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Restaurateur Jimmy Rodríguez and his daughter Jaleene

Patrons tuck into a taste of Puerto Rico - in New Rochelle

Don Coquí, a fine dining restaurant in
New Rochelle, feels like an actual Puerto Rican family’s home in many ways. For the father-daughters team behind the eatery, it is.

Restaurateur Jimmy Rodríguez, who’s best-known for his chain of Jimmy’s restaurants, and his daughters, Jaleene and Jewelle, own and run the Westchester County spot.

“It’s not about a job for me, it’s home. The restaurant is us,” said evening manager Jewelle, 22. “When people come in and I tell them it’s a 2 1/2 hour wait for dinner and they decide to stay, I’m honored and humbled every single time, because it’s as if they’re joining us at our home for dinner in our living room.”

The Rodríguezes have three generations and more than 30 years of experience in the restaurant business, beginning in the late 1970s when the late Jimmy Rodríguez Sr. opened the family’s first restaurant, Marisco del Caribe, a seafood eatery still in existence, under other ownership, in the Bronx.

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Afternoon dining at Don Coquí. Read more..

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Chris McGrath/Getty Images

 An event occured in the Bronx last week that hasn’t happened in decades; One that if not signaled the decline of the Bombers, it surely preceeded it.

No, it wasn’t the death of Mr. Steinbrenner, though some might say that may play into it.

No, Rather than the rudder being taken from the ship, it was a small but mighty hole that burst the Yankees hull:

They didn’t get their man.

And with the Rangers picking up Cliff Lee, one of the top picks of the trade season, the precident has been set for the one thing unimaginable: The New York Yankees losing out on the World Series for the next nine years.

How do I know?

I do. Just trust me, ok? Read more..

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Two teens David Luccioni and Crystal Reyes drowned in an off-limits section of the Bronx River earlier this week

 A group of teen swimmers showed no fear Tuesday, boldly returning to a section of the Bronx River that claimed two lives earlier in the week.

Carl Singleton, 16, jumped over a fence blocking the river, ignored the warnings of city park officers and dove off a shallow waterfall into the river’s swimming hole.

After his dip, the West Farms teen stood only a few feet away from a memorial for drowning victims David Luccioni, 17, and Crystal Reyes, 14, but shrugged off the river’s danger.

“I came here almost every day, and I never got bothered,” he said. “These kids probably didn’t know what they were doing. That’s why they died.”

City park officers and an NYPD cop periodically stopped by the swimming spot Tuesday to chase away teenagers, but some still managed to slip into the water.

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     Valentine Varian House museumregister.com

  While energy consumption costs rise with the mercury, the over 200 year-old Valentine-Varian house in the Norwood  section of the Bronx stayed cool without the added expense of climate control during the recent 90+ degree temperatures. The interior, unaffected by the intense heat stayed at an unbelievably pleasant temperature without the use of air conditioning or even a single fan.  The sturdy fieldstone farmhouse has been doing so since its construction in 1758 according to staff at the New York city landmark.

 The four level Bainbridge Avenue building remains cool due to its 20-inch thick walls. The symmetrical structure design allows a comfortable retreat from summer heat or winter cold.  Spacious oak and pine hard-wood flooring complete with hand-forged nails catch light from the splayed windows inside the structure.  Two identical chimneys at either side of the house add a strong accent to the stone farmhouse.

Built by a blacksmith named Isaac Valentine, the house is no stranger to intense conditions.  It has survived blizzards, hurricanes and everything mother nature has thrown at it for for over 2 centuries. It has also taken everything that human-kind could throw at it including more than 5 fierce battles during the Revolutionary war that are not only well documented on paper but proven with the numerous metal cannon balls found on the property.

This testament to working-class engineering has also survived the complications of the capitalist economy that resulted in the entire structure undergoing a two-day move by a tremendous 48- wheeled dolly to its present site in 1965.

This former home of the Bronx Historical Society  (now located across the street at 3309 Bainbridge Avenue) contains a well-organized display of Bronx history.  Information about Bronxites from Edgar Allan Poe to Afrika Bambaataa and exhibits pertaining to the lives of its many occupants, including a former New York City Mayor, and rotating bi-annual exhibitions can be found in the house.

Come experience the difference that 20 inches of stone powered climate control creates and see the beauty of Bronx history. Read more..

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