Last year was a big one for the South Bronx. Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton both stopped by. The area got its own Netflix show. And medical marijuana made its long-awaited debut in the borough.
And even though 2017 is still just a few days old, it, too, is shaping up to be a big year for the neighborhood, as it has already received an honor shared by internationally renowned destinations like Aarhus, Denmark and North Dakota's Theodore Roosevelt National Park: a spot on the New York Times' annual list of places to visit throughout the year.
The South Bronx was number 51 on the paper's list of 52 Places to Visit in 2017 for People who Somehow Have the Time, Money and Energy to Visit 52 Places in One Year, sandwiched by Budapest, Hungary at number 50 and the Ryukyu Islands in Japan at number 52. (Canada was number 1—the whole country, so give yourself at least two days if you decide to follow through on this recommendation.)
The Times wrote that, although crime is still an issue in the borough, "things are turning around" and listed a slew of new local businesses that opened in 2016, including the Italian restaurant La Grata, the gourmet burger joint Milk Burger and multiple new coffee shops.
Reactions to its inclusion on the list have been mixed so far, ranging from excitement to astonishment to concern about gentrification.
The South Bronx made the NYT travel list for 2017. Wow
— Pop's Queen (@Mango86) January 5, 2017
Great news! The South Bronx has topped a list of the hottest international destination spots to visit in 2017 https://t.co/5zIHuDh7rk
— John Dias (@JohnBDias) January 5, 2017
.@nytimes Excellent job facilitating gentrification! The South Bronx is not a tourist hotspot to dip in and out of. https://t.co/rryOYfrBYG
— Benjamin Lundberg (@BenJofaman) January 5, 2017
Say goodbye to the South Bronx. Residential *and* commercial rents, evictions already rising due to speculation. https://t.co/Y0gRYxUlUJ
— oscar perry abello (@oscarthinks) January 5, 2017
Borough residents looking forward to the possible influx of tourists can continue to get excited, while those who would prefer that they stay away can encourage them to visit another spot on the list instead.
Australia's Great Barrier Reef is nice this time of year.
