South Bronx: A Free 29-Story Mural, Then Xochimilco on Melrose
A 29-story South Bronx tower has become a canvas you can read from the street, free, with Melrose Avenue a short walk away.
🗺️ Two stops, a short walk apart
🎨 Start under the 29-story wall
6sqft reported on Oct. 28 that Un MAR de Gente, or From Every Shore, runs more than 307 feet down the southwest wall of the 29-story Morrisania Air Rights tower, and the outlet bills it as the tallest mural in the country. The same account credits ArtBridge with the commission, the Dominican muralist Angurria with the design, and Bronx artist Fernando Ortiz with the resident workshops behind it. No ticket, no door. Stand on the street below and look up, and the painted faces only separate from the color once you stop moving.
🍲 The second stop, open till midnight
Xochimilco sits at 653 Melrose Avenue, and its Google business listing, checked on Oct. 29, gives 11 a.m. to midnight every day of the week. Melrose Avenue is a 10 to 15 minute walk from the tower, by our estimate. Walk it after the mural, not before, because the wall needs daylight and this kitchen runs late enough for lunch or dinner.
🚆 Arrive with daylight left
The 4, B and D at 161st Street–Yankee Stadium leave you an estimated thirteen minutes on foot, and Metro-North's Melrose stop about four minutes from the base of the tower. Go in daylight, since this is paint on a wall and not a lit exhibit, and the faces near the top need open sky to read.
