Bronx-villains?

“So, is Bronxville uppity?”

The question came from our accountant, as we sat down to discuss our tax return. 

Our immediate reaction was to answer “Yes, of course it’s uppity.” Bronxville has a reputation as an exclusive enclave of the very wealthy, and certainly the recent New York Times article on taxes and schools reinforces that image to the rest of the region. $43,000 in property taxes is more than many Americans make in a year. And let’s not even go into the ethnic makeup of Bronxville proper– there’s more diversity in a box of Kleenex.

But does high income and homogeneity translate into “uppitiness”?  Not necessarily.

We recall several years ago, when first looking for coops in the village–and by village, we mean Bronxville P.O., not proper–we were struck by the overwhelming congeniality of folks in the village. So much so, that we almost didn’t move here.  After spending the day looking at apartments, we stopped into Blue Tulip to pick up a last minute gift, and were exasperated by how long we waited in line while the shopkeepers chatted up every customer. And the customers chatted with each other.

Coming from the city, this slow pace, induced by small-town friendliness, was nearly a deal breaker. “People are way too friendly here, can’t handle it,” we thought.

A friend from Westchester heard we were looking in the area, and said “Oh no, you’re not going to become a Bronx-villain are you?” Hmm…perhaps the town wasn’t as friendly as we’d first experienced.

Of course, we were coming not just from Manhattan, but the Carnegie Hill neighborhood of the Upper East Side. Now that’s an uppity place. We definitely didn’t fit in–renting a 500 square foot apartment next door to eight-figure townhouses. Woody Allen lived right down the block, and he was probably at the lower end of the income scale there. The money in that neighborhood makes Bronxville look middle class. But it wasn’t the money, or the lack of diversity– people there were just not very open to interacting with anyone they didn’t know, let alone someone who was obviously not of the same tax bracket. 

The accountant regaled us with uppity tales of his town in Connecticut, which is certainly known as an snobby place. But the more he spoke, the more we realized Bronxville was not in the same category. 

Perhaps it’s because of its proximity to New York City and Yonkers, but in one’s day-to-day experience About Town, in the interactions we have with locals – whether from Bronxville proper, or just as  likely, the neighboring communities of Yonkers, Eastchester, Tuckahoe, or Mount Vernon, we haven’t experienced much “uppitiness” at all.   Indeed, one of the things we love about Bronxville and environs is the diversity we do see, the friendly smiles, the willingness to help a neighbor, the range of conversations we have with people from all walks of life. 

And walking may be part of it too—the Village of Bronxville is very walkable, unlike those enclaves in Connecticut, and because we aren’t all stuck in cars, it forces us to interact with others, and not just observe and avoid through closed windows.

So we told our accountant “No, actually, Bronxville isn’t uppity.”

He was surprised. Relieved, even.   

Perhaps we were wrong, perhaps our experience isn’t the norm–what’s yours?

Bronxville is (Still) a College Town

We got an email the other day from Joyce Balint of the Bronxville Women's Club, letting us know that student discounts are available for the upcoming Midland Music Concert Series.  Tickets are only $5 for students when showing their ID.

Joyce's email reminded us that it's been a while since we rounded up a list of all of the local discounts available to and students, faculty, and staff. We last shared the list—which was put together by the Chamber and the schools—in , but here's an updated version...

Discount: 10 percent

Andre's Hardware

Discount: 10 percent (on hardware and supplies)

Discount: 10 percent (excluding cameras and lenses)

Bronxville Chocolatier Inc.

Discount: 10 percent

Discount: 10 percent (on dry cleaning)

Discount: 10 percent

Discount: 40 percent 

Green Wood Mart

Discount: 10 percent

Discount: 10 percent

Discount: 10 percent

Onn's Chinese

Discount: 10 percent

Discount: $6 Lunch Special

Discount: 10 percent (on dry cleaning)

Discount: 10 percent

Discount: 10 percent (Non-food items only)

Discount: 10 percent

Silver Spoon

Discount: 10 percent

Discount: 10 percent (products), 15 percent (other services), 20 percent (hair cuts)

Discount: 10 percent

Discount: 15 percent (non-sale items)

Discount: 10 percent

Discount: 20 percent