DECEMBER 15 2008
AMERICANWAY 39
The famed
Big PunMemorial
, a tribute to
platinum-selling rapper Big Punisher, is
painted on the side of a car-alarm store.
Twoblocks away is
Homage to the People of
the Bronx: Double Dutch at Kelly Street I
,
the federally commissionedmixed-medium
masterpiece created by John Ahearn and
Rigoberto Torres. In the image, four smil-
inggirls leap from the sideof anapartment
building as if preparing to dodge the next
skip of the rope in a profoundly simple
statement about povertyand innocence.
Incase I forget that I’mnot inamuseum,
BG 183, who grewup in theneighborhood,
also takes me by a live butcher, a Santeria
shop cloggedwith religious statues, andhis
favoritebar.
“You’re in the home of theTats Cru,mu-
ral kings,” he says. “This is the place where
weblaze and take careof theneighborhood
with colors.”
SouNdWAlkbIllSItSElf
as“audiotours
for people who don’t normally take audio
tours,” and its growing list of programs
(there are currently 25) definitely has ap-
pealbeyond the fanny-pack-and-binoculars
crowd. Onemore Bronx tour, theHipHop
walk, sends trekkers deep into the Bronx
River housing project, considered bymany
tobe thebirthplaceof rapmusic.
The 10 other New York tours pack in
everything from culture to clubbing, with
stops in the hip and historic Lower East
SideofManhattan, at solemnGroundZero,
and at artsy DUMBO in Brooklyn. There
are also tours inFrance and along theGan-
ges river in India, and the company has
recently teamed with several major luxury
brands to offer rare glimpses into cities
around theworld.
Luggage maker Louis Vuitton sponsors
trips through the innerworkingsofBeijing,
HongKong, and Shanghai that are narrat-
ed by actresses Gong Li, ShuQi, and Joan
Chen, respectively.
For thosewantingaquickpace,Pumaof-
fers Soundwalk jogging tours in fourworld
cities; each is led by a local celebrity. Exer-
cise buffs can tackle the sixmiles of hills in
Central Park with Zoe Cassavetes and pro
runner TobyTanser, or breeze aroundLon-
don’s Hyde Park with Katy Hill and coach
LinfordChristie.
In addition to giving easy-to-follow di-
rections, the tours also offer a thorough
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Weproudly serve
only thefinest-quality
A dining experience your group will
not forget! Enjoy savory cuts of fire-
roasted meats carved at your table
by gaucho chefs. A gourmet salad
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