SOBRO, in case you didn’t know, is the hip new name for the South Bronx (or, if you prefer ‘Da South Bronx).

Imagine my surprise upon finding a business card sized tidbit in the New York Times’ Travel section last Sunday declaring that the South Bronx–yes, the same South Bronx that was home to the 1980s crack and crime epidemics– is, gasp!, suddenly a hip travel destination.

I hate to tell you, Times, but I discovered the South Bronx about 9 years ago.

When I moved to NYC in 1999, I chose the South Bronx as my neighborhood–huge apartments, cheap rents. Over the next five years, though, I discovered that SOBRO, and the rest of the borough affectionately nick-named “The Boogie-Down Bronx” was actually a fascinating place.

Check out the Times’ recommendations. To their list, I’d add:

*Wave Hill: You won’t believe you’re in NYC.
*New York Botanical Garden: Ditto.
*Arthur Avenue: A scaled down version of Little Italy, but the food is fantastic. During the day, check out the Arthur Avenue Market.

And if you’re in town soon, don’t miss the Bronx 2008 Food & Arts Festival or the Hunts Point 5K… where else would a race be called the Hunts Point Hustle?!

For one take on life in the Bronx, check out this video:

Have you been to The Bronx? What are your favorite sites in SOBRO? Leave a comment below!

Photo: Amy Rathgeb (creative commons)