40 AMERICANWAY
DECEMBER 15 2008
T R A V E L
history of the locations that listeners cover
inanhour.On theGraffitiwalk, evenbefore
I get off the subway, Bronx historianLloyd
Ultan teachesme about the collapse of the
SouthBronx during the financial and drug
epidemics of the 1970s and ’80s as well as
the slow rebuilding of a destroyed neigh-
borhood.
The tour manages not only to capture
the struggles of the borough but also to
place those challenges in the greater con-
text of why impoverished people seek out
New York City to find success. Fewer than
20 years ago, the streets I’mwalking were
filledwithdrugs,burned-outbuildings, and
crime. A mural on the tour memorializes
fourpeoplewhodied in theearly ’90s.None
of themwas older than30, and the young-
estwas 17.Across the street from thewall is
a new park and a new apartment building
that’sbeingbuiltwherehousesonceburned
to theground.
“What has emerged is amiraculous res-
urrectionof anentireneighborhood,”Ultan
says. “The Bronx has, I believe, reclaimed
its position as a prime place where people
who are on their way up can live and pros-
per andgoon.”
BG 183 leaves me at the subway with a
sense of wonder for a swath of city Iwould
never have journeyed to without his direc-
tions.For less than thepriceofadmission to
amuseum, Soundwalk immersedme in the
art, culture, and livesofpeople Ipassall the
time but never meet. As I board the train,
I checkmy watch, hoping that I have time
tocatch thecompany’sHipHop tourbefore
headinghome.
ETHAN ROUEN
is a New York–basedwriter. A former crime re-
porter for the
NewYork Daily News
, he has written for numer-
ous publications.
Tats Cru
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