Places: The Italy in New York

Yes! Really. There is an Italy in New York City and I'm not talking about "Little Italy" in Manhattan (although it has some great restaurants and Italian festivals.) This is the Italy of the Bronx- commonly referred to as Arthur Ave.

My first trip to Arthur Ave was only a few months ago with Matt and some of his family. They are pros. They knew all the great butchers, bakeries, pizza places, restaurants, and pasta shops- there are multiple specialty shops for each specialty and I'm fairly sure that they're all pretty amazing.

After learning where to park (potential nightmare) and where to shop I felt confident enough to venture over to the Italy of NY with Marissa to pick up some birthday presents for our mom. Birthday presents in the form of food.. for all of us to enjoy.. pretty great idea, I must say.

We left this morning around 10:15am and arrived before 11am.. parking around that time on a weekday seems to be a good bet. We fed the meter and walked around, shopped, and ate until around 2:15pm. Parking on a Saturday, no matter what time, is.. not fun.

Eat..

• Umbertos Clam house - the 2 food photos above are from Umbertos.. I had the homemade lobster ravioli. ahhmazing.
• Full Moon Pizza- I am yet to taste this famous pizza, but I've smelled it and heard wonderful things
• Trattoria Zero Otto Nove- such a gorgeous atmosphere (kind of like you're outside, but you're inside) with delicious food 
• Roberto's - probably the most famous restaurant in the area, but I've never been. There is no menu and no prices. The waiter will tell you what they have and you'll get the bill at the end. If I ever get there I'll fill you in on how that works (confusing, no??)

Shop:

• Madonia Brothers Bakery- for biscotti and cannoli (I'm betting the other baked goods are great, too)

• Teitel Brothers- for fresh pasta and parmesan cheese
• Casa Della Mozzarella- for fresh, fresh, fresh delicious mozzarella cheese
• Vincent's- for meat- mmm sweet or spicy sausage- at amazing prices
• There are a bunch of cute gift type shops that have tons of Italian imports 

Park:

• Street parking in the area if you can deal (I'd rather not unless there are 2 open spots in a row.. I hate parallel parking.)
• Municipal Parking Lot! Yay! It's off Arthur Ave between 186th and Crescent. There's a man there that is totally not employed by the parking lot.. but he will help you find a spot if it's a busy time. Apparently he's always there and people tip him for helping out.

Generations of Italian families have lived in the area and you'll hear the language as you walk down the street. I love it. Next time your in NYC you should totally venture over to the Bronx to dine and shop on Arthur Ave. It's also 2 seconds from the Bronx Zoo and the botanical gardens! 3 great reasons to visit one of the other boroughs.