Sarah Lawrence College - Local Atmosphere

College Prowler Take

You may find yourself trapped between two unfriendly opposites while at SLC. If you walk in one direction you’ll hit Bronxville, a ritzy town with showcase windows, high-priced boutiques, and a bustling train station. Walk two miles in the other direction and you’ll find yourself in Yonkers, a working-class suburb. Collectively, Yonkers and Bronxville may have all the components of a good college town—taverns, banks, pharmacies, movie theaters, supermarkets, a hospital, a library, thrift shops, and places to buy beer, cigarettes, and junk food. But neither town is a good fit for the unconventional personalities of SLC students. Campus often clears out on weekends as students flee to NYC for entertainment, as well as hospitality.

Cultural claustrophobia aside, you can’t go wrong with Lawrence Hospital’s Bargain Box, a thrift shop on Palmer Avenue, and although the scene at the Cross County Shopping Center gets shady at night, you’ll definitely fulfill all your shopping needs at its dozens of shops and department stores. Want some peace and quiet? Then stroll along the Bronx River Pathway Trails that wind through Bronxville. And if you don’t feel like trekking to NYC to catch the latest artsy independent film, chances are it’s playing at Clearview’s Bronxville Cinema.

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Students Speak Out

Anonymous says:

Bronxville is upscale, full of... Bronxville is upscale, full of elderly conservatives, business suits, and soccer moms. You’ll definitely get looks if you walk around with a two-foot pink mohawk. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

It can be inconvenient to get to... It can be inconvenient to get to Yonkers. To get there you have to walk over major roads that are poorly lit and in no way pedestrian-friendly. I don’t feel comfortable walking there at night. I like Bronxville more. It’s easier to get to because the school runs shuttles there, and the walk is always on a sidewalk. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

Yonkers is more urban than... Yonkers is more urban than Bronxville, and many students prefer to shop there. All in all, though, my advice would be to go to NYC and explore. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

Bronxville is a strange, clean,... Bronxville is a strange, clean, small northeastern town populated largely by extremely old and unfriendly–looking white folks. The high school looks like a castle, and the students there are all blond and uninteresting. Probably mean, too. It’s nice to look at, but I get a bad vibe from the townies. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

It’s not unusual to be walking on... It’s not unusual to be walking on Kimball Avenue, minding your own business, and to get heckled by people in cars (usually teenagers), or given disapproving looks by some of the elderly locals. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Facts

Did You Know?

Make sure you take advantage of the cheap matinee prices at Clearview’s Bronxville Cinema. Tickets are just $6.50 for shows before 6 p.m.

5 Fun Facts about
Bronxville and Yonkers:
• Former president John F. Kennedy wrote Why England Slept at his family’s house in Bronxville.
• The world’s first elevated mass-transit system was created in Yonkers.
• The first game of golf in the United States was played in Yonkers in 1888.
• Check out the historic Yonkers Raceway, located off exit 4S on the Cross County Parkway. Built in 1899, it still offers weekly horse races for just $5 a ticket.
• Dozens of popular movies have been filmed on location in the towns around SLC, including Riding in Cars With Boys, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Catch Me If You Can, The Stepford Wives, and Zoolander.

Famous People from Bronxville and Yonkers:
Frank Abagnale, Jr.
James Cagney
Sid Ceasar
Ella Fitzgerald
JadaKiss
Tom Laughlin
Erik Palladino
Tina Sloan
Steven Tyler
Jon Voight
Lil' Zane

Local Slang:
B-Ville – What SLC students call Bronxville.
The Hutch – A nearby highway, the Hutchinson River Parkway.
Cross County, CC – The shopping center in Yonkers.
The Mobile – The gas station off Kimball Avenue where students buy beer and cigarettes.
Yonkiz, Yonkuz – Citizens of Yonkers.
The Slave – A popular coffee shop in Bronxville called Slave to the Grind.

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