It never ceases to amaze me how people, who have never been to the Bronx have such misguided conceptions of what and how the Bronx really was, and worse, believe these misconceptions to be the truth!

After a meeting in town, here in Pa, some of us went out for coffee. The conversation turned to the freshly falling snow. All of us agreed that kids today just don't know how to have fun. We started sharing stories of our youth, sleigh riding, snow ball fights, ice skating, etc... I relayed my stories about going sledding and the snow forts that we would build. I told them of going ice skating in Waterbury Park. As the conversations went on, one of the fellows asked me what part of Pa I grew up in. If you ever saw the looks on their faces when I told them that I was born and raised in The Bronx, NY.!!

At first, I got the "NO WAY" bit! They thought I was joking or lying about my childhood. This one guy said that if I grew up in the Bronx, I probably had to drive for hours to find a place to do the things I said. When I told them for the most part, I walked to do all of it, they were sure that I wasn't being truthful. After some more conversation, it came out that the only thing these people knew about the Bronx came from TV or quick rides through on the Cross Bronx Expressway on their way north east. They believed that the Bronx was nothing more than Burnt out buildings and empty lots, like what is depicted in the movie, "The Wanderers". People from outside of NY, the Bronx, have this picture in their mind that the Bronx is a dark, damp, dingy, foggy place, riddled with crime. One guy told me that he pictures the Bronx as a place where there are drug deals goining on on every corner, 24/7 and everybody has to carry a gun!

I told them about the great fishing spots and the nice waterfront restaurents in City Island, the Horseback riding by Orchard Beach, the Golf courses, Van Courtland and Pelham Bay Parks and all I got was disblief! So, I made plans, with a couple of the brave locals for me to take them sight seeing in The Bronx, as soon as the weather breaks. I plan on making it a point to stop on Crosby Ave for Pizza, just to show them what they are missing!