New York City
It's time for more vintage photos from the Big Apple! New York City, that is. We'll start with this scan from July, 1965; we're in Chinatown, looking southwest along Bowery at the corner of Pell Street. Besides the interesting touches of "Chinese" decor (including that cool telephone booth!), there is a large billboard that is apparently left over from Barry Goldwater's 1964 Presidential campaign. "Chinese say in our hearts we know he is right". Barry lost to incumbent Lyndon B. Johnson, of course.
Here's a screen grab from Google Maps showing the same area as it looks today. Some of the buildings are still clearly recognizable, though new ones have been added.
While researching my photo, I found this jpeg online, clearly taken around the same time.
And while looking at vintage pinback buttons on eBay (which I do occasionally), I spotted this example! I would have had no idea to what it was referring months ago, but now I know that it is an anti-Goldwater button! Even the seller didn't know.
Next is this oddball photo (from September, 1962) of a cluttered construction scene. Was the photographer staying at the Greenwich Towers? Who knows. The slide mount had the words "Building subway" written on it, perhaps the photographer was interested in such things. Lucky for me, the street address and the name of the building helped me to pinpoint the location.
We're looking west on West 13th Street from 6th Avenue. The architectural details line up perfectly! And after all these years, there is still construction going on at that corner.
I hope you have enjoyed your visit to New York City!
18 comments:
I see that the street names are written ON the streets...never saw that before (not in Chicago, at least). In Chicago, you'll see advertising on the tops of buses - and squad cars with their numbers written on top - all clearly visible when looking out the upper floors of buildings. I guess if you're leading a helicopter chase, it would be convenient to see the street names??
Major, you sure put a lot of research into today's post! It's cool you found that pin and realized what it's referring to. Fun post as always - thank you! Am looking forward to stopping back later to ready everyone's comment.
P.S. Sad trash can, isn't it, JG?!
Sorry to say the anti-Goldwater pin didn't get it right. This is a mixture of the pro-Goldwater and anti Goldwater slogans:
pro-Goldwater: In you heart you know he's right.
anti-Goldwater: In your guts you know he's nuts.
^ After my first sentence above, I’m adding my winky face. ;o)
Serge Gorodish, thanks for sharing! Very creative from the anti-Goldwater side!
Major-
I wonder who paid for that themed telephone booth-? It's so detailed. (I wonder if it still survives [somewhere] today-?) That telephone number prefix seen on the side of the building was most-likely STuyvesant. Those cars are... a 1965 Chrysler Newport sedan; a 1961 Pontiac Tempest; a 1963 Ford Galaxie; and finally, a 1965 Buick Riviera.
Thanks, Major.
Lou and Sue, it *does* look like the street names are on the streets, but that’s the way streets appear on Google’s “Street View”. As far as I know, they don’t actually paint street names on the blacktop (though that is an interesting concept)! That is kind of a sad trash can, but it is full of genuine, quality New York filth!
Serge Gorodish, ha ha, it seems so obvious now! It definitely feels better with the proper rhyme. Plus I just like the word “guts”.
Lou and Sue, noted!
Nanook, I sort of miss the days when they used those two-letter prefixes. "That's Klondike 7-5368!". Stuyvesant, hey at least they are aware of history. Fred Stuyvesant invented the "New York slice" of pizza. The phone booth looks like it's out of a movie. Thanks for the car IDs!
Good work locating the modern locales, Major. These posts are fun, watching the progression of, well, progress, I guess.
I remember that Goldwater slogan. He made a campaign stop in a town near us and Dad took us out to hear the speech. I don’t remember a thing about what was said, but red, heart-shaped balloons were part of the decor.
Visit New York, the Grime Capital of the World, where every block is covered with scaffolding.
Sue, that is a sad trash can, and even sadder is that it is the only one in sight. I bet Fishy’s Bar was a real hot spot.
JG
I want, nay, I need that phone booth. I once had a chance to buy a British booth and passed it up. You can still buy one today, but it'll cost ya! I know what you're thinking, what a putz, and right you are. These are some cool scans. Let's all meet at Fishy's for fruity umbrella drinks, I'm buyin. Thanks Major.
Great pics Major. I've never been to New York but love old photos of it.
I was just a young teen during the '64 election and not yet very aware of politics. I do remember the slogans. All the Way With LBJ. In Your Heart You Know He's Right, etc. Kids of course made up their own. I remember a classmate saying Gold-water Belongs in the Toilet. LOL
JC Shannon, I'm down with meeting at Fishy's. I'll Buy the second round. :)
Major, that's cool how you found a similar photo online to yours, and that's how we can identify Fishy's Bar! Sign me up for that phone booth too, it'd make a great mini-gazebo. Telephone used to call police only! It's interesting that the street signs show to cross street below the actual street, is that a New York thing? Never seen it around here, but that would make it easy to pinpoint your location, especially if you were not a local.
I bought my dad a book about buttons and it has a chapter with normal and funny political ones. Lots of other fun ones too. That second photo is a weird one. It must have been what the person was trying to capture or they would've thrown it away, I suppose.
Major and all,
Does anyone remember the anti-Goldwater ad that showed a young girl picking petals off of a daisy and singing to herself, and then she and the whole scene/backround is enveloped in a very large mushroom cloud from some nuke bomb? Made an impression on 14 year old me. Like Grant, I was just becoming more aware of politics and policies. Now we can't escape them.
We visited NYC once in 1979, and other than wishing to see the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island, I have no desire to go back. Too big, too crowded, too much concrete and steel. Your excursions here on GDB are just fine, Major.
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"Daisy"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riDypP1KfOU
”And after all these years, there is still construction going on at that corner.”
That’s NYC in s nutshell: something always being built, always something being torn down. It’s like some kind of living organism, always replenishing its dying cells.
I was born in NYC. Spent the first 4 years of my life there and of to Tucson for the duration. I do have vague memories of the windows at Macy's department store around Christmas. We would go down there to look at the windows and Mom and Dad would go Christmas shopping, and visit Santa of course. It was similar to the scene in A Christmas Story, as my sister tells it. I don't remember it at all. My sister, who is 5 years older, likes to tell the story of me getting lost in Macy's near closing time. My Mom panicked and had several staff members looking for me after they locked the doors. I was found sleeping in a cabinet under a large display of toys. Figures.
I do slightly remember the Italian deli my folks shopped at every week. Smelled good and my sister agreed with that so I think it's a valid memory.
All in all, I'm glad we all moved west, I can't imagine what my life would have been like growing up there.
Thanks Major
Interesting and fun comments, today.
I especially love your Macy’s story, DrGoat!
And I remember the delicious-smelling Italian deli in Chicago—with barrels of pickles and olives, and food hanging all over.
Please save me a seat at Fishy’s and order me an iced tea.
Major-
Just noticed in the 'other' vintage shot, the pagoda-shaped lampshade affixed to the street light. To quote from Forgotten New York: “Special batches” of Chinatown-styled streetlamps, in which an AK-10 Westinghouse cuplight was clad in a pagoda-shaped shade, survived until the mid-1970s, but the Department of Transportation never bothered to replace them when a shade dropped off..."
Also - the poles were painted gold, instead of the usual silvery-grey of most NYC lamp posts.
JG, part of the fun is the challenge to find the exact locations of these vintage slides. Of course it can be an exercise in frustration at times too! My grandma and grandpa were Goldwater supporters, they had a drawer full of these fake gold coins (anodized aluminum, perhaps) from the Goldwater campaign. I wish I knew what happened to those! It really does seem like every block in Manhattan is covered in scaffolding and pedestrian covers.
Jonathan, that is a pretty neat phone booth. Once in a while I’ll see a British phone booth (there’s a hotel near my sister that has one out front). “Fishy’s” is such a great name for a bar!
Grant, I have been to NYC a number of times, it is an amazing place. I think you’d dig it! There’s SO much to do, you can’t see it all in a lifetime. I remember some rude sayings relating to Nixon, but can’t repeat them here.
Kathy!, I can’t even remember how I found that other photo of the same intersection, but there’s always an element of luck. A “mini-gazebo”, room for one only, ha ha. “It’s romantic in here, too bad I can’t have my sweetheart with me”. I don’t know anything about those telephone boxes for police, unfortunately. I doubt those were anyplace but very large cities. I wonder if that book you have about buttons is the one that I have been putting off buying?
Warren, I have definitely seen that ad, though I feel like I was too young to remember it from when it originally aired. It must have been shown elsewhere. Though I do remember being vaguely worried about nuclear bombs. I went to Liberty Island and Ellis Island once, I guess because it was November it wasn’t that crowded. As much as I love to visit NY, I don’t know if I could live there.
Anon, thanks for that link!
Melissa, it really is true, and sadly L.A. is becoming like that too. Wonderful old buildings and neighborhoods are being razed for “luxury condos”.
DrGoat, there’s just something about New York, I am fascinated with the city and its history. You could go there for two weeks and go to a different world-class museum every day (I do love to go to museums). Part of me envies people who grew up there, I can’t even explain why exactly. I’ll bet kids got lost in those big department stores regularly, the moms are distracted, and the kids are wandering around looking at all of the stuff too. Ah, a real Italian deli, sounds like heaven!
Lou and Sue, one of the fun things I remember about visiting my aunt and uncle in Chicago was when they would take us to their favorite delis, pizzerias, and other places that only locals would know. We had the best meal in Chinatown!
Nanook, I didn’t even notice those lampshades, thanks for pointing them out. I wonder if ANY of them have survived to this day? You are right about the poles being painted gold, what a fun detail.
You've inspired me to go downtown and see if any of those Chinatown things still exist...how nice that they actually spent money on themed light posts and phone booths. The phone booth is especially extravagant. In the 7th zillionth time watching America Sings there is a song in the gay nineties section: "The Bowery...The Bowery...they sing such things and they do strange things...in the Bowery... the Bowery..." I've never seen much strange in the Bowery except for undulating bags of trash (rats) on trash day...which is not that strange in NYC. Going this far downtown for me would be like a trip to China- going south of Houston takes some effort...in fact...getting to the actual China may be easier. I may get to go to Fishy's...and that would make it all worthwhile. I'm on a mission. And yes, scaffolding..a lot...all the time...but at least it helps with the snow shoveling :)
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