Belmonta guide by Richard Joseph Spinelli

Getting there

No subway stops on the avenue

Which means a train plus a walk or a bus. These are the real options, west to east, and the walk is longer than the map suggests.

Richard Joseph Spinelli makes the trip to Arthur Avenue most days and gives directions to students, parents and dinner guests every week, and the same three routes come up each time: the B and D subway to Fordham Road on the Grand Concourse, Metro North to Fordham station, and the 4 train to Fordham Road on Jerome Avenue. All three leave a walk east along Fordham Road or a ride on the Bx12 bus. The MTA publishes live schedules and changes.

Schematic of how the trains reach Arthur Avenue Fordham Road runs across the top. From west to east along it sit the 4 train at Jerome Avenue, the B and D trains at the Grand Concourse, and the Metro North Fordham station at Webster Avenue. Belmont lies south of the road, with Arthur Avenue running north to south through it and the Fordham University campus north of the road. The Bx12 bus runs along Fordham Road. Fordham University, Rose Hill Bronx Park E Fordham Rd, Bx12 Select Bus Bathgate Av Lorillard Pl Arthur Av Belmont Av E 187th St E 184th St 4Jerome Av B DGrand Concourse Metro NorthFordham station, Webster Av Walk east along Fordham Road, or ride the Bx12, to Arthur Avenue Schematic, not to scale. West is left.
The trains stop west of the neighborhood; the last leg is on foot or by bus.
LineStopThen
BDFordham Road, Grand ConcourseFrom the station walk east along Fordham Road to Arthur Avenue, roughly fifteen to twenty minutes, or take the Bx12 bus east from the same corner.
4Fordham Road, Jerome AvenueFarther west than the Concourse. Walk east on Fordham Road or transfer to the Bx12; allow the longer walk.
MNRFordham, Harlem Line and New Haven LineFrom Grand Central, the fastest trip. The station sits at Webster Avenue and Fordham Road; Arthur Avenue is a walk east of about fifteen minutes.
Bx12SBSFordham RoadSelect Bus Service along Fordham Road, stopping near Arthur Avenue. Pay at the curb machine before boarding.
Bx15Bx17Third Avenue and Crotona AvenueLocal buses along the western and eastern edges of the neighborhood.
Bx9Bx19Bx22VariousOther routes that cross Belmont or run along Fordham Road; useful from the west Bronx and from Pelham Parkway.

From Manhattan

Metro North from Grand Central to Fordham is usually the quickest door to door, and the Harlem Line runs often. The B and D from the West Side are the subway answer and involve the longest walk. Whichever train, the last leg along Fordham Road is busy, well lit and lined with stores, and it takes longer than the distance on a map implies.

Driving and parking

Street parking around East 187th Street on a weekend evening is a circle of the block, then another. Arriving early or accepting a long walk from the car are the practical choices, and the train is the better one. Alternate side parking rules apply to residents as much as to visitors.

Walking to the parks

Both the Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Garden are a walk east of Arthur Avenue across Southern Boulevard, and pairing either with lunch on the avenue is the best single day the neighborhood offers a visitor. The entrances are farther apart than they look, so check which gate before setting out.