From The Peopling of New York City
Revisiting an Impression
Katherine Mateo
Nestled in the bosom of the South Bronx are the Yankee Stadiums, both the old and the new. Directly across the street from each other, the gigantic structures stare down at each other. The new Yankee Stadium, in its mere first few months of existence will win the stare match when it comes time to tear down the “house that Ruth built.” Both Stadiums are at the core of one of the most notorious neighborhoods of our nation. It is made unique by its ever-changing demographics, but also by its “Bronx is Burning” history. When we began our study of the South Bronx, the majority of the class, non-Bronxites, held extremely negative views of the South Bronx. These opinions, formulated from word of mouth rumors and exaggerated news reports, led to almost all of the first “Impressions of the South Bronx” papers to speak down on the reputation of the area. Through the course of the class, all of us found out that the “Bronx is Burning” reputation is not the most outstanding properties of the area, rather it is the strong community bond which allowed for the revitalization of the region.
It was only after the walking tour, the in depth readings on the area, and the Yankee game that helped to break down the falsely based opinions of the South Bronx. To now revisit our impressions on the South Bronx is to ask us to make a more informed evaluation of it. The South Bronx is just an area like any other part of NYC. The streets are relatively clean, the sidewalks are relatively dense, and the investments in the area are great and increasing. One of the things that make the South Bronx unique is its deep history, both seen in its architecture (art deco in old buildings) and community history. This class has definitely cleared any misconceptions that led the discussions of the first few classes. Even I, being a Bronxite, thought that walking down the South Bronx would be like walking down the streets in the movie Boyz in the Hood (1991). I was wrong, the South Bronx, once a crime ridden neighborhood has become one of the most improved neighborhoods in NYC. This class was awesome as an eye opener to the Bronx, I’m so glad I took this class. ☺
