Little Italy, The Bronx.

 Our daughter in law took us on a speculative visit to the Bronx’s ‘Little Italy’. It was one of those days: “ … nothing much to do? Well, why don’t we try …”

She had only visited Arthur Avenue a couple of times herself; a friend had described it and said she should have a look. On visiting, she was really impressed with the quality of foodstuffs produced and sold by the artisan bakers, butchers and delicatessens whose stores line the streets - and to such an extent that she now shops there on a fairly regular basis.

I keep saying the same thing when I’m asked about what it’s like to be in New York – I can only say that it’s like walking through a film set: we’ve all seen the NYC gangster, thriller and crime movies on cinema and tv, and they’ve familiarised us to the ‘Big Apple’ brand: the hanging traffic lights, the fragile looking fire-escapes bolted to the sides of buildings etc. Well, ‘Little Italy’ just epitomises that Zeitgeist.

The ’Little Italy’ neighbourhood is centred on Arthur Avenue in the Belmont district of the Bronx. Italian immigrants gravitated to the area during the 18th and 20th centuries in search of work, and this is where their shops began to start trading. Foodstuffs mainly: they sell their goods to the public, though many also wholesale to City Restaurants and Hotels; you can’t help but notice they’re busy– the stores’ walls, counters and shelves are packed with produce.

It was definitely worth a visit, and I’ll look forward to returning sometime.