Explore the real places in New York City that appear in Underworld by Don DeLillo. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include Yankee Stadium, The Bronx Warehouse District, The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, Havana, Cuba — The Bay of Pigs, Marble Hill and 10 more.
East 161st Street, The Bronx — The Shot Heard 'Round the World
The novel opens at Game 1 of the 1951 National League Playoff between the Giants and Dodgers, where Bobby Thomson hits the legendary home run that becomes the obsessive focal point of the entire narrative. Nick Shay, the protagonist, is present as a young boy, watching from the bleachers. The ball becomes the novel's MacGuffin, a physical object that connects multiple characters across decades and continents, embodying America's relationship to history, chance, and meaning-making.
Yankee Stadium opened in 1923 and was the home of the New York Yankees, one of baseball's most storied franchises. The stadium hosted countless historic moments in baseball and other sports throughout the 20th century. It was the House That Ruth Built, named after Babe Ruth's dominance there.
The original Yankee Stadium was demolished in 2010. A new Yankee Stadium opened in 2009 across the street at the same address. The new stadium maintains the architectural style of the original while featuring modern amenities and technology.
Visit: Yankee Stadium (landmark)
South Bronx, various locations — Urban decay and the garbage trade
Nick Shay spends decades of his life working in the waste management and recycling industry in the South Bronx, overseeing garbage collection and junk operations. The industrial wasteland of the Bronx represents post-industrial American decay and capitalism's detritus. Characters engage in the shadowy world of waste trafficking, illegal dumping, and the hidden economy of refuse that sustains the city's underbelly.
The South Bronx experienced severe urban decline from the 1970s onward, characterized by widespread abandonment, arson, and deterioration as middle-class residents fled and industries relocated. By the 1980s and 1990s, the neighborhood had become synonymous with urban blight and environmental injustice, with waste facilities and industrial operations concentrated in predominantly minority neighborhoods.
The South Bronx has undergone significant revitalization in recent decades with new housing developments, improved services, and cultural initiatives. However, it continues to face environmental challenges and has a complex relationship with waste management and industrial operations.
33 Liberty Street, Lower Manhattan — Nuclear anxiety and American power
The Twin Towers loom throughout the novel as symbols of American corporate power and Cold War dominance. Characters observe and contemplate the towers as emblems of the nation's technological might and existential vulnerability. The towers represent America's post-war confidence and its anxieties about nuclear annihilation, serving as a meditation on industrial civilization and its fragility.
The World Trade Center was constructed between 1966 and 1973, designed by architect Minoru Yamasaki. The Twin Towers became iconic symbols of American economic power and modernist architecture. For nearly 30 years, they were the tallest buildings in New York City and later the world.
The Twin Towers were destroyed on September 11, 2001. The National September 11 Memorial & Museum now occupies the site, with reflecting pools set in the footprints where the towers stood. The 9/11 Memorial is one of America's most significant contemporary monuments.
Visit: National September 11 Memorial & Museum (museum)
Caribbean — The exile's return and Cold War shadow
Jack Gladney, a character connected to Nick Shay's past, becomes involved in Cold War intrigue and the Bay of Pigs invasion. Cuba represents the communist threat that haunted American consciousness during the Cold War. Characters grapple with exile, displacement, and the ideological warfare between capitalism and communism that defined the era.
The Bay of Pigs invasion occurred in April 1961, when CIA-backed Cuban exiles attempted to overthrow Fidel Castro's revolutionary government. The invasion was a military and political disaster that strengthened Castro's position and intensified Cold War tensions between the United States and Soviet Union.
Cuba remains an independent nation under communist government. The Bay of Pigs is now a historical site and museum in Cuba, remembered as a symbolic victory against American imperialism. Havana continues as the capital and largest city of Cuba.
Visit: Playa Girón (Bay of Pigs Museum) (historic site)
Upper Manhattan, near 225th Street — Nick's childhood home
Marble Hill is the neighborhood where Nick Shay grows up, a working-class enclave in upper Manhattan that shapes his character and perspective. Nick's formative years here, including his participation in baseball and street life, establish his fundamental relationship to American culture. The neighborhood represents an older, more cohesive urban America before suburban flight and deindustrialization.
Marble Hill was originally part of Manhattan Island but was cut off and became part of the Bronx in 1895 when the Harlem River Ship Canal was dug. It became a predominantly Irish and Italian working-class neighborhood with strong community institutions and street culture.
Marble Hill remains a residential neighborhood in the Bronx, though demographically it has become more diverse. It retains some of its neighborhood character but has experienced the broader changes affecting outer boroughs of New York City.
Arlington, Texas — American spectacle and surveillance
Texas Stadium appears in the novel as a location connected to the surveillance and electronic surveillance networks that thread through the narrative. The novel contemplates the stadium as part of America's technological infrastructure and the way modern systems of observation permeate American life. It represents mass entertainment and the spectacularization of American culture.
Texas Stadium opened in 1971 as the home of the Dallas Cowboys. It was notable for having a partial roof covering, with an open area that created an unusual design. The stadium hosted the Cowboys and other sporting events for decades.
Texas Stadium was demolished in 2010. AT&T Stadium, which opened in 2009 in nearby Arlington, became the new home of the Dallas Cowboys. The site of the old stadium is now used for development and parking.
Nevada desert — Nuclear testing and American apocalypse
The Nevada Test Site represents the hidden machinery of Cold War nuclear anxiety that permeates the novel. Characters contemplate the desolate testing grounds where America conducted nuclear explosions, a physical manifestation of existential dread and technological power. The site embodies the novel's obsession with fallout, contamination, and the invisible threats embedded in modern American life.
The Nevada National Security Site (formerly the Nevada Test Site) was established in 1951 for nuclear weapons testing. Between 1951 and 1992, over 900 nuclear tests were conducted there, including atmospheric and underground explosions. The site served as the primary testing ground for American nuclear weapons development during the Cold War.
The Nevada National Security Site remains under government control and is not open to the public. It continues to serve as a facility for scientific research and national security operations. The landscape bears the scars of decades of nuclear testing, including visible craters.
Lower Manhattan — Finance, capitalism, and power
Wall Street represents the capitalist machinery that drives the novel's narrative of American power and wealth accumulation. Nick Shay and other characters navigate the world of finance, markets, and economic transactions that shape American life. The street symbolizes the hidden networks of power and capital that connect disparate characters and events across the novel.
Wall Street has been the center of American finance since the late 18th century. The New York Stock Exchange was established there in 1792, making it the symbolic heart of American capitalism. It has been the location of numerous financial crises, booms, and busts throughout American history.
Wall Street remains the financial center of the world, home to the New York Stock Exchange, major investment banks, and financial institutions. It is both a working financial district and a major tourist destination, with historic architecture and iconic landmarks.
Visit: Wall Street Historic District (landmark)
Queens, New York — International connection and espionage
JFK Airport functions as a node of international connection and Cold War espionage in the novel. Characters move through the airport as part of networks of surveillance and global conflict. The airport represents America's connection to the wider world and the shadowy operations that extend American power abroad.
John F. Kennedy International Airport opened in 1948 as Idlewild Airport and was renamed in 1963 following President Kennedy's assassination. It became one of the world's busiest international airports and a major hub for transatlantic travel during the Cold War era.
JFK Airport remains one of New York's major international airports, serving millions of passengers annually. It has undergone significant modernization and expansion, with contemporary terminals and facilities.
Visit: John F. Kennedy International Airport (landmark)
Northern Manhattan, West 155th Street — Baseball history and the home run
The Polo Grounds is where the New York Giants played, the team that wins the 1951 playoff with Bobby Thomson's home run. While the novel opens at Yankee Stadium, the Polo Grounds represents the competing narrative of baseball history and New York's sporting identity. The stadium embodies the lost world of pre-suburban baseball and traditional urban culture.
The Polo Grounds opened in 1890 and was the home of the New York Giants until they relocated to San Francisco in 1957. It was one of baseball's most iconic stadiums, featuring unusual dimensions and a rich history. The stadium hosted numerous historic baseball moments and events.
The Polo Grounds was demolished in 1964. The site is now occupied by the Polo Grounds Towers, a housing complex built in the 1960s. A plaque commemorates the historic baseball venue.
Communist adversary and ideological opposite
Moscow represents the Soviet adversary that defines American Cold War consciousness throughout the novel. Characters are aware of the USSR as an ideological and military threat, even as specific Soviet characters and perspectives remain largely absent. Moscow embodies the nuclear-armed other against which America defines itself.
Moscow was the capital of the Soviet Union during the Cold War, serving as the center of communist power and ideology. The city was heavily militarized and served as the focal point of American Cold War anxiety and nuclear deterrence strategy.
Moscow remains the capital of the Russian Federation and continues as a major world city. It has transformed significantly since the collapse of the Soviet Union, with a market economy and contemporary infrastructure.
Visit: Moscow (landmark)
Desert spectacle and American excess
Las Vegas appears in the novel as an emblem of American excess, consumption, and spectacle. The city represents the glossy surface of American culture and the hidden networks of crime, surveillance, and control beneath it. Characters navigate Las Vegas as a space where American fantasies and anxieties converge.
Las Vegas emerged as a gambling and entertainment destination in the 1930s-1950s, becoming the epicenter of American consumer excess and mob influence. The city was built on desert real estate and speculative capitalism, attracting wealthy visitors and organized crime figures.
Las Vegas is a major international tourist destination and entertainment center, with numerous casinos, hotels, and attractions. It has diversified beyond gambling to include conventions, shows, and entertainment events.
Visit: Las Vegas Strip (landmark)
The Bronx, industrial waterway — Contamination and urban decay
The Bronx River flows through the industrial landscape where Nick Shay operates his waste management business. The polluted waterway represents the environmental degradation and contamination that accompanies industrial capitalism. The river embodies the hidden costs of American prosperity and the damage absorbed by working-class communities.
The Bronx River was once a pristine waterway but became heavily polluted during the 19th and 20th centuries due to industrial development, sewage discharge, and urban runoff. By the mid-20th century, the river was considered essentially dead, with severe contamination and ecological damage.
The Bronx River has undergone significant restoration efforts since the 1970s, with water quality improvements and habitat restoration. Community organizations continue restoration work, though the river remains impacted by urban development and runoff.
Visit: Bronx River Greenway (park)
Manhattan intersection — American spectacle and consumption
Times Square represents the heart of American consumer culture and mass media spectacle that saturates the novel. The constant stream of advertisements, images, and commercial messages exemplifies the information overload and cultural saturation that characters navigate. Times Square embodies the visual and sensory assault of modern urban America.
Times Square emerged in the late 19th century as a theater district and became the commercial and cultural center of New York City. By the 20th century, it was famous for its massive illuminated advertisements and as a gathering place for New Yorkers and tourists.
Times Square remains one of the world's most visited tourist attractions, featuring Broadway theaters, massive LED screens, restaurants, and shops. It is the symbolic center of New York City's consumer culture and entertainment industry.
Visit: Times Square (landmark)
42nd Street & Park Avenue — Hub of urban circulation and connection
Grand Central Terminal represents the circulatory system of urban America and the vast networks of connection and movement that link characters and events. The terminal embodies the infrastructure of American modernity and the hidden flows of people, goods, and information that sustain the nation. Characters pass through the terminal as part of the novel's exploration of connection and disconnection.
Grand Central Terminal opened in 1913 and became an iconic symbol of American architectural achievement and urban modernity. It served as the primary railroad hub for the Northeast, facilitating the movement of millions of passengers and serving as a cultural landmark.
Grand Central Terminal remains a major transportation hub and tourist destination, serving commuter trains and hosting millions of visitors annually. The terminal is a National Historic Landmark and architectural icon, with restaurants, shops, and cultural programming.
Visit: Grand Central Terminal (landmark)
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