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A Lovely Day · 7 stops · about 4.8 km on foot

A Lovely Day in the Bronx

A buttered roll at a bakery open since 1918, a morning among 250 acres of gardens and old-growth forest, wood-oven pizza from a Salerno trattoria, the 1940 market hall and a ceiling hung with sausages, then the zoo's lantern trails on holiday nights and a white-tablecloth dinner where one family has cooked since 1919.

Best days Tuesday to Saturday. Avoid Mondays, when NYBG, Zero Otto Nove and Mario's are all closed. On Sunday, Zero Otto Nove opens later for lunch and Calabria closes early in the afternoon, so do your shopping before the garden. Buy NYBG tickets online ahead, and reserve well in advance during the Holiday Train Show (November 14, 2026 to January 10, 2027). Bronx Zoo Holiday Lights tickets must be reserved in advance for a specific night. It runs on select nights from November 21, 2026 to January 3, 2027, Thursday to Sunday at first and then every night from December 17 except December 24–25.

  1. 19:00 AM
    The blue awning of Madonia Bakery on Arthur Avenue in Belmont, the Bronx

    ARTHUR AVENUE, BRONX

    Madonia Brothers Bakery

    Mario Madonia opened this bakery on Arthur Avenue in 1918, and his great-grandson runs it today. Have a buttered roll and a coffee at the counter, and remember the lard bread and olive loaf for the trip home.

  2. about 19 min on foot

    210:00 AM
    The white glass dome of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory framed by a pink weeping cherry in bloom

    ARTHUR AVENUE, BRONX

    New York Botanical Garden

    250 acres founded in 1891 on the model of Kew. Walk the old-growth Thain Family Forest while it's quiet, then the glasshouse galleries of the Haupt Conservatory, where the Holiday Train Show runs from mid-November. Book an All-Garden Pass ahead, and walk in along Fordham Road and up Southern Boulevard to the main entrance.

  3. about 18 min on foot

    31:15 PM
    Zero Otto Nove's red awning and brick facade on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx, with minivans parked at the curb.

    ARTHUR AVENUE, BRONX

    Zero Otto Nove

    Roberto Paciullo named his trattoria after Salerno's dialing code and built it like a Campanian piazza around a wood-fired oven. Lunch service ends in mid-afternoon, so come straight from the garden and order the La Riccardo pizza for the table.

  4. about 3 min on foot

    42:45 PM
    The Arthur Avenue Retail Market's front and sign on a sunny day in the Bronx, with produce stacked by the door

    ARTHUR AVENUE, BRONX

    Arthur Avenue Retail Market

    The market hall opened in 1940 to bring the avenue's pushcart vendors under one roof. Walk past the butchers and produce stands, buy fresh mozzarella at Mike's Deli, and stop at the Bronx Beer Hall if you want a pint.

  5. about 1 min on foot

    53:30 PM
    Rows of dry sausages and soppressata hanging from the ceiling of Calabria Pork Store above a deli counter stacked with provolone.

    ARTHUR AVENUE, BRONX

    Calabria Pork Store

    A few doors down, hundreds of dry sausages hang curing from the ceiling in what the shop calls its sausage chandelier. Buy a stick of the garlic-and-wine sausage or some hot soppressata, which travel well.

  6. about 11 min on foot

    64:30 PM, on Holiday Lights nights
    The Beaux-Arts Zoo Center at the Bronx Zoo, its dome framed by trees at the end of a garden walk

    ARTHUR AVENUE, BRONX

    Bronx Zoo

    On select nights from November 21 to January 3, the zoo's lantern trails light up at dusk. Go in at the Southern Boulevard Gate, the closest to Belmont, with a ticket reserved for that night. The rest of the year, skip this stop and book an earlier table at Mario's.

  7. about 12 min on foot

    77:00 PM
    The tan stucco, tile-roofed façade of Mario's Restaurant on Arthur Avenue, with its script 'Mario's' sign and maroon awnings over the front windows on a leafy spring day.

    ARTHUR AVENUE, BRONX

    Mario's

    The Migliucci family has run this white-tablecloth dining room on Arthur Avenue since 1919. Start with the stuffed artichoke and let a career waiter steer the rest of the meal. Reserve ahead, especially on Holiday Lights weekends.

More lovely days

A Lovely Day in the West Village7 stops →A Lovely Day in Williamsburg7 stops →A Lovely Day on the Lower East Side & Chinatown7 stops →A Lovely Day on the Upper West Side & Central Park7 stops →A Lovely Day in the East Village8 stops →A Lovely Day in Midtown8 stops →A Lovely Day in Greenpoint7 stops →A Lovely Day in Astoria7 stops →