Charm of the Bronx

My Papi grew up in the Bronx and spent most of his youth trying to get out of it, and here his little girl is voluntarily going to it. Isn't ironic don't you think? Growing up my Papi used to tell me some crazy stories from his childhood of his experiences in the Bronx & Harlem all about violence, gangs, cultures etc.. perfect stories to make any little girl feel comfortable right before bed;) Anyhow it's not nearly what it was 40 years ago, however it really depends on the area. Each block is so different. Mark's good friend from basic training  lives in the Bronx and is being deployed to Afghanistan in a week so we thought it would be a good idea if we met up with him before he left. We had a blast!

 Apparently busted fire hydrants is a commonality in the Bronx. My Papi said when he was younger they illegally used to bust the fire hydrants in the summer time because it was so hot, but apparently it has become a ritual that it's no longer illegal. There is an actual person who gets paid to put the fire hydrants on so anyone could play in the water because it gets dreadfully hot and muggy. As cool as it is, I couldn't help but think in my mind CONSERVATION PEEPS!

 Mark's buddy made us some yummy African food. I don't know all the names of these yummy treats but they were quite delicious!

 He put this root in our water to give it a slight favor and provide us with some Vitamin C. I loved the smell!

 This pudding was sweet and yummy, very similar to Tapioca

 The last time I ate African food was on my mission 8 years ago. I distinctly remember because my companion at the time which I will not mention her name, refused to eat the food that this family especially made for us. It was a feast and they expected us to it the majority of it. I didn't want to offend that family on my mission so I kept eating and eating and eating and I felt like I had to eat more because my companion wasn't eating and I didn't want to show any disrespect (Hawaiian upbringing I tell you) any how I reached a point where I couldn't have another bite, I could barely walk straight because I ate so much. I kindly excused myself from the table and went straight to bathroom to vomit. It was involuntary! That never happened to me before. The food was awesome I just ate to much!

 Mark's buddy from basic training with his adorable children.

 I love how the Dominicans and Puerto Ricans chill on the street and  play dominoes and blare their Latin music. It's just like the movies. Mark and I were loving it!

 A little Bronx art

Driving in the city on our way home. It wasn't such a bad drive.