A few blocks off Eastchester Road is my neighborhood; the eight quaint blocks and two cross streets that stretch from Haffen Park on Ely and Burke Ave., to the fork of Eastchester and the more famous, Gun Hill Rd. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending how you look at it), my neighborhood isn’t as… ‘active’ as Gun Hill Rd. and Baychester Ave. And even though you can see Co-op City (FreedomLand) from most of our homes, it may as well be a world apart.
Since my father moved to the Eastchester section of the Bronx, six years ago, the area has changed significantly; as has the surrounding vicinity. A place where police sirens and helicopters sightings were a normality (an echo from Co-op City), had quieted years before and even then was undergoing more modifications. Though we were the only ones moving in on our block, there were throngs of people flooding in to put bids on the new construction homes being built not far away. In 2001 and 2002, many of the older homes and empty lots set closer to Bruner Ave. were being leveled, making way for the rising demand of homes. More and more couples were planning on moving into the area and raising their children in the Bronx. It had become more of a family oriented place.
Though so many new homes have gone up around us, it hasn’t really changed our neighborhood much. It’s still very quiet around here. The older citizens of our little community still follow their routines, gardening every Sunday after church and going for their daily walks. And the establishments on Eastchester Rd. are still the same (if only gaining even more business). Everyone still goes to the Souk on the corner to get milk, bread and potato chips, the Chinese Restaurant is still crowded every Friday afternoon and evening and Nick’s Pizza is still too greasy even for a native New Yorker to digest.
But then, I guess that’s the best part about my neighborhood. My neighborhood has changed so much, yet is the same in so many ways. Though part of a larger community, our little niche is familiar with one another, though not intrusively so. If someone has a dinner party or BBQ, the entire block knows about it. Chances are many of them are invited. If there is a fire, or some sort of familial tragedy, your neighbors will be there to support you.
The look or shapes of the houses may alter, even the families themselves will change, but the feeling of those eight stretches of blocks… That will always be the same.
Since my father moved to the Eastchester section of the Bronx, six years ago, the area has changed significantly; as has the surrounding vicinity. A place where police sirens and helicopters sightings were a normality (an echo from Co-op City), had quieted years before and even then was undergoing more modifications. Though we were the only ones moving in on our block, there were throngs of people flooding in to put bids on the new construction homes being built not far away. In 2001 and 2002, many of the older homes and empty lots set closer to Bruner Ave. were being leveled, making way for the rising demand of homes. More and more couples were planning on moving into the area and raising their children in the Bronx. It had become more of a family oriented place.
Though so many new homes have gone up around us, it hasn’t really changed our neighborhood much. It’s still very quiet around here. The older citizens of our little community still follow their routines, gardening every Sunday after church and going for their daily walks. And the establishments on Eastchester Rd. are still the same (if only gaining even more business). Everyone still goes to the Souk on the corner to get milk, bread and potato chips, the Chinese Restaurant is still crowded every Friday afternoon and evening and Nick’s Pizza is still too greasy even for a native New Yorker to digest.
But then, I guess that’s the best part about my neighborhood. My neighborhood has changed so much, yet is the same in so many ways. Though part of a larger community, our little niche is familiar with one another, though not intrusively so. If someone has a dinner party or BBQ, the entire block knows about it. Chances are many of them are invited. If there is a fire, or some sort of familial tragedy, your neighbors will be there to support you.
The look or shapes of the houses may alter, even the families themselves will change, but the feeling of those eight stretches of blocks… That will always be the same.
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