Soundview - Bronx, NY

Soundview remained largely undeveloped until the 1950s, when the Bronx River Parkway and Bruckner Expressway were constructed, making this location more easily accessible. In the late 1970s and through the 1980s, it gained a reputation for being a rough neighborhood as many residents moved to the suburbs. With the popularity of urban living again on the rise, new residents attracted by the lower rents are moving to the neighborhood in record numbers. With its popular local hotspots, restaurants, shops, and the beautifully-renovated Soundview Park adding even more incentive, Soundview continues to grow in popularity.

Head west to find the Bronx Museum of the Arts and the Mudbone. Soundview Park hosts an annual summer festival featuring concerts and family fun. Nearby Bronx Park is home to the Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Garden.

Head to the northern border of the neighborhood to find the highest concentration of eateries within Soundview, with a focus on Latin flavor but with a wide range of cultures and cuisines represented.

If a Caribbean fusion with Spanish cuisine and elegant dining tickle your fancy, try Joe's Place. Indulge in a lobster tail stuffed with seafood or broiled, try the lemon sauce fillet of sole or sample a stewed rice platter topped with lobster, chicken, or shrimp. Locals recommend ordering a custard vanilla with coconut pineapple for dessert.

With a live mariachi band entertaining the crowd on Sundays and frozen margaritas to accompany every meal, Vista Hermosa Restaurant is the place to be if you enjoy Mexican cuisine. Pop in for breakfast to enjoy chilaquiles with your choice of meat or hievos rancheros, or visit in the evening to take your pick from an extensive menu of alambres, enchiladas, fajitas, burritos and tacos.

For Caribbean island comfort food, head to Sabrosura 2, available for dine-in or takeout. The eclectic menu ranges from spring rolls to fried chicken wings, from tostone guacamole to mussels in Hong Kong butter-garlic sauce, and from pastelillos to fried rice. Locals recommend the Nuevo Latino Fried Rice and the fillet of Pacific basa.

Willie's Steak House offers a unique blend of Spanish and Steak House -- with a little seafood thrown in. Then, of course, there's the music -- the steak house features live bands and Latin jazz. Sample some Ecuadorian food with your drink at the D'Kora Restaurant Lounge or take part in the karaoke at the Isla Verde Cafe.

Soundview enjoys excellent public transport connections, with the IRT Pelham elevated subway carrying the 6 train from southwest to northeast along Westchester Avenue to Elder Avenue, Morrison Avenue, and St. Lawrence Avenue. Six bus routes also service the neighborhood, traveling to Westchester Square, Third Avenue, Pelham Bay Park, Simpson Street, Clason Point, Wakefield, and the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal. As Soundview is a fairly small neighborhood, it's easy to accomplish most errands on foot or via bicycle. Uber operates throughout New York City, while plenty of local cab companies can be contacted to arrange a pickup.

If you own your own vehicle, you'll find a reasonable amount of on-street parking and a few garages in the area that operate on a pay-per-stay basis. The Bruckner Expressway bisects the neighborhood from east to west, while the Bronx River Parkway runs through the northern half, and the Sheridan Expressway and Cross Bronx Expressway are both within easy reach.

The neighborhood's namesake Soundview Park is located at the south end of the neighborhood, along the Bronx River. This large park covers 205 acres and includes jogging paths, terrific views of Manhattan, a cricket pitch, six basketball courts, playgrounds, a soccer field, a track, canoe/kayak launch sites, and a large lawn for performances.

Colgate Close Park includes playgrounds and spray showers for the kids, while Watson Gleason Playground also has basketball and handball courts. The Story Playground and Space Time Playground offer handball, basketball, fitness equipment, and a playground. The waterfront-located Concrete Plant Park, which as the name implies was once the site of a concrete plant, links up to multi-use greenways and includes off-road and on-road pedestrian and cycling routes, while the Bronx River can be accessed via the kayak and canoe launch sites.

Nearby, you'll find Starlight Park, a reclaimed and expanded park across the pedestrian bridge at East 177th Street. Within its 13 acres, you'll find baseball and soccer fields, kayak and canoe launch sites, playgrounds and spray showers.

Bronx Park, just north of Soundview, is a terrific destination with dense forests, gardens, the Bronx Zoo, the New York Botanical Garden, playgrounds, bicycle paths, ball fields, basketball and tennis courts, dog-friendly areas, bocce courts, a skate park, food trucks, and more.

While there's no such thing as a cheap place to live in one of the nation's most costly cities, and the cost of living in Soundview does sit around 55 percent above the national average, New Yorkers appreciate this neighborhood for the fact that it is just under eight percent cheaper to live here than the mean cost for the city. A one-bedroom apartment in Soundview will cost around $1,400, while travel to the center of the city will cost you a few dollars with a Metrocard. A glass of beer in a local pub or bar will set you back around $6, while the price of gas hovers approximately 11 percent above the national average.

Head north to Westchester Avenue to find the hub for shopping within this neighborhood, with a smattering of chain stores such as Game Stop and Foot Locker alongside smaller, family-owned businesses. Visit Adam's Jewelry to have that special heirloom engraved.

To stock your cupboards, choose from plenty of supermarkets and convenience stores within Soundview, from the Soto Grocery and Fine Fare Supermarket to the Western Beef Supermarket. For farmers markets, try the Greenmarket Farmers Markets to the west or La Familia Verde's Farmers Market a few miles to the north.