WHAT IT MEANS TO BE FROM THE BRONX

NYC - Houses 5 boros. the region that Im from is known as "Uptown," "Da BX" or "Da Bronx". What it means to be from the Bronx is to never leave "the" out before saying Bronx. Doing so is a red flag that you're not from there. What it means to be from the Bronx is to be the Ultimate Yankees fan, and a sin to be a Mets fan. We dont identify our neighborhoods with sections such as "Im from Flatbush" or "Im from Bed-Stuy". In the Bronx, we identify with the street name and intersection number - "Im from Clay Ave and 170th." To be from the Bronx is to buy your clothes on Fordham Road, Third Avenue or Southern Blvd. If you're from the Bronx and bought a coat, you know who "jew man" is. To be from the Bronx is to spend your childhood summers at Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club trying to learn how to swim. You been there 5 straight summers and aint learn to swim not one single lap - two busy watching the girls in their swim suits. You spent your time splashing around in the street fire hydrant in the summer time. You celebrated your after after-prom parties at City Island. You know what a "cokito" is. thats a coconut icee from the small street cart thats on every corner. In the bronx, we barely have private houses so we barbecued on our fire escapes. In the Bronx we barely had houses so we decorated our fire escapes with christmas lights. We barely had houses so everyone in the Bronx would go to the northern bronx on Pelham Parkwayto see the christmas lights on the houses in the "uppity" section. To be from the Bronx is to get your car stereo stolen only to go to hunts point to buy your same stereo back. To be from the Bronx is to have a kenny fried chicken on every block, right next to the dominican restaurant which was next to the dominican barber shop which was next door to the dominican hair salon, which was accross the street from the dominican mechanic that called you "poppi" which was next door to your building with the dominican super that you called "poppi." The party never stops, because in the Bronx, parties go from Monday through sunday. Every building has that family that looks for every and any reason to throw a party till 4am on a Tuesday. If the weather peaked over 65 degrees, then the old men would hit the streets for intense games of dominos as they shouted to each other about politics. If you wanted to see a basketball game, we would go to our cousin boro - Manhattan into the Harlem section. If you lived on the west side of the Bronx, you always walked to Harlem. It is a short walk over the bridges that connected the Bronx and Harlem. Right after the game, we left because we knew the fights were coming and Harlem and the Bronx is territorial, so if you're not from there and people dont recognize you - houston we have a problem...