Bronx Beginnings
Local Legends
What's in a name?
Parks & Pavements
Bronx Bites
100
Opened in 1899, this world-famous 265-acre attraction houses over 6,000 animals, making it the largest metropolitan zoo in the U.S.
What is the Bronx Zoo?
100
This world-famous singer and actress frequently references her upbringing on Blackrock Avenue in the Castle Hill section of the Bronx.
Who is Jennifer Lopez?
100
This borough is named after Jonas Bronck, a Swedish-born immigrant who established the first European settlement here in 1639.
What is The Bronx?
100
Covering over 2,700 acres, this is New York City’s largest public park—making it more than three times the size of Central Park in Manhattan.
What is Pelham Bay Park?
100
This neighborhood, centered around Arthur Avenue, is world-famous as the "Real Little Italy" of New York, where you can find the best authentic pasta, cheese, and pastries in the borough.
What is Belmont?
200
In 1973, DJ Kool Herc hosted a Bronx party at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue, cited as the birth of this culture.
What is Hip-Hop?
200
This legendary writer and editor, co-created iconic Marvel characters like Spider-Man, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four, and was a proud graduate of DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx.
Who is Stan Lee?
200
This neighborhood’s name dates back to 1663, when it was a distinct settlement of ten families whose "plantations" were situated in this cardinal direction relative to the Bronx River.
What is West Farms?
200
Located in what is now a small park in Fordham, this tiny white house is where author Edgar Allan Poe spent the final years of his life and wrote some of his most famous poems.
What is Poe Cottage?
200
ecause of the large Dominican and Puerto Rican population, the Bronx is the best place to find this dish made of mashed green plantains, garlic, and chicharrón.
What is Mofongo?
300
This iconic American fashion designer, famous for his "Polo" brand, got his start in the Bronx by selling his own line of wide neckties out of a drawer at the Empire State Building before launching his global empire.
Who is Ralph Lauren?
300
In 2009, this Bronx native made history by becoming the first Hispanic and third female Justice to serve on the United States Supreme Court.
Who is Sonia Sotomayor?
300
This neighborhood’s name comes from a Dutch phrase meaning "Spouting Devil," referring to the treacherous, swirling currents where the Harlem River meets the Hudson.
What is Spuyten Duyvil?
300
What is the New York Botanical Garden?
300
This 1.5-mile long "pavement" is the main drag of a Bronx island. It is famous for having a higher concentration of seafood restaurants than almost anywhere else in the city.
What is City Island Avenue?
400
Despite its Scandinavian-sounding name and the map of Denmark on its early cartons, this luxury ice cream brand was actually started in the Bronx in 1960 by Reuben and Rose Mattus.
What is Häagen-Dazs?
400
This Bronx Science alumnus and Hayden Planetarium director was a leading voice in the 2006 decision to demote Pluto to dwarf planet status.
Who is Neil deGrasse Tyson?
400
This neighborhood’s name translates from Old English to mean "Houses at the Ford," referring to a shallow crossing point on the Bronx River.
What is Fordham?
400
While the original was demolished in 2010, the "New" version of this landmark sits directly across the street. A unique architectural feature is the "Frieze"—the white lattice-work that circles the top of the stadium, mimicking the 1923 original.
What is Yankee Stadium?
400
Located on Broadway directly across from Van Cortlandt Park, this legendary shop was founded in 1986 by a man from the Virgin Islands. It is world-famous for a "vegetable-based" dessert that uses a secret family recipe involving five pounds of its namesake ingredient in every batch.
What is Lloyd’s Carrot Cake?
500
In 1907, the Bronx Zoo made history by sending 15 of these animals by train to Oklahoma to help repopulate the American West, an event credited with saving the species from total extinction.
What is the American Bison (or Buffalo)?
500
This Bronx-born "musical theater" major was the first solo woman to win the Grammy for Best Rap Album and is a noted amateur historian of U.S. Presidents.
Who is Cardi B?
500
This neighborhood's name was coined in the 1800s by a local postmaster who combined Latin words to describe the area's geography: "Three Mounts."
What is Tremont?
500
Modeled after the Champs-Élysées in Paris, this 4-mile-long thoroughfare was designed with separate lanes for horses and "pleasure vehicles" and is famous for its Art Deco apartment buildings.
What is the Grand Concourse?
500
Long before it became a national fast-food giant, this chain opened its first-ever New York City location in 1930 at East 188th Street and Fordham Road. While most of its 1930s-era buildings have been demolished, this specific Bronx location still features its original, landmarked white porcelain crenelated towers and "castle" architecture.
What is White Castle?