. It will have the same dimensions and a similar look but fewer seats to accommodate sixty luxury suites. The new Yankee Stadium will be ready opening day 2009.
Meanwhile, the headquarters of Yankees fans nationwide and worldwide remains, holding the spirits of Hall of Famers matched by no other team — Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, and Yogi Berra, among many others.
The stadium itself sits on 11.6 acres and is actually the third home of the Yankees, who played in the Polo Grounds in upper Manhattan (1913 to 1922) and before that in Hilltop Park (1903 to 1912), also in upper Manhattan. The present Yankee Stadium underwent a major renovation in 1976.
With very little foul territory, seats are as close to the field as you'll find anywhere. The ambiance is still that of real baseball, without artificial turf, skyboxes, waterfalls, or massive electronic scoreboards overshadowing the game itself. If you arrive early, you can visit Monument Park, just over the centerfield fence. The park features monuments and plaques for great Yankees, including the aforementioned Hall of Famers plus Bill Dickey, Phil Rizzuto, Roger Maris, Thurman Munson, Elston Howard, Casey Stengel, and others. These will be moved to the new stadium.
Yankee Stadium holds 57,545 visitors, but getting a ticket is never easy when the Yankees are playing well. With fewer seats, it will be that much harder to get tickets in the new stadium. If you plan on being in town to watch a game, act early. Tickets can be purchased at Ticketmaster (call 212-307-1212) locations throughout the city, at the Yankee Stadium box office, or on the Yankees' Web site, where you can print your own ticket.
For day games, the subway is quick and gets you right to the stadium. If you'd prefer not to travel the subways at night, you can park in any of several lots around the ballpark. Avoid those that say valet parking; they cost more and you're kept waiting in line to get your car after the game. Self park in a lot and walk with the crowds. This is not a neighborhood for seeking out street parking or wandering away from the stadium area. Stadium tours are offered at noon during the week.
