I wanted to write my blog about a neighborhood in the Bronx, it is in the Pelham Bay area. It is not just any neighborhood, it is where I live, where I am most familiar with. I have been living there for quite some time, about 10 years. Pelham Bay isn’t just the name of the biggest park in the city, it is also the name of a neighborhood. It is an area mixed with suburban and urban areas that has a working and middle-class community and is framed by Bruckner Expressway and the Hutchinson River Parkway. During the 1920s, it only consisted of Italian, Irish, Greek and German families immigrants. However, it has become more diverse and now there are Hispanics, Bandladeshes, Asians and Albanians. The three sections of Pelham Bay that I will be focusing on are Middletown Road, Crosby Ave and Buhre Ave.
The section is interesting because it is diverse and has a lot to offer. One of them is food and drink. There are quite a few restaurants owned by people of different backgrounds that has different kinds of food and drinks. Although there are different backgrounds, most of the restaurants are Americanized and use mostly English in their signs.
This is a restaurant called Georges Restaurant. It is one of the oldest restaurants in this area. It is a great place to go for burgers and fries. The restaurant has the classic diner look.
The name of the restaurant is in a classic front. It is small, yet people are able to recognize it from a distance. Under the name, there are breakfast, dinner which is bold and bigger which is a typical design for a diner. I think it’s more important to draw attention to those three words because people will know what it has to offer.
There are a few of Italian-owned businesses in this area and one of them is a bakery. Zeppieri & Sons is a family-owned Italian Bakery located on Buhre Ave. It has been there for many years. Back when the bakery first opened up in 1968, it was only about bread. Over the years,the owners of the bakery started making more than bread such Italian pastries, cookies,and cakes. What’s interesting about this place besides the food, is the way the name is designed on the front of the bakery. “Zeppieri & Sons” is written in some type of fancy script front while “Italian Bakery” is in a traditional front. Those contrasts of the different fronts make it more appealing to eyes. It makes people more interested in the place and it convinces them to go in to try the different types of baked goods. Then, there’s the slogan that says “quality at its best for over 50 years.” The slogan is not too big but not too small and it is simple. It lets people know that the place has had good quality food for many years and people can trust that. On the right side, there is an image of the Leaning Tower of Pisa which is a representation of Italy. I think the reason why the owners of the bakery wanted to add that was because it represented who they are, their Italian culture.
Throughout Middletown,Crosby and Buhre, there are a few pizzerias. This first one is Crosby Pizza is named after Crosby Ave. If you like Sicilian pizza, this is the place to go to. Here, “Crosby” is small and lowercase while “ PIZZA STOP” is big and in caps. In the second pizzeria, the style is simple. The first two words are in black while “Pizzeria” is in red, to draw attention to the place. The third pizzeria has more details. All the words are in white and they stand out on the green background. The pizzeria has more than pizza. It says that it has calzones, italian heros, salad and pasta which is good because not every pizza place is going to make just pizza. All three follow the same color scheme, red white and green. Those colors represent the Italian Flag. In the second, the top of the hood resembles the flag because the colors are in the same order.
Not a lot of Italian language is evident in those signs. In Zepperis and Sons, the only word that sound Italian is “Zeppieri.” In Joe’s Pizza, the only word in Italian is “calzones.”
Shamrock Inn. is the only Irish restaurant/bar on Crosby Ave. There are 2 clovers on each side of the title and the title is all green. The name and color is used for that specific restaurant because it represents the Irish culture. Jimmy Ryan’s, a bar and grill restaurant that is place located at Middletown Rd., is also another Irish-owned. The sign “Jimmy Ryan’s” is all the way on top of the restaurant, in black. It has a green and reddish sun-setter with red umbrellas. Similar to Shamrock Inn., Jimmy Ryan’s uses red and green in the sign.
Both of these places are like Irish pubs. But these are modern ones. Traditional Irish Pubs are quiet and People are able to have a conversation with each other. They might have traditional music, guitars and fiddles and all of that, but they can hear each other. However, modern ones like the ones shown have loud music, tv, and drinks that are not that good.
Top Tortillas is located in Buhre. As it is highlighted underneath the name, it is about Tex-Mexican Food. This is different from other Mexican places because it combines cuisine from Texas and Mexico. Basically, it is Mexican food Americanized. Places like these are not that common in the Pelham Bay area. On the front of the sign, it says that it has burritos, taquitos, chimichangas, salads, tacos, etc. and that highlights the types of dishes that the place has to offer. The second place is called Taqueria Guerrero. It is a more of a traditional Mexican restaurant. Taqueria Guerrero translates to warrior taqueria. On the sign, there is an image of one of the dishes, and little cartoons men with sombreros. Then, inside the restaurant, there’s a sign which might be a brief menu. Both of the places follow similar color scheme of white red and green.
On the sign of Top Tortillas, most of the words are in English. On the other hand, the second place has a few words that are in spanish. These words include tortas, sopes, and guerrero.
This area also has a few Asian restaurants, but they are mostly Chinese restaurants. Sushi Q is the only Japanese restaurant in the Crosby section. The name of this restaurant is appropriately named “ Sushi Q” because it only focuses on sushi dishes. The sign is a blue background and “Sushi Q” in red and white., which is simple and neat. The other three restaurants below Sushi Q have similar characteristics besides being Chinese. The names of the restaurants are red and there are 2 Chinese letters next to them. Most of the Chinese restaurants have similar designs for their signs. The first Chinese restaurant is unique because of its name. The name is a mix of two chinese letters, 2 english letters and a heart, it’s not an exact name like the other two restaurants . The owners probably wanted their place to stand out and not have similar names other places.
The signs of Chinese and Japanese restaurants are mostly English. There are only 2 letters in the Chinese Restaurants that are in the Chinese language. The reason why the Chinese places are like that is because they don’t serve authentic Chinese food. A lot of the dishes Americans refer to as “Chinese food” were actually invented in America, from General Tso’s chicken to crab rangoon and fortune cookies. These restaurants are owned by Chinese Americans and they are tailored to the Americans.
Overall, there are different types of restaurants in Pelham Bay area that mostly use English rather than their own language in their signs. They want to appeal to Americans, specifically.