Every town has it's ups and downs. When I grew up in Brooklyn, our neighborhood was so close knit, there was never a want. People hung out together in front or back of their homes. People cooked in their front yards and generously offered neighbors a taste at their ethnic cuisines. Then I moved to Eastchester and was lucky enough to move to Garth Road. A movie theatre, an ice cream shop, a 7-11, Chinese, Japanese, Irish restaurants. Italian and German delis. Fried chicken, wine, video and dessert shops. It seemed to have everything we needed. Now, I'm on the south side and boy is it lacking.
We have seven Italian restaurants, none of which are great. We have three Chinese restaurants, only one of which is good. We have about 15 places that serve pizza in a two mile radius. It's arguable that any are great. One is great, but the ambiance and other offerings are so poor, it's tough to stomach. We have about five drug stores. We have four places serving pub style food and ironically, they are probably the best places to get other things. We have three ice cream/frozen yogurt places within about an eight of a mile.
So I've told you all the things that aren't great, but before we get on to the desired additions, let's look at the pluses. Good or bad, we have a diner, but long gone are the days it was a 24 hour eatery. We have or Strabucks and Dunkin Donuts and we have places that actually sell good coffee. We have some decent delis, but none are truly great. A day down on Arthur Ave showed me that. And Mona Lisa is a little bit of a hike by foot. We have some spas, barbershops and supermarkets galore. We have gas stations. We have banks. We sadly have a great restaurant, which I haven't yet been to, which is closing soon. We also have arguably the best burgers in town, a great big fun bar and some of the greatest wings around, if you know where to go. We also have a great hardware store and a beverage center. Not too many towns have that.
So what do we need? We need some variety. Over the years, the face of the town has changed, but the surroundings are the same. It would be great if one could walk down the street and have good sushi. I know there are decent places in other towns, but not here. I wish there was some type of ethnic foods. A BBQ joint, maybe some Korean, Vietnamese or Middle Eastern (there was a place that served some good Middle Eastern dishes, but it was also kosher and failed as a deli). I wish there was a true steakhouse. No frills, just the classics. Forget the white table clothes, do it Luger style. I wish there was a movie theatre, but then again, that might cause problems late at night. I don't want any fast food, but damn a KFC would be nice. If someone ever opened a fried chicken place in the south end, it would be a gold mine. Wish I had the money. It would be great if there was something for teens to do a night. I'm a little tired of seeing kids running around town, cursing, littering, breaking stuff and sometimes doing and selling drugs. Not to mention the speeding that seems to be going on every night. With the absence of Champs and the legendary Sportland, we don't have any sporting goods stores anymore and that saddens me. I also wish one of the larger vacancies would open up some type of sports facility. It would also be great if we could have something like the Little Gym, but for school grade kids.
I obviously don't wish ill against anyone striving to open a business, but I have to wonder about some of the planning. How long does a frozen yogurt place think they will last against Carvel? Who would open a pizza restaurant right down the street from a pizza restaurant, in a town where an awful pizzeria has lasted for 25+ years. Why would someone open a spa, when there already is one. Why would someone offer Italian fare when the town is already inundated with Italian eateries. What I worry about is that with all these vacancies we're going to get more of the same old thing. Someone needs to find something new. I just find it weird that one town over, there is sushi, Indian, Mexican, Latin, an upper scale gastro-pub (and now an attempt at a second), it's standard average pizza and Italian and a great Italian place, posing as an Inn and a place with truly good pizza. There used to be a Thai place, not sure if it's still there, but add that to the list of things Eastchester needs. Thai is some of the best cuisines around.
I could probably come up with some more pluses and minuses, but my lack of money to actually do one of these things will just sadden me. So I'll leave it there. I love listening to people talk about the old bowling alley. Wish people would talk about what they want and someone would step up and do it. A friend mentioned a Walter's type hot dog place once to me. Make it happen!
We have seven Italian restaurants, none of which are great. We have three Chinese restaurants, only one of which is good. We have about 15 places that serve pizza in a two mile radius. It's arguable that any are great. One is great, but the ambiance and other offerings are so poor, it's tough to stomach. We have about five drug stores. We have four places serving pub style food and ironically, they are probably the best places to get other things. We have three ice cream/frozen yogurt places within about an eight of a mile.
So I've told you all the things that aren't great, but before we get on to the desired additions, let's look at the pluses. Good or bad, we have a diner, but long gone are the days it was a 24 hour eatery. We have or Strabucks and Dunkin Donuts and we have places that actually sell good coffee. We have some decent delis, but none are truly great. A day down on Arthur Ave showed me that. And Mona Lisa is a little bit of a hike by foot. We have some spas, barbershops and supermarkets galore. We have gas stations. We have banks. We sadly have a great restaurant, which I haven't yet been to, which is closing soon. We also have arguably the best burgers in town, a great big fun bar and some of the greatest wings around, if you know where to go. We also have a great hardware store and a beverage center. Not too many towns have that.
So what do we need? We need some variety. Over the years, the face of the town has changed, but the surroundings are the same. It would be great if one could walk down the street and have good sushi. I know there are decent places in other towns, but not here. I wish there was some type of ethnic foods. A BBQ joint, maybe some Korean, Vietnamese or Middle Eastern (there was a place that served some good Middle Eastern dishes, but it was also kosher and failed as a deli). I wish there was a true steakhouse. No frills, just the classics. Forget the white table clothes, do it Luger style. I wish there was a movie theatre, but then again, that might cause problems late at night. I don't want any fast food, but damn a KFC would be nice. If someone ever opened a fried chicken place in the south end, it would be a gold mine. Wish I had the money. It would be great if there was something for teens to do a night. I'm a little tired of seeing kids running around town, cursing, littering, breaking stuff and sometimes doing and selling drugs. Not to mention the speeding that seems to be going on every night. With the absence of Champs and the legendary Sportland, we don't have any sporting goods stores anymore and that saddens me. I also wish one of the larger vacancies would open up some type of sports facility. It would also be great if we could have something like the Little Gym, but for school grade kids.
I obviously don't wish ill against anyone striving to open a business, but I have to wonder about some of the planning. How long does a frozen yogurt place think they will last against Carvel? Who would open a pizza restaurant right down the street from a pizza restaurant, in a town where an awful pizzeria has lasted for 25+ years. Why would someone open a spa, when there already is one. Why would someone offer Italian fare when the town is already inundated with Italian eateries. What I worry about is that with all these vacancies we're going to get more of the same old thing. Someone needs to find something new. I just find it weird that one town over, there is sushi, Indian, Mexican, Latin, an upper scale gastro-pub (and now an attempt at a second), it's standard average pizza and Italian and a great Italian place, posing as an Inn and a place with truly good pizza. There used to be a Thai place, not sure if it's still there, but add that to the list of things Eastchester needs. Thai is some of the best cuisines around.
I could probably come up with some more pluses and minuses, but my lack of money to actually do one of these things will just sadden me. So I'll leave it there. I love listening to people talk about the old bowling alley. Wish people would talk about what they want and someone would step up and do it. A friend mentioned a Walter's type hot dog place once to me. Make it happen!
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