Profile of today’s walk.
WHERE: Stair streets on Naples Terrace, Godwin Terrace, Marble Hill Lane, West 231 Street (2 blocks), West 232 Street, West 238 Street, Bronx
START: 231 Street subway station (1 train, fully accessible)
FINISH: 238 Street subway station (1 train)
DISTANCE: 2.3 miles (3.7 kilometers)
Photographs by Michael Cairl, Daniel Murphy, and Cindy Vanden Bosch. Videos by Cindy Vanden Bosch. Maps courtesy of Google Maps except where noted.
Route of today’s walk.
Today’s walk was a return to the Kingsbridge and Riverdale neighborhoods of the Bronx to cover three stair streets I hadn’t walked previously, and three that I had, accompanied by my friends Dan and Cindy. We started with a return to the Naples Terrace and Godwin Terrace stair streets, 60 steps and 32 steps respectively; for photos and description see my November 2020 post “The Kingsbridge Trio + 2 (Northwest Bronx).” Both sets of stairs are in decent condition but the old handrails are set too low for me and too far back from the steps. At a minimum the handrails should be replaced. The Godwin Terrace steps were covered by scaffolding and sections of handrail were missing.
Map of the original and present courses of the Harlem River, courtesy Wikipedia.
From there we walked south on Godwin Terrace and crossed West 230 Street into the Marble Hill neighborhood. West 230 Street follows much of the course of the old Spuyten Duyvil Creek, the north end of the estuary called the Harlem River. The area to the south, Marble Hill, was and is part of the Borough of Manhattan and New York County. In the 1890s the city constructed the Harlem Ship Canal, the present course of the Harlem River, in the flat land south of Marble Hill, to provide a more direct and navigable path for shipping. In time the old Spuyten Duyvil Creek was filled in.
We walked past the Marble Hill Houses, a high-rise public housing project, and crossed West 228 Street to the stair street called Marble Hill Lane. The handrails were a little too low for me but they and the stairs were otherwise in good condition. Total steps: 60, going up.
At the top of the steps Marble Hill revealed itself: a hilly, off-the-beaten-path enclave dotted with surprises, quite unlike much of Manhattan. At the corner of Marble Hill Avenue and West 228 Street is St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church, an absolute gem.
Two views of Marble Hill Lane, view from the top of Marble Hill Lane, St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church (note from the car how steep the hill is).
West 230 Street stairs are visible in the background.
The streets in Marble Hill are steep and I had to walk downhill on Marble Hill Avenue carefully. From there we turned onto West 230 Street, west toward Riverdale Avenue, then to West 231 Street and the next stair street. The West 231 Street stairs encompass two blocks, one of which traverses the very nice Ewen Park. The first block is 160 steps up to Johnson Avenue; the second, 42 steps up to Netherland Avenue. We then walked one block north on Netherland Avenue to the West 232 Street stairs, 60 steps down to Johnson Avenue.
The lower set of stairs at West 231 Street, through Ewen Park. The stairs and railings are in good shape but on the last set of steps up to Johnson Avenue (image at right), the risers are noticeably higher, and the stairs steeper, than farther down Also, a bronze fish to the side of the stairs.
Plaque at the top of the lower set of West 231 Street stairs, Dan and I at the bottom of the upper set of West 231 Street stairs, looking down from the top of the upper set of West 231 Street stairs, looking down from the top of the West 232 Street stairs.
Centered on Johnson Avenue and West 235 Street is a commercial area with stores and restaurants. We walked east on West 236 Street, crossing busy Riverdale Avenue, then north on Fieldston Avenue to West 238 Street, then downhill two blocks to the last set of stair streets for the day, the West 238 Street stairs, also known as the Manhattan College Steps for nearby Manhattan College. We climbed down these stairs I had previously climbed up; see my January 2021 post entitled “Manhattan College Steps + 1 (Northwest Bronx).” These stairs are generally in good condition but here, as at Naples Terrace and Godwin Terrace, the railings are too low, too far away from the stairs, and coming apart in places. These should be replaced. At the top of the stairs we met and chatted with a very friendly character named Nelson and his friend Joan, fine people both. From the bottom of the stairs we walked east a few blocks to the Bronx Alehouse for a decent lunch, good beer from a large selection, and excellent service from our server Ty and others. I’ll be back.
This was a day of great exercise, visual surprises, fine company, and nice people along the way. In other words, a few hours very well spent. There’s only one stair street left to climb in this part of the Bronx but it’s a nice area for repeating the cycle, which I will do.
Total stairs for the day: Naples Terrace = 60 up, Godwin Terrace = 32 down, Marble Hill Lane = 60 up, West 231 Street = 202 up, West 232 Street = 60 down, West 238 Street = 120 down, total 534, the most so far in one day.
ONWARD!
Outside Metate restaurant on Johnson Avenue, two views of the Manhattan College Stairs. best cream cheesecake anywhere - sorry, Junior’s - on West 238 Street.