When I first arrived at Fordham University, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect out of my new home in the Bronx. In the months leading up to move-in, I received a lot of unsolicited advice and heard plenty of opinions about the area, much of it negative. But many of the people sharing those opinions had never actually visited the borough, let alone lived there.
For the past few decades, the Bronx has fought to recover from the negative stereotypes perpetuated by harmful media portrayals and from a history fraught with political abandonment, failed urban renewal initiatives, discriminatory policies and massive displacement due to the Cross Bronx Expressway . I quickly learned that others’ perceptions of the Bronx did not have to mirror my experience of it. In the past couple of years, I’ve spent a lot of time trying to get to know my new home, explore the borough and challenge my own assumptions about the area, and I am excited to encourage others to do the same by sharing some of my favorite places in the borough.
With over 6,000 acres of parkland, the Bronx is the greenest of New York City’s five boroughs. Lucky for us, a chunk of that parkland is right in Fordham’s backyard. Bronx Park, which encompasses both the Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Garden, backs up to the Rose Hill campus along its north and east edges.
Not only are these parks convenient, they’re also affordable. The Bronx Zoo offers free admission on Wednesdays with an online ticket reserva.