A Stroll in the South Bronx

When I walk in New York, I enjoy seeing all the disparate streetscapes that exist; they all interest me one way or the other.  Industrial, residential, commercial, wasteland or high end, there is always something to see.  So I wanted to walk around the South Bronx, which, 30 or 40 years ago, was considered to be unsafe to walk in, day or night.  The South Bronx, unlike most of Manhattan, has been disfigured by expressways that divide up neighborhoods.   I went to the Mott Haven and Port Morris neighborhoods in the extreme southern tip of the Bronx, both bisected by the Major Deegan and Bruckner expressways.   There are both housing projects and residential historic districts, as well as  and industrial areas and wasteland areas.   Mott Haven was originally populated by German immigrants, and Port Morris was home to many piano factories, among other industries.   Some remnants of these factory buildings still exist, and some are transitioning to condos.   There are Con Ed facilities, waste treatment and recycling plants, and even a new distillery.  I saw a place that many sanitation trucks spend the night.   The main railroad tracks from Connecticut also cross the district, leading to the beautiful Hell Gate Bridge that crosses from the South Bronx to Queens via Randall's Island.     As alway, I got carried away in finding colors and shapes in the landscape.

A Richard Serra in the making?

 Underneath the beginnings of the Hell Gate Bridge, this path leads to Randall's Island and all the playing fields there.  I didn't see any other people.

 The same, showing the underside of the bridge;

Looking in the other direction, another view of the underside of the bridge.

Things grow under the bridge...

 Colorful doors and walls:

Older residential buildings overlooking industrial areas.

You can't get away from Manhattan.

One of the old piano factories:

By the time I got to the Mott Haven historic district, I was out of of photographic energy.  There were blocks of nice old townhouses, not unlike many other older parts of New York.