Fordham, Pizza, and Family

There are plenty of exciting things to see and do outside of Fordham's Rose Hill campus, including the Bronx Zoo, Botanical Gardens, and Manhattan. However, sometimes staying on Fordham's campus and enjoying its beautiful atmosphere can be just as enjoyable. This weekend, my mom and my two younger brothers came to visit me here at Fordham Rose Hill! Since it has been so cold here lately, we decided that going out for dinner would not be very comfortable. Luckily, Fordham has many authentic Italian, Chinese, and Mexican restaurants that deliver right to the residence halls on campus! After some deliberation, we finally decided to order pizza. 

One of my brothers was so excited about the pizza,
he took this picture and uploaded it to Snapchat!

We ordered two cheese pies from Pugsley's Pizza, a family owned Italian pizzeria located just outside Fordham's campus. When the pizza arrived, my younger brothers were astonished that the delivery came right to my residence hall! It was very convenient, and my family was happy that they did not have to go outside in the cold. We ate the pizza in my residence hall, and we had a great time laughing and catching up. I am so happy that my family loves to come to Fordham just as much as I do! 

Fordham has two amazing campuses that feel like home to its students. My family is very pleased that when I am not at home with them, I am just as happy at my home here at Rose Hill. Fordham has always been a very welcoming place for me, and I loved showing my family that here at Fordham, we are a "Ramily!"

Weekend Update

Amazing architecture

Megan McLaughlin

This weekend I headed to one of my favorite spots in NYC: the Cloisters. Located at the very top of Manhattan in Fort Tryon Park, the Cloisters is a medieval museum housed in five medieval French abbeys reassembled into a single building. It's like a tiny piece of Europe that’s accessible by the A train.

Who says you can't eat cheap in New York?

Madeline McDermott

On Friday, I used an Amazon local deal to get half-off brick oven pizza in Manhattan at a restaurant named L'asso. Afterward, I went to support my friend and fellow Ram Nicole do stand-up comedy at The Village Lantern in Soho.

Caroline McCue
This past weekend, I went to the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center!  My Grandma is a big fan of the Philharmonic and had two extra tickets.  I brought my best friend and roommate, Lauren.  We got all dressed up and went to dinner at PJ Clarke's, right across from the theatre.  The Philharmonic was an orchestra made up of mostly string instruments and it was truly beautiful, the music was so relaxing!  It was a great night filled with friends, food and music, and I would recommend going before you graduate!

Enjoying a beautiful performance

Caroline Lebranti

Loved catching up in Philly

One of the best parts about studying abroad is becoming friends with people from schools all over the country. This past weekend I took the bus down to Philadelphia with a couple of friends to have a study abroad reunion. Lucky for me, Fordham is so close to great transportation options that visiting them is almost too easy! We did all things touristy like visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art (and ran up the Rocky steps), went ice skating at Penn’s Landing, saw Independence Hall, and even went to a Kevin Devine (a Fordham alum!) concert at the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia. It was a great weekend and made me realize how easy it is to take weekend trips out of NYC. Places like Philly or New Haven and plenty of skiing or hiking trails in upstate New York are about two hours away, and Boston and Washington DC are about four hours away. It’s unlikely that you’ll ever find yourself sick of NYC, but it’s nice to know that the option to get away is always there!

College students love the snow too!

Claire McGonigle

After track practice on Saturday, my friends and I wanted to spend a little time together and relax so we decided to play in the snow! After a busy week of school work, it was fun to be together and do something silly. Another group of people were building a fort so we all decided to get a snowball fight going which was great!

Weekend Update

Emma Eccleston

Some delicious pizza!

This weekend I got to partake in one of my favorite parts about being a Fordham student: dinner on Arthur Avenue! Arthur Avenue, located in the Bronx, is known as the real Little Italy because it is a street lined with countless authentic Italian restaurants.  The best part is that this delicious secret is located within walking distance of campus, only taking about five minutes to get to! On Saturday night I was lucky enough to enjoy a delicious dinner with friends at one of my favorite restaurants, Zero Otto Nove.  It was great to catch up with my friends after all being on break while also enjoying some delicious pizza!

Our view from Central Park

Teresa Swindal

This weekend, my friends and I tried to take advantage of the long break and spend some quality time in the city! We got brunch at Le Pain Quotiden and explored the city for a while. Then, on Sunday, we had dinner at our very own Michaelanglo's on Arthur Ave (the Bronx's Little Italy!). New York has some of the best food and sightseeing in the world, which is one of my favorite parts of living here!

The city is always bustling!

Emily Tanner

This weekend, current members of the College Democrats and former members who have graduated met for dinner in the city at a diner called Good Enough to Eat. Featuring yummy comfort food, it was DELICIOUS and located on Columbus Avenue, on the Upper West Side, my favorite neighborhood. Afterwards, we took a cab to Lincoln Center to walk around for a bit. I love this area – it's absolutely beautiful!

Fordham Becomes a Spoon University

 Good news for all Fordie’s foodies! Fordham has joined the 45 nationwide campuses with contributing students to Spoon University. Spoon University serves as an online guide for students to local on and off campus cuisine and beyond.

The Spoon’s national homepage provides articles from national contributors about all things food related. The national homepage also includes selected articles from over 1,000 student contributors and posts those that pertain to all college foodies, despite their location.

The Fordham University Spoon Chapter serves to provide Fordham students with a guide among the chaos that can be dining in NYC and on a college campus. As of the chapter’s launch last week, articles include a dorm-friendly recipe for a pumpkin spice mug cake and an article on the five best places to have tea in NYC.

Sophomore and Spoon journalist, Jess Mannino sought interest in the newly forming chapter because of her love for both the culinary and literary arts. Says Mannino on her new journalistic undertaking: “As a writer for Spoon University, I have been able to wed my love for writing and my love for food in a way that is conducive to learning about what it means to experience and to articulate experience.”

Mannino encourages even those students who haven’t yet awakened their inner Anthony Bourdain to read the Spoon for inspiration! “Reading this blog is a great way to become foodies by proxy,” explains Mannino. “With recipes, how-to's, suggestions, reviews, and tips, our team writes and photographs to cater to all of your wildest food inquiries.”

Read Jess’s article, “Your Guide to Local, Bronx Pizza” here!

Arthur Ave.

Dinner at Zero Otto Nove

Just beyond the gates of Fordham is a wonderful place called Arthur Ave.  Arthur Ave. has an endless amount of restaurants, bakeries, grocery and retail stores, along with off-campus student housing.  It is because of the various shops and eateries that Arthur Ave. serves as one of the largest off-campus social hub for Fordham students. 



Caesar Salad & Margherita Pizza at Michaelangelos



Arthur Ave. is known as the original Little Italy.  Lining the blocks are numerous authentic Italian restaurants with recipes that have been passed down for generations.  Two of my favorites are Michaelangelo’s and Zero Otto Nove.  When my family comes to visit, we usually choose one of these two places to catch up and have a fantastic meal.  Although Arthur Ave. is known to be mainly Italian, there are plenty of other options that are just as good!  Some of these include Estrellita’s, a Mexican restaurant, Umai Fusion, a great place to go if you’re in the mood for sushi, Full Moon Pizzeria, and Simon’s Deli.  Another great thing is that most of these places deliver to the residence halls on campus!  

Although Fordham has many eating options on campus, sometimes it is nice to branch out and try new things.  Arthur Ave. is the perfect place for Fordham students to do that!  It is relatively inexpensive and has a ton of variety. 

Me and some friends at Michaelangelo's

Fordham Foodies

Our late afternoon snack from Palombo's

One of Fordham's identifying features is of course the fact that it is located alongside Arthur Ave (aka the best Little Italy has to offer). However, food can get costly and so most students choose to venture into its heart when parents visit. For those of us working on a budget, there are still some awesome places on Arthur Ave, and just off it, to get some grade-A Fordham grub. Here are a few of my favorites!

Palombo's is ram-renowned for its desserts. They have quite the array, ranging in traditional Italian delicacies to the more run-of-the-mill brownies and cakes. It's one of the more affordable places on Arthur especially since they offer students a 10-15% discount off their final orders! Just last week, I caught up with my sister who also attends Fordham, over coffee and cake. With outdoor seating, it is the perfect place for a late afternoon meet up.

Simon's sweet potato fries in all their greasy glory

Next on my list is Bellini's: just off Arthur but just as amazing as its better-located fellow eateries. A particular favorite for students there is the Penne Alla Vodka slice, which is essentially your typical pizza amped up with pasta (ACTUAL PASTA) sprinkled on top. Yes: it is indeed as amazing as it sounds.

Just a block or two over from Bellini's is Simon's Deli, home to the best milkshakes the Bronx has to offer. Options include your classic chocolate and vanilla but can get as inventive as Cap'n Crunch or Vanilla Apple Pie. It doesn't hurt that they also have some of the best burgers around, not to mention their sweet potato fries.

Life lesson from Pugsley's: "Pizza is good, but love is it"

Last on my list is the heart and soul of Fordham students' dining experience: Pugsley's. The act of dining there is quite the experience. The walls are adorned with random pieces of art that seem to encompass the quirky spirit that students so associate with their college experience. It is quite literally, the stuff of sitcom legends, our very own MacLaren's Pub. Though it is closed during the summer, it is one of the first places students line up at to reunite in the early fall over a slice of pizza or their legendary chicken roll.

These are just a few of the Fordham hot spots for eating off campus. In order to find out more, you'll just have to adventure yourself!