A. bunch of the guys enjoying a game of cards at Arthur Ave, the Bronx's little Italy and New York's only remaining true Little Italy/ Shot on Kodachrome a few years ago.

 Butcher shop in Little Italy, The Bronx. Arthur Avenue and 186 Street in the mid eighties. I has just bought a used Nikon S-2 rangefinder with a 35mm F 3.5 Nikkor lens. A very rare camera. I eventually was able to get a Nikon SP rangefinder. These were not as versatile as my Leicas but rarity made all the difference and the lenses were first class. These were the cameras that made the Nikon brand so famous and the work horse of us pros for a very long time. BTW, I cannot believe the prices on the meat.

Concentration

 Card players at the Arthur Avenue park in Rose Hill, The Bronx AKA Little Italy.

 Speaking of good food, here is a great source. Teitel Bros. in the Bronx' Little Italy. We see a satisfied costumer coming out of the store. This store is an institution.

 

Playing cards on the park in the famous Arthur Avenue Little Italy In The Bronx. This is the only true Little Italy surviving in new York City. The more well known one on Mulberry Street is now actually part of the ever expanding Chinatown. Only some stores and Italian restaurants proclaim this area as an Italian neighborhood with the caveat that there are hardly any Italians left. The players were enjoying the game on a late summer afternoon.                                        

Start the year peacefully

Most of you will get back to work today and all students will return to school. I wish you all peace and tranquility. Perhaps this image can help.

The real Lttle Italy

The Arthur avenue Little Italy in the Belmont section of the Bronx is the last true little Italy. The one in Manhattan is actually an extension of China Town with a few Italian restaurants of variable quality thrown in. These are mostly for tourists so this area it no longer qualifies. Here in the Bronx, people still live here and although there is a hipster component the area has retained it's charm. The indoor market is a wonderful place to shop and to have lunch. Some of the stores are rather pricy but those cater to tourists. I love this place as it's one of my favorite venues in the Big Apple.

Arthur Avenue

The little Italy in The Bronx, is the city's last and in many ways the most authentic. Arthur Avenue is it's center along with 187th Street. Here there are all the old stores selling wonderful Italian products but the emphasis is on foodstuffs. We Italians love to eat well. These images are from a recent trip there on a beautiful and sunny winter day.

Have a pleasant Sunday

The basics for life

The Bronx's Little Italy provides the food lover the necessities for the good table. There are all sorts of food stores and restaurants. The most traditional is Teitel Brothers a pillar of great foods for the buon tavolo italiano.

Welcome summer; it's about time you showed up.

 This shot is from the Belmont section of the Bronx in NYC Actually the last real little Italy in the city. The one in lower Manhattan has become an extension of the ever expanding China Town and features so called Italian restaurants that are aimed at tourists but are really mediocre, at best. There re a few exceptions but the area is really pathetic. Things change. Here you can still eat well.

Archival shots. Arthur Avenue area of The Bronx

The Arthur Avenue area is perhaps the last real little Italy in New York City. It still has a charm and a certain authenticity. These slide scans date from 1986 and are part of a project I was involved in but the area is basically still the same.

Little Italy in The Bronx

The Belmont section of The Bronx is the last surviving Little Italy in New York City. It still has much of it's original authenticity and feel. Here we have card players enjoying a summer Saturday in the Park. These are scans of Kodachrome slides that were for a project on Italian feasts and neighborhood for an Italian publisher. Before digital only slides were acceptable for publication.

 

Teitel Brothers

This is a landmark food store in the famous Belmont section of the Bronx, the city last real Little Italy. In this establishment one will find all the necessary ingredients for the cucina italiana. The prices are also competitive and it's worth a visit when one is in this fascinationg neighborhood.

Meat shop

This shot was made with Nikon S-2 rangefinder camera and a 35mm F 3.5 Nikkor on Tri-X. It wasa shop on 187 Street in The Bronx's little Italy.

 

This is not an April fool joke

However it can be because this very strange home in The Bronx looks like a joke. It's a monument to bad taste that abounds these days of low sophistication and high ostentation. These images wee shot by my very talented wife, Marcy with a Nikon point and shoot camera.

How much is that kitty in the window?

My wife Marcy is perhaps a greater cat lover than  I am. She finds all sort of cat photo ops. These cats are in store windows on Arthur Avenue in The Bronx, the last remaining real Little Italy in the USA.

Cuban cigar maker

These Cuban cigar makers work out of the Arthur Avenue Market in The Bronx, NYC. 

Then and now

Because photography freezes time it allows us to see  how places have changed. This butcher shop was on 187th  near Arthur Avenue. Street when the black and white image was taken. It has moved upscale and is inside the Arthur Avenue Market. The meat is all wrapped in plastic and the de riguer  prosciutto di Parma adorns the show case.

In the seventies

Today

Have a delicious weekend