(Please Note: This is simply an informational list and NOT an endorsement by our program.) .
Question: What local activities are there near Monte?
Montefiore Medical Center borders Van Cortland Park, the largest inland park in the city with riding stables, cricket, soccer fields, the nation's oldest public golf course and a complete marathon course within its borders.
Just a short ride away from Montefiore are Orchard Beach, Yankee Stadium, the Bronx Zoo, the New York Botanical Gardens, Wave Hill in Riverdale (open to the public) and City Island, a small urban fishing village with access to boat rentals and a restaurant strip that offers some of New York's finest seafood.
If you like a bit of culture, nearby Lehman College Center for the Performing Arts provides access to opera, concerts, theaters and dance. Less than 30 minutes away is Manhattan, Central Park, Wall Street, Chinatown, Times Square, Greenwich Village, Soho, Fifth Avenue, the elegant East Side which are best sampled by walking.
Nearby Westchester County offers hiking, biking and cross-country trails and a short distance away is the Long Island Sound and its beaches.
Grocery shopping, restaurant and more
Near the hospital: All these places are within walking distance from the Montefiore Wayne Ave housing building.
Grocery shopping:
- Food town. 283 E 204th St Bronx, NY 10467. That is about 0.25 mile away from resident housing.
- Key Food can be convenient for non-perishables, cleaning products, etc.
- Hillside Meat Market on Bainbridge and 204th has a pretty good selection of fresh butcher cuts at a fair price.
- The fish shop right next to Hillside Meat Market has good fresh fish and seafood.
- The West Indian bodega on Jerome and E Gun Hill has decent fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs at a low price.
- Battambang market: Cambodian grocery store near Kingsbridge Rd subway station.
- Online groceries (FreshDirect, PeaPod, Amazon) are also a good option, for both perishable and non-perishable goods.
Restaurants:
- Curry and Kebab, on Bainbridge and 204th, Indian food.
- Queen of Tacos, on Mosholu Pkwy and Jerome, Mexican food.
- El Valle, on Jerome and Gun Hill, Dominican food.
- Cơm Tấm Ninh Kiều, just two stops away on the 4 train, Vietnamese food.
- Tradita, on Bainbridge and 204th, Brick oven style pizza.
Alcohol:
- Gun Hill brewery is only a short bus ride away (Gun Hill Rd and Laconia Av). They serve great American style ales.
Riverdale: Riverdale and Kingsbridge have several other interesting and diverse places. All these places are within walking distance from the Montefiore Waldo Ave (Riverdale) housing building
Restaurants:
- Salvatore’s of Soho on Riverdale Ave, good Italian food
- Tin Marin on Riverdale Ave, tapas-style plates, live music
- Greek Express on Riverdale Ave
- YO burger on Riverdale Ave, burgers and frozen yogurt
- Aoyu Sushi on Johnson Ave, Japanese food
- Methate Authentic on Johnson Ave, Mexican food
- Hunan Balcony on Johnson Ave, Chinese food
- S&S cheesecake has been repeatedly reported as NYC's best cheesecake. Their factory is on 238th and Broadway, and their entire cheesecakes are sold for only $15 in the nearby bodegas
- Menchies on Johnson Ave, frozen yogurt.
Groceries:
- Garden Gourmet on Broadway Ave
- Stop and Shop on Broadway Ave
- Key food near Johnson Ave
- Target (225th and Broadway)
- River Plaza at 225th and Broadway - Target, Children's Place, Payless shoes, Marshall's, also Applebee's
Bars:
- Bronx Ale House on 238th St, good beer selection and good bar food
- An Beal Bocht Café on 238th St. Irish pub restaurant
Arthur Avenue/Bronx’s Little Italy: 20 minute drive from the hospital.
Groceries:
- Teitel Brothers is a longstanding tradition of the area. They supply to many restaurants throughout the NYC metro area, and their prices are very good. The highlights are the cheeses, olives, spices and cold cuts.
- Casa de la Mozzarella makes some great homemade cheeses (mostly stretched curd types).
- Vincent's meat market has an amazing Sopresatta, dry aged steaks, great game meats (venison, pheasant, wild boar, etc.), as well as offal that is harder to find elsewhere (e.g. sweetbreads). The prices are a bit steeper, but nothing compared to Manhattan standards.
- Calabria pork store has a famous Sopresatta, as well as other great cold cuts.
Restaurants:
- Roberto's: You will go there during many of the visiting professor dinners. Chef Roberto Paciullo is well known and has a great, wide menu.
- Zero Otto Nove: Roberto's more casual restaurant; a little louder and really fun. It also serves pizza, as well as meat and pasta plates.
- Dominick's: A traditional-style Italian restaurant, where you are served family style and given lots and lots of food. There is no formal menu and the ambiance is very friendly.
- Antonio's trattoria: Another more casual option with very good pasta.
Alcohol: There are a several liquor stores around, that bring mostly Italian imports at great prices.
- La Cantina is a wine-only story with a HUGE selection and free tastings throughout the weekends. The owners are very nice. You get an extra bottle for every 12 that you buy (for the average price of the other 12).
Yonkers: 20 minute drive from the hospital.
Groceries:
- Costco. 20 Stew Leonard Dr, Yonkers, NY 10710. You need a car to get here.
- Stew Leonard’s is a family run grocery store chain in CT and there is a store up in Yonkers. Started off as a family dairy store and their milk comes fresh from CT dairy the same day it is milked. Now it is kind of an "experience" to go there with animated puppet shows throughout the stores, petting zoo in the back.
Restaurants:
- X2O - Xaviar's by the Hudson is a very well-known American restaurant. Its entire menu is amazing and their Sunday brunch is possibly the most interesting highlight.
Others:
- Ridge Hill mall offers a variety of stores including Whole Foods, Apple Store, Uniqlo, Cheesecake factory. 1 Ridge Hill Boulevard, Yonkers, NY 10710.
Gyms
- Crunch (Norwood) gym at 3170 Webster Ave is about 10min walk from the hospital; membership fee ranges from 15 to 35 dollars per month.
- Mosholu Montefiore Community Center offers a smaller gym that costs ~$120 for a year membership for Monte employees.
- Lucille Roberts Gym at 3512 White Plans Road, Bronx, NY 10467
- Riverdale YMCA
- LA Fitness (at Ridge Hill mall; across from Weiler hospital)
- NY Sports Club (Bronxdale Ave in Bronx)
- Blink Fitness (230th and Broadway, free garage parking)
- Planet Fitness (225th and Broadway next to Target, free parking)
Others
Shopping Malls:
- Cross County Mall (Westchester County)
- Ridge Hill outdoor mall (Westchester County)
- Bay Plaza Shopping Center (Co-op City, Bronx)
- Mount Vernon shops on Sandford Blvd
Outdoors/Parks:
- Ewen Park
- Seton Park
- Riverdale Park
- Riverdale Playground
- Henry Hudson Park
Public Transportation:
Subways:
- 4 line, Mosholu Parkway and Jerome Ave, 5 minute walk from the hospital
- D line, 205th St station, 10 minute walk from the hospital
- Metro-North train-Harlem line, Williams Bridge station, 10 minute walk from the hospital
- 1 line, 238th St and Broadway, 10 minute walk from Waldo Ave housing
- Metro-North train-Hudson line, 10 minute drive from Waldo Ave housing
Question: What are the top 10 things to do in NYC?
This question is impossible to answer.
1) Botanical Garden- it's close in the Bronx and it's exceptionally beautiful. It's located at (2900 Southern Blvd, Bronx, NY 10458) as is easy to access by taking the Metro North railway (Williams Bridge Station). Pro tip: the gardens admission is free all day on Wednesday and 9-10 am on Saturday.
2) The Bronx Zoo- again it's in the Bronx and there are a number of interesting exhibits. It's located at (2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York 10460). Its easy to get here via the 2 train at the Gun Hill road station
3) Central Park- it literally has more then 500,000 trees. This beautiful 842 acre respite is the perfect place to stroll around on a lazy warm weekend.
4) Times Square and the Theater District- this is where light and billboards meet glimmer and glitz. A great place to sight see, and see a Broadway play. For cheaper shows the off-Broadway area offers a wide variety of shows. Pro tip: don't hug Elmo.
5) Metropolitan Museum of Art- Houses 5000 years of culture, the MET is one of the premiere art museums in the world. Pro tip: the MET is always pay what you wish although it more then worth the $25 ticket.
6) Guggenheim Museum- an architecturally avant-garde building that is home to items that people tell me is Art. The museum does have a very nice collection of Picasso, Cezanne, and Van Gogh however. Pro Tip: The museum has pay what you wish Saturdays from 5:45 pm to 7:45 pm.
7) Statue of Liberty- no list would be complete without the great ole gal of Freedom.
8) Rockefeller Center- has it all, high end shopping, nice restaurants, art, an ice rink and arguably the best view of New York City (top of the rock)
9) Williamsburg- if ironic mustaces, and fix gear bikes are your thing then Williamsburg is home. Smorgasburg is a weekly flea market where you can try a wide variety of noval innovative food including bacon flavored beer. If you long to go bowling (Brooklyn Bowl) is one of the best the city venues the city offers,
10) American Museum of Natural History
Question: Which kindergarten and elementary schools are in our area?
Students are assigned to public school, based on their address. You can fill out an application to request enrollment in a “charter” school, or another public school in the area. This application is usually due the winter prior to the student’s fall admission.
More information can be found here:
http://schools.nyc.gov/ChoicesEnrollment/NewStudents/default.htm
The public school assigned to Riverdale, if you were to live in Monte Riverdale housing is:
P.S. 024 Spuyten Duyvil
District 10
660 WEST 236 STREET, Bronx, NY 10463
718-796-8845
The public school assigned to those living in MONTE II housing is:
P.S. 094 Kings College School
District 10
3530 KINGS COLLEGE PLACE, Bronx, NY 10467
718-405-6345
A good website to help making schooling decisions is:
Alternative schooling in the Bronx area are the Catholic schools, of which there are many:
Here is the Archdiocese of New York school website and the website of the closest Catholic Schools:
NOTE: The St Ann’s and St Brendan’s are close to MONTE II housing. Saint Gabriels School is closer to Riverdale housing
If you are living in Westchester county or in Yonkers, the school districts are listed here:
Question: What Preschool programs are in our area?
NYC offers free universal preschool. Many schools, including some of the Catholic schools listed above, are part of the free preschool program. However, spots fill up quickly so contact the programs ASAP to reserve a spot.
http://schools.nyc.gov/ChoicesEnrollment/PreK/default.htm
Some daycares also offer Preschool:
Question: What are the Daycare and After Care options in the area?
DAYCARE:
Montefiore does NOT offer daycare with in the hospital.
The closest day care center to the Moses campus is:
Mosholu Montefiore Community Center
http://www.mmcc.org/index.php?submenu=cf_childcare&src=gendocs&ref=DayCare&category=cf_childcare
Unfortunately, there aren't many “chain” daycares (ie Kindercare, The Learning Experience, Tutor Time) in the Bronx area.
A search yields the closest "chain" as The Learning Experience in Riverdale.
https://thelearningexperience.com/our-centers/ny/bronx/riverdale
This website may help you find an accredited day care program:
http://families.naeyc.org/find-quality-child-care
AFTER CARE:
Many schools in the area offer aftercare programs. You will need to contact the individual school to determine if it available.
Alternative Aftercare outside the schools:
Riverdale YMCA
Mosholu Montefiore Community Center
Question: What Summer Camps are offered?
Mosholu Montefiore Community Center
http://www.mmcc.org/index.php?submenu=cf_childcare&src=gendocs&ref=DayCare&category=cf_childcare
Riverdale YMCA
http://www.riverdaley.org/index.php?submenu=camps&src=gendocs&ref=Camps&category=programs
The Learning Experience Summer Program
http://thelearningexperience.com/our-centers/ny/bronx/riverdale
REMINDER! Daycare, Aftercare and Summer Camp (NOT Pre-K or Kindergarten) are eligible for the tax deductible Dependent Care FSA Program. Be sure to ask about it at orientation at the Benefits table.
Question: What Family friendly Weekend activities are available in the area?
WEEKENDS:
There are many things to do in the area. Remember you have ALL of NYC!
But you can stay local or go North as well
Oval park is down the street from MONTE housing and the kids love it!
http://www.nycgovparks.org/facilities/recreationcenters/X104
Bronx Zoo and the Botanical Gardens are in our backyard:
http://bronxzoo.com/ (check out the membership!)
Local Branches of the NY Public Library:
http://www.nypl.org/locations/#/mosholu
http://www.nypl.org/locations/#/riverdale
You may also use the Westchester library system for a yearly fee if you do not live in the county:
http://www.westchesterlibraries.org/
Good place during the cold winter when kids just need to run around somewhere:
Another favorite is LEGO Discovery Center
https://www.legolanddiscoverycenter.com/westchester/
Montefiore has arrangements with the following discount programs:
If you enjoy sporting events, theme parks, Broadway shows and other live events, Plum Benefits provides special offers. Register online at www.plumbenefits.com/signup (ac1025828) or call 212.660.1888.
Special group discounts are available on automobile and homeowners insurance. If you work full-time or part-time (more than 50% of a full-time schedule) there is an extra discount when you use automatic payroll deduction for premium payments.
Travelers – 888.695.4640 www.travelers.com.
MetLife Auto & Home® – 800.438.6388 www.metlife.com
Corporate Offers – Save up to 70% off the price of a Broadway ticket when you use the Corporate Offers discount code to buy tickets from the box office, online or over the phone. Visit www.CorporateOffers.com for the latest list of Broadway discounts or call 646.290.6419 for more information.
If you work out (or are thinking about working out), special discounts on fitness club memberships are available from New York Sports Club, CRUNCH, Equinox, Mosholu Montefiore Community Center’s Fitness Center and Falk Recreation Center/Friedman Athletic Center.
With PerksConnect, you and your family will be able to save money on many products and services. Register for savings in your area and across the country online at montefiore.perksconnection.com, Use Group Code: MontefioreMC.
Do you own a pet? Pet insurance can help make sure you'll always be able to give your pet the best care possible. For information contact Nationwide Pet Insurance online at www.petsnationwide.com or call 877.738.7874.
Purchasing Power – Purchase new, brand-name computers, electronics and home appliances through payroll deductions. Shop Purchasing Power’s secure website and enjoy the convenience of home delivery direct from the manufacturer.www.Montefiore.PurchasingPower.com 800.537.3134
Paying too much for your cell phone or internet access? Verizon Wireless, Sprint(Corporate Code: HCMDA_MMC_ZZZ) and T-Mobile (Promo Code 12425TMOFAV) offer discounts on wireless services.
Question: What changed since the pandemic?
Life in NYC has a new normal. You are expected to wear masks everywhere you go. Most of the local stores near the hospital require the customer to wear a mask to be allowed in. Protocols of social distancing are still in place. You will see marks on the ground in places that lines are formed and also in elevators. Many places take your temperature before allowing you in (hospitals, libraries, museums, etc.) Several attractions are still closed, like the Broadway musicals. The city had passed through recent waves that hit the neighborhoods differently. Some places have open restaurants, and others only take out options. But slowly, with the vaccinations, the city is re-opening
Question: If I haven't been vaccinated yet, can I get it when I arrive?
Yes, you will need clearance from OHS to start working, and they will offer vaccination to all house staff.