Soundview

In the late 1950s, a few blocks east of the Bronx River, down the street from the 6 train in the East Bronx, lived a reedy kid who would one day grow up to be the first woman of color confirmed on the United States Supreme Court. Justice Sonia Sotomayor calls herself a “Nuyorican,” identifying with that vibrant sliver of immigrants who made and are still making their way from the island of Puerto Rico to New York City to write poetry, make music and study law.

The public housing where Sotomayor lived in the green neighborhood of Soundview still stands today, renamed in her honor and upgraded by a glass-walled community center with a full-court basketball hoop, among other amenities. Parents can gaze at their kids playing at the adjacent playgrounds or soccer fields at Parque de Los Niños and dream for their futures, knowing there’s no longer anywhere a child of the Bronx can’t go. West of there, students of architecture can tour one of three train stations built by Cass Gilbert just across the river off the Bronx River Trail. The old Westchester Station is now decrepit, but city groups have big plans for its restoration.

But this waterside neighborhood has much to recommend it besides its famous progeny. In the borough with more green space than any other Soundview has bigger parks than most. “A lot of people who might not know that fact see the Bronx that way anyway because when they’re walking around, they’re constantly walking past, you know, small parks and playgrounds. They’re everywhere. They’re just part of the scenery,” says Geoffrey Weiss, a licensed real estate salesperson with Compass who specializes in the Bronx with his partner Aaron Kass.

“Soundview has the benefit of being on the ferry line -- and obviously has very nice views of the sound,” he jokes. Jokes aside, you can actually commute by ferry from the edge of the Soundview peninsula to the Upper East Side of Manhattan in 18 minutes.

“Soundview Park is also right there. It’s a very large part of the neighborhood, says Weiss. According to the NYC Parks Department, Soundview Park has 205 acres and is beloved for its fields, fishing and gorgeous views. In keeping with New York City’s famous multicultural inclusion, the parks department recently added a cricket pitch to the park’s lineup of fields and courts. An amphitheater was inaugurated in 2015 and hosts annual shows during the summer Soundview Park Art & Music Festival.

A hopping West African food scene has appeared in Soundview alongside the mosques that populate the area. Senegalese restaurant Fouta has been lauded in multiple publications for its authentic Thieboudienne, or “cheb,” which is a rice dish with vegetables and fish that also happens to be the national dish of Senegal. Down the street, an outpost of Puerto Rican chain La Isla still serves fried Caribbean food from the island in its longtime home next to 84-acre Pugsley Creek Park. Later you can work off the chicharrónes at the Castle Hill YMCA. If you prefer to cook for yourself, there are two grocery stores in Soundview, a ShopRite and a Food Bazaar.

Home prices are lower in the Bronx, and Soundview offers excellent bang for your buck. Two-bedroom, two-bath condos in brick high rises near the park cost under $350,000. A bit farther north, near the 6 train and the library, single-family condos in charming Greek Revival rowhomes are priced the same. At the top end of the scale are income-producing buildings, from small tenements to brick Georgian duplexes that can be owner-occupied rentals for $1 million and above.

Bronx Arena High School is a great example of what happens when bureaucracy gets out of the way of human ingenuity. This inspiring institution offers failing students the chance to enroll in a program where they receive personal counseling and can finish their classes on their own schedules – as fast as they like. This innovative model has earned the school near-perfect marks from the NYC Department of Education. Junior High School 131 Albert Einstein is in the top quartile of NYC schools, as is PS 100 Isaac Clason Elementary.

The term “hidden gem” gets thrown around a lot in real estate circles, but Soundview just might be one of the few rare “genuine articles,” as they say in the Bronx.

Written By

Abbot Street

Photography Contributed By

Amanda Kirkpatrick

Video By

Antoine Allen