Williamsbridge - Bronx, NY

Williamsbridge takes its name from John Williams, an 18th century farmer who was credited with building the first bridge across the Bronx River on his own plot of land. Sitting between New Jersey, Manhattan, and Long Island, the ideally-situated neighborhood is a little different from other Bronx neighborhoods due to zoning -- few buildings are taller than 70 feet, giving a distinctive character to the community. Architecture here includes many single and two-family homes, giving the area a more spread-out, residential feel. Most homes were built during the post-WWII boom, but a small number of late-19th-century cottages still stands on White Plains Road.

Head a short distance north to visit the St. Paul's Church National Historic Site Museum and Circle Museum Sculpture Park. The Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center hosts several annual events, such as the spring egg hunt and Winterfest.

You can expect to find a somewhat eclectic mix of cuisines at Williamsbridge restaurants, ranging from Caribbean and Italian to old-fashioned comfort food, mostly concentrated around White Plains and Boston Roads.

Seafood lovers flock to Rocatone, Inc., a restaurant that combines fresh seafood with Caribbean flavors. For breakfast, try the ackee and saltfish or the porridge of the day. Your options for lunch and dinner range from brown stew with curry or the fried or jerk chicken to the steamed snapper special and curry or fried crab. All meals come served with white rice and peas or ground provisions -- a combination of yam, banana, and dumpling.

Also famed for its Caribbean flavors, Frank's Soup Bowl serves dishes in sizes for one or for the whole family and also caters parties and events. Try saltfish or mackerel for breakfast, or porridge dressed with bananas and peanuts. Take your pick at lunch and dinner from one of the restaurant's eponymous soups, including fish tea, cowfoot, and pepper pot, or choose an entree such as oxtail or tripe and beans.

For down-to-earth pizzas for delivery or pickup, locals recommend D'Angelo's Pizza & Pasta. If you don't feel like choosing your own combination of toppings, pick one of the gourmet options instead. The cheese steak pizza combines rib-eye steak with sweet onions and green peppers, while the shrimp delight blends shrimps, onion, fresh tomatoes, and green peppers.

Highly bikeable and extremely friendly to pedestrians, Williamsbridge allows residents to complete most of their daily errands without ever setting foot in a car or bus. Nevertheless, you won't find any lack of public transportation within this neighborhood. Seven bus routes travel through the area toward Locust Point, Co-op City, the Fordham Center, Norwood, the Bay Plaza Shopping Center, Wakefield and The Hub as well as to Midtown Manhattan via the express route. The subway runs from 219th Street, Gun Hill Road and the Williams Bridge on the 2 and 5 trains. Uber operates throughout New York City, and it's easy to arrange a pickup with a local cab company.

If you own your own vehicle, expect to find a reasonable amount of public parking as well as a few garages that operate on a pay-per-stay basis. When traveling elsewhere in the city or beyond its limits, you'll be able to make use of the Boston Road, which runs along the eastern border of the neighborhood, as well as Bronx River Parkway to the west.

From the modest parks within the neighborhood to the expansive Bronx Park just to the southwest, you'll find no shortage of green spaces in which to enjoy the fresh air. As well as preserving one of the most ecologically diverse plots of land within the city, Bronx Park offers extensive facilities and amenities. For sports and exercise, you can take advantage of the bike tracks and greenways; baseball, football, and soccer fields; bocce, basketball, and tennis courts; kayak and canoe launch sites; and exercise equipment. Younger visitors enjoy the playgrounds, spray showers, and skate park, not to mention the zoo and aquarium, while Bronx Park also welcomes canine family members to its dog-friendly areas.

Within the neighborhood itself, you'll find basketball courts, playgrounds, and spray showers at the Gun Hill Playground and the same facilities at the Magenta Playground and Agnes Haywood Playground, with the addition of handball courts. Just to the west, pay a visit to Van Cortlandt Park, a natural showcase of the city's last remaining native woodlands along with amenities including sports fields, running trails, a stadium and pool, an equestrian center, and a seasonal skating rink.

Any neighborhood within New York City is bound to cost more than the national average when it comes to cost of living, and Williamsbridge is no exception at almost 60 percent above the mean. On the other hand, Williamsbridge's cost of living is about six percent below that of the rest of the city, making it an attractive prospect for the wallet-conscious. You can expect to pay a median rental cost of about $1,200 for a one-bedroom apartment, while taking the bus or subway will set you back $2.50 for a MetroCard, whether you get off in midtown Manhattan or ride to the end of the line. A glass of beer in a local bar costs about $5, while the cost of gasoline in Williamsbridge hovers around 11.5 percent above the national average.

For the best shopping opportunities in the neighborhood, head to the west and east borders of Williamsburg to find a mix of national chain stores such as Walgreens and FootLocker, plus vehicle showrooms, small boutiques, and high-end shops. Pick up Jamaican tonics and supplements at Sundial Herbal Product.

When it comes time to stock up on groceries, you can take advantage of plenty of large and small stores within the neighborhood, from chains such as C-Town and Three Brothers to specialty outlets such as the Moonlight African Market.