The Bronx: My Hometown Presented by Martin Schneit

Like many in our community, Martin Schneit grew up in The Bronx. And if you grew up there, you know that it was entirely unique and unlike growing up anywhere else in the United States, or for that matter, the World. Of course, the same could be said for growing up in any of the five boroughs of New York City. So what was it that made growing up in The Bronx special? Join Martin Schneit – who grew up in The Bronx – for the answer.

Join Martin Schneit at the Larchmont Public Library on Monday, June 19 at 7:00pm as he takes you back to a simpler time and talks about how growing up in The Bronx shaped his life.

Some of the topics that Marty discusses in his lecture include: Marty (the film, starring Ernest Borgnine), Egg Cream, Stickball, Dion and The Belmonts, Grand Concourse, Paradise Theater, Jahn's, Orchard Beach, Charlotte Russe, The Seltzer Man and Krums.

Over the years, The Bronx acquired an unfortunate reputation. And there have indeed been times when parts of The Bronx were terribly unsafe and downright scary. But people all around the world know the Bronx as the home of the New York Yankees, the world-class Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Garden—not to mention as the birthplace of hip-hop. Schneit knows that if you look deeper you’ll discover the quaint maritime village of City Island, the cultural attractions of Fordham and Belmont, aka the “real Little Italy,” centered on the restaurants and cafés of Arthur Avenue. Even the Grand Concourse, in the South Bronx, is full of art deco marvels.

Martin Schneit is a native New Yorker. In addition to being a life-long New York history buff, he has been a licensed New York City Tour Guide for over ten years. For the past ten years, Schneit has been volunteering his services, conducting walking tours of the City for Open House New York, a non-profit organization that promotes a greater appreciation of the city’s built environment; broadens public awareness by exposing diverse audiences to distinctive examples of architecture, engineering and design; educates and inspires discussion of issues of excellence in design, planning and preservation; and showcases outstanding new work as well as structures of historic merit. Schneit also conducts an annual walking tour called the “Jane Walk” for the Municipal Art Society. The walk is in memory of Jane Jacobs with an emphasis on where and how Jewish America started.

For more information about Martin Schneit, visit his website at: www.martynewyork.com.