The Bronx Beat: The Bronx harkens to a new "Beer Here" shout out...

For years we've watched that other "B" borough reinvent itself, bygone or abandoned neighborhood by neighborhood vying to be the new "IT" destination, so why not the Bronx? The Bronx is no longer in its extended winter hiatus of forget-about-it-blues...the Bronx is springing into a turn around; a not-so-easy path to revision - a step up - to what's old is new again...Resurrecting a lost industry, reclaiming forgotten industrial areas, reinventing decades old structures all adding up to a renewed pride in the fabled Bronx heritage..."BEER HERE!" Schlep no more! Having a place to go, as in the golden days of bygone times, seemly the Bronx is being refitted by brew misters, et al. The Bronx Beer Hall, is now the center of attraction to be found in the time tested interior of the Arthur Ave. retail market, a building that forward thinking mayor Fiorello LaGuardia opened in 1940 as part of New York's effort to modernize, by getting pushcarts off the street to make more room for trucks and automobiles. Located in Belmont, the "Little Italy" section of Bronx, the new The Bronx Beer Hall features Jonas Bronck's Beer Company taps, named after the founder of the borough and serves up an eclectic bar menu from Mike's Deli, plus soft pretzels brought in from the Madonia Bakery just up the block on Arthur Ave. FYI: There are nine other businesses in the market - including a cigar roller, a baker, produce sellers, meat market and the famed Mike's Deli... yes - same as at Yankee Stadium. (Great place to visit for real ethnic eats when visiting the Bronx Zoo or the New York Botanical Gardens.) History repeats itself, not since the 1960's when Rheingold Beer closed has there been suds brewed in the Bronx. The Bronx Brewery, a craft brewery, which was formed in 2009, has recently leased a space on 136th St. and Walnut Ave., a short walk from the Cypress Ave. 6 train stop (the 3rd stop on the 6 in the Bronx), in Port Morris, the southeast industrial area of the borough. This will be home to the new brewery, its offices, and a public indoor and outdoor tasting room and more. Yes, the Bronx is back! Last year, the Bronx experienced the most active investment property, industrial sales and residential market since the 2008 financial crisis occurred. Demand has outpaced the "on the market" supply of NoMa - Riverdale residential properties just north of Manhattan with renewed interest from carless baby boomers looking for retirement abodes close to all transportation, shopping and medical centers; and Manhattan's "middle class" in search child friendly and affordable public education and activities. I love the Bronx - from Riverdale/NoMa's high ridge overlooking the beautiful Hudson River around to the narrow Harlem River and on up to the sandy beaches of the Long Island Sound! The Bronx is back!... Shout it out! Susan Seidner Chasky, ABR, GRI, SRES, is an associate broker at Exclusive Properties Sotheby's International Realty, Riverdale, N.Y.