Letter to the Editor: Jack Kennedy Taking Exception to Adrienne Smith's Column on Brussels
To the Editor:
Mar. 30, 2016: I would like to take exception to my good friend Adrienne Smith's article on Brussels. I had the good fortune to live in Brussels for almost a year in the mid-1970s. Brussels is not Paris, as others have said, but it has its charms.
Sitting in the Grand Place staring at the beautiful city hall at 10:00 pm sipping a Stella after a glorious three-star meal at Comme Chez Soi or a traditional Belgian waterzooie (I prefer chicken) at Taverne du Passage in the Galleria is heaven on earth.
The first Michelin three-star outside France was awarded in 1972 to the famed Villa Lorraine in the Bois de la Cambe, Brussels's great park ten minutes from downtown. You will also get a superb meal on the (scorned by Adrienne) rue des Bouchers at Chez Leon or Aux Armes de Bruxelles, where locals go.
The Amigo is the best hotel, but there are many others, and the Avenue Louise is a fashionable neighborhood with restaurants, shops, and hotels a convenient trolley ride from downtown.
The country's political situation is a mess and always has been. Three national groups--Flemish, Walloons, and Germans--each with its own liberal and conservative wings that can't agree on almost anything, which is the basic problem for the ineffective security situation.
But this does not impact the charm of the city or the country.
Jack Kennedy
Bronxville, NY
Editor's note: MyhometownBronxville does not fact-check statements in letters to the editor, and the opinions do not necessarily reflect the thinking of its staff. Its objective in publishing letters to the editor is to give air to diverse thoughts and opinions of residents in the community.
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Bronxville is a quaint village (one square mile) located just 16 miles north of midtown Manhattan (roughly 30 minutes on the train) and has a population of approximately 6,500. It is known as a premier community with an excellent public school (K-12) and easy access to Manhattan. Bronxville offers many amenities including an attractive business district, a hospital (Lawrence Hospital), public paddle and tennis courts, fine dining at local restaurants, two private country clubs and a community library.
While the earliest settlers of Bronxville date back to the first half of the 18th century, the history of the modern suburb of Bronxville began in 1890 when William Van Duzer Lawrence purchased a farm and commissioned the architect, William A. Bates, to design a planned community of houses for well-known artists and professionals that became a thriving art colony. This community, now called Lawrence Park, is listed on the National register of Historic Places and many of the homes still have artists’ studios. A neighborhood association within Lawrence Park called “The Hilltop Association” keeps this heritage alive with art shows and other events for neighbors.
Bronxville offers many charming neighborhoods as well as a variety of living options for residents including single family homes, town houses, cooperatives and condominiums. One of the chief benefits of living in “the village” is that your children can attend the Bronxville School.
The Bronxville postal zone (10708, known as “Bronxville PO”) includes the village of Bronxville as well as the Chester Heights section of Eastchester, parts of Tuckahoe and the Lawrence Park West, Cedar Knolls, Armour Villa and Longvale sections of Yonkers. Many of these areas have their own distinct character. For instance, the Armour Villa section has many historic homes and even has its own newsletter called “The Villa Voice” which reports on neighborhood news.
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