Devil's Mile

Devils Mile tells the rip-roaring story of New Yorks oldest and most unique street The Bowery was a synonym for despair throughout most of the 20th century. The very name evoked visuals of drunken bums passed out on the sidewalk, and New Yorkers nicknamed it Satans Highway, The Mile of Hell, and The Street of Forgotten Men. For years the little businesses along the Bowerystationers, dry goods sellers, jewelers, hattersperiodically asked the city to change the streets name. To have a Bowery address, they claimed, was hurting them; people did not want to venture there. But when New York exploded into real estate frenzy in the 1990s, developers discovered the Bowery. They rushed in and began tearing down. Today, Whole Foods, hipster night spots, and expensive lofts have replaced the old flophouses and dive bars, and the bad old Bowery no longer exists. In Devils Mile, Alice Sparberg Alexiou tells the story of the Bowery, starting with its origins, when forests covered the surrounding area, and through the preCivil War years, when country estates of wealthy New Yorkers lined this thoroughfare. She then describes the Bowerys deterioration in stunning detail, starting in the post-bellum years. She ends her historical exploration of this famed street in the present, bearing witness as the old Bowery buildings, and the memories associated with them, are disappearing.