Bronx Warnings Or Dangers

Well me being a highschool student, walking around the bronx leaves me paranoid. 75% percent of teens in south bronx are gang affiliated. In the summer time daily hobbies for these guys are to beat up on other teens, shoot guns at people in partys, and sell/smoke weed non stop. I would never step foot in a bronx party. SAFTY OVER FUN.

I guess by now everyone in the world has heard about the Bronx (though probably all bad news). I think that the reputation depends on who you are and where you're from. Let's face it: if you were raised on a farm in Iowa even the safest of neighborhoods in New York City may seem just a little intimidating to you.

A lot has changed over the last 26 years since former President Jimmy Carter stood in the burnt out ruins of Charlotte Street. Some people still believe that they're going to come here and find blocks and blocks of abandoned buildings, burnt out cars, and fires blazing. The reaction I usually get when I tell people that I live in the Bronx is that of surprise, curiosity, or sometimes just plain disgust.

Just this past weekend we attended a birthday party for my nephew Alex, he just turned 1. The event was at a small beach club located just off of Pennyfield Ave. What a nasty, nasty beach and ocean area. The beach was covered with waste that had washed up on shore from the water. All sorts of bottles, food, needles etc all over the place. I didn't let the boys venture off the deck outside out of fear they would get hurt or catch something. I can only imagine how nasty the water was if the beach was this gross.

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If you are not from NY (or the Bronx for that matter), don't go to really any part of the Bronx, except attractions. Because coming from a person who was born, raised and still lives in the Bronx, parts of the Bronx have no law. You can tell the neighborhoods by the ethnic group that lives there, for example; Dominicans + Puerto Ricans- live almost everywhere in the Bronx, but for Dominicans it's most notably Kingsbridge. Blacks and West Indians (Mainly Jamaicans)- Live mostly in Wakefield, Williamsbridge, Gun Hill and Castle Hill. Albanians- Live mostly in Pelham parkway/bay, Belmont aka Little Italy, Westchester Square and Morris Park. Irish- live mostly in Woodlawn, Bedford Park, Kingsbridge and Riverdale. Italians- Little Italy and Morris Park... As for dangers, there are many in the Bronx, like i said many parts of the Bronx have no law,and don't forget the Bronx is the poorest place in America. Just watch yourself when traveling to the Bronx. I love the Bronx and will never leave, but you have to be from the Bronx to feel that.

Although this warning may sound silly or ridiculous, there are people who fish on the Hudson river. Please don't eat any of your catch including any fish and crabs from these waters...they may contain chemicals hazardous to your health.

During my time in New York I remember reading Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe, who doesn't paint a very enticing picture of the Bronx. I'm not sure if his portrayal of the Bronx is accurate and I can't offer any first hand warnings as we visited in a large work-group and only saw the area around Yankee stadium. The Bronx used to have a reputation as an unsafe area to explore but these things are often exaggerated.

I can tell by some of the tips here that a lot of people here are very sheltered. I have lived in the Bronx and been all over the borough at all times of night, including the South Bronx. I have never been harmed. I wouldn't suggest you go wlaking through the projects or down a side street at 3 AM, but this stuff about Fordham Rd. being a scary place even during the day is just plain BS. Do you know how many people live, work, and go through that sector everyday? 241st St./White Plains being one of the worst blocks in the borough? Have you read any crime blotters for the borough within the past 20 years? Am I missing something? Give me a break, there are places a lot worse than White Plains Rd. and Fordham Rd. and a lot worse than the Bronx.

I read a lot about the BX being OK outside of the south bx...NOT TRUE. A mjority of the BX is dangerous...for example, 241 and White Plains Rd is one of the worst in the borough. The only places that are OK are Throggs Neck, Morris Park (east of Bronxdale) Riverdale, and Pelham Bay. There is nothing of major interest in these areas. Try a better part of NY..Take it from a BX native!