Travel Guide New York (The Bronx)

Separated from Manhattan by the Harlem River, an arm of the Hudson River has left the trace of a valley on this vast territory that is part of the continent. Long populated by Irish immigrants and Russian Jews, this 19th-century affluent neighborhood experienced a general impoverishment from the 1960s to the mid-1990s that transformed the borough's image. In contemporary American mythology, the Bronx, the cradle of hip-hop, now evokes journeys to the end of the city night and landscapes of urban desolation. Certainly, some ghettoized parts of the Bronx still have a crime rate, mainly due to drug trafficking. But no more daytime crime in the 1980's and 1990's, the Bronx is now a residential area that suffers from an image that no longer really fits the reality. It's safe to walk around the neighborhood during the day. However, the truth is that for the tourist, the Bronx does not offer much appeal, especially if you only spend two weeks maximum in New York. This borough, where 48% of the population is Hispanic, is however home to the largest zoo in the world with a splendid botanical garden attached. Sports enthusiasts can learn the rules of baseball and American football at Yankee Stadium. Despite the architectural marvels (Art Deco) that adorn the Grand Concourse, the Champs-Elysées of yesteryear, the Bronx is not a place for leisurely strolls. If you don't go to the Bronx, the Bronx won't go to you..