Page 253 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - New York City

F AR THER AFIELD  251

7 New York became known
Botanical Garden as “the house
that Ruth built”.
See pp252–3. The Yankee
Stadium was
given a facelift
8 Bronx Zoo in the mid-1970s
to seat up to
See pp254–5.
54,000 people.
One of the
largest annual
9 Belmont and gatherings has
Arthur Avenue been that of Joe DiMaggio in action at the Yankee Stadium
the Jehovah’s
q Fordham Rd (B, D, 4), then take Witnesses, and in 1950, some Regular readings, perform-
the Eastbound bus. 123,707 people attended in a ances, and other such events
∑ arthuravenuebronx.com single day. In 1965 Pope Paul VI are also held here.
celebrated mass before a crowd The museum owns over
Within walking distance of of more than 80,000. It was the 1,000 contemporary artworks
the botanical garden and zoo first visit to North America by a in a variety of mediums.
is Belmont, home to one of pope – the second was made in Among those represented are
New York’s largest Italian- 1979, when John Paul II also Romare Bearden (1911–88),
American communities. A visited the stadium. a multi-media artist known
more authentic alternative In 2009, the Yankees moved for his depictions of everyday
to Little Italy in Manhattan, to a new stadium that was African-American life; Bronx-
its main thoroughfare, Arthur located parallel to the old site. born Whitfield Lovell (b. 1959),
Avenue, is lined with Italian This stadium is one of the most renowned for his African-
bakeries, pizzerias, and expensive venues ever built, at American figures in pencil and
restaurants. The Arthur Avenue a cost of around $1.5 billion. charcoal; Cuban installation
Retail Market includes pastry The Yankees remain one of and performance artist Tania
shops, butchers, pasta-makers, the top teams in the American Bruguera (b. 1968); lauded
pork stores, fish stalls, and coffee League. There are multiple photographer Seydou Keïta
shops. Every September, the Yankee Clubhouse stores in (1921–2001) from Mali;
neighborhood celebrates New York, where tickets for tours Brazilian visual artist Hélio
Ferragosto, a harvest festival, and games can be purchased. Oiticica (1937–80); contempo-
with dancing, food stalls, live rary African-American artist
performances, and a cheese- Kara Walker (b. 1969); and the
carving contest. q The Bronx Chinese artist Xu Bing (b. 1955).
Museum of the Arts In 1982, the museum moved
into a former synagogue
0 Yankee Stadium 1040 Grand Concourse. Tel (718) 681- donated by the City of
6000. q 167th St-Grand Concourse. New York, and this has since
E 161st St at River Ave, Highbridge. Open 11am–6pm Wed, Thu, Sat & remained its premise. Between
Tel (718) 293-6000. q 161st St. Sun, 11–8pm Fri. 7 - 8 for
8 11am–1:40pm daily (except on groups. ∑ bronxmuseum.org 2004 and 2006, the museum
game afternoons); ticketed tours was modernized and expanded
available. See Sport p354. Founded in 1971, this art by the Miami-based firm,
∑ newyork.yankees.mlb.com museum showcases contemp- Arquitectonica. This can be
orary works by Asian, Latino, seen from the jagged steel-
This has been the home of and African-American artists. and-glass “accordion” facade.
the New York Yankees baseball
team since 1923. Among Yankee
heroes are two of the greatest
players of all time: Babe Ruth
and Joe DiMaggio (who was
also famous for marrying the
actress Marilyn Monroe in 1954).
In 1921 left-hander Babe Ruth,
wearing the Yankees’ distinctive
pinstripes, hit the stadium’s first
home run – against the Boston
Red Sox, his former team. The
stadium was completed two
years later by Jacob Ruppert,
the owner of the Yankees, and An exhibition at the Bronx Museum of the Arts

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