Pelham Bay

I have lived in Pelham Bay for my entire life once in an apartment complex for a couple years and am now currently living in a house a couple blocks from my old apartment. I call it my home for the experiences I have had here. Pelham Bay was bought all the way back in 1654 by a man named Thomas Pell. He got a grant from the Dutch West India Company to purchase this land and then he later developed on the land. Pelham Bay is best known for having the biggest park in New York City which is three times the size of Central Park in Manhattan. Mostly every house is made from a brick design and mostly looks the same. Pelham Bay could best be described as a neighborhood that is half suburban and the other half being urban. The population of Pelham Bay is widely diverse mostly consisting  Italians, Albanians, and Hispanics. This demographic of the population reflects in the signs that are around in the neighborhood, the colors on signs are usually red and yellow, and some places use a minimalistic design for the signs. 

In the image to the left, it shows the mixture of Albanian, Italian, and Mexican communities. The signs of these stores show off  and referent to the cultural aspects of these stores. The Albanian Market’s sign includes the European flag on its sign. This is to show that could also have other foods that come from Europe. Their sign is used to show that they cater to European foods and goods that you would not be able to get here. The Two Bro’s Pizza place includes an Italian flag to show that they serve Italian food there. The flag symbolizes that you might foods from Italian heritages. They also include a sign on the window which says burek. Burek is an Albanian dish which shows through the sign that they also cater to Albanians in the neighborhood. The sign for the Mexican Cafe includes the Mexican flag, Mexican food, and Mexican images to demonstrate the Mexican culture. They include a picture of Mary of Guadalupe which is a an important part of the Mexican religious life. The signs all use English though so that they could get people to come in who don’t speak these languages.

These are the signs that have the rules at Bufano Park and Pelham Bay Park. These are the two parks in the Pelham Bay Area. These signs show the rules of the park and what is allowed at this park. If you look at the signs here it shows the rules in three different languages. The rules are included in Spanish, English, and Italian. These rules are provided in these languages because these are the most spoken languages in the Pelham Bay Area. It shows to those walking by that the signs show that the people that frequent the park are those who either speak English, Spanish, or Italian. It also shows that the population around this area speaks those language because if they did not speak those languages but instead Chinese, the signs would have Chinese on them too.

There is some stores and restaurants that use mostly red and yellow as their colors for the signs. These colors are the bright and attract attention to them. The sign for the deli is used to show their services and eye catching. The deli sign is in a bright red to attract your eyes to see what they have available for people. By using red as the color it sticks out compared to its surroundings and is only what you can focus on. You can see that they offer food that you would eat for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Their sign shows that they offer variety when you come into the deli. They include deli in the name also to show they have cold cuts in their for you to order instead of going to a butcher or like a grocery store. Their sign is to show connivence to you like you can get your stuff quickly and get out.

Another sign that is eye popping the like the deli is Empire Bagels. The bagel shop, Empire Bagels, is a popular place to get bagels and coffee early in the morning. Empire Bagels has a bright red and yellow sign that shines when it gets dark out which stands out to its surroundings. Compared to the surroundings of Empire Bagels the sign is the brightest, loudest sign on the block. The sign grabs peoples attention just like the deli with the vibrant color choices that they use for the sign.

The signs for Tremont Diner also use these colors for their signs. In the image to the left  the parking sign for the diner saying that its only for customers. They also use a red and yellow color scheme, like Empire Bagels and the deli, so that the customers can visibly see where to go. The sign is important to helping customers out so they do not waste time looking for parking which is rare in that spot. The sign on the diner itself, on the right, is in a bright red on a gray background of the diner. This pops out the color of the sign and makes it bright up even in the daylight. These four signs all use the same colors to catch the eyes of those going by.

The signs for the Chop Shop, Louie and Ernie’s, and Library both have a very minimalistic design to them compared to other signs in the area. The sign for the Chop Shop uses a black and grey scheme for their signs. They do not have much on their sign but just the name of the place and where it is located. It does not even have what time that they are open and at what time they close at. The sign shows that it wants to blend into the surrounding places on the block. The sign keeps it professional too with the black and grey color way.

The signs of Louie and Ernie’s Pizza are used to show off the authentic and age of the pizzeria and also follow a minimalistic design. The pizzeria is about 61 years. The sign is not flashy and is not that big. They show their age with these signs by not having modern signs or moving signs in the window. The sign below is used to get people’s attention at night so they know where the restaurant is at. They only keep it two colors which are red and green which are colors of the Italian flag. These colors of the signs are used to show that this is an Italian restaurant. The top sign looks older to give off age to those who look at the restaurant. The sign looks older so people would assume the older the signs the more authentic.

The sign of the library also uses a minimalistic design just like the Chop  Shop design. The sign uses a grey color on a brick background for what the name of the place and its location. The sign does not have much to it but does have a flag as the second sign. The flag has the logo of the New York Public Library which is a lion. The flag shows to those that this is a real New York Public Library to those who see the flag. These two signs of the library and the Chop Shop both use a minimalistic style for their signs.

The signs in Pelham Bay show differently how they express themselves. The signs for the parks and stores use a different languages and use images of flags and different foods to show the diversity in the neighborhood. Some signs use bright color to attract people to the stores. The signs for Louie and Ernie’s Pizza, the Library, and Chop Shop use a minimalistic design for the signs. These are the type of signs in Pelham Bay.