New York City back in the 70's and 80's

-To the 70s, and 80's too.
You didn't love it for the drugs, or the violence, or its bad conditions. You loved it because it was real. You could smell it, taste it, live it. Maybe you were young back then, your 20s probably-when everybody seemed to live here-and just about anyone could find a place to call home here. If you couldn't afford the city there was Brooklyn. It was a broken city but it had character it had life. The technology that was to overtake us and put us all in some virtual world had not yet been invented.

[@atrocchia]

I love NYC in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. It was gritty and so alive.

[@danielbrown3461]

It was a s%$# Hole to people who obeyed the law.

[@howielisnoff]

This is the second time I’ve seen this video. NYC was the absolute best place to be and to be young in the early 70s.

[@realbronxstreets7565]

My grandfather took me to Twin Towers the day they broke ground to to begin building. I was soo impressed. Many years later I watched them come down in person. Something I will never shake off. I lost 4 friends that day. One who's wedding I was to attend the following Saturday. Since I have moved 2 thousand miles away to cope. It didn't work. I think of them every day of my life and pray for their families. RIP my friends.

[@michaelmastrogiacomo6388]

They are in our prayers.

[@tdtvegas]

Where do you live now? What was his name, your friend that you lost? So we may all put a face to the name and story?

[@patricialaureano9217]

That was MY NY! it had soul it had grit it had many sounds and the people were New Yorkers! I would ride the trains at all hours and not be terrified. Is it beautiful now? Absolutely but where are the real New Yorkers? Saddened that we can’t afford to live where we were born and raised. Thanks for the memories my heart was sooo touched😍

[@williammorse8330]

true about the change in cost of living.... gone are the days when you could pick up a rowhouse for a $1000 and fix it up on your own..... buying beer at a bar didn't require taking out a credit card.... oh, well, thanks for the memories, New York City.

[@driver4011]

the dizzney group n multinational Corp. tookover n cost of living skyrocketed, went threw the roof.

[@rickybobby6579]

wow , this bummed me out...i miss the old NYC , when it was for everyone, not just rich people

[@andrewstaples8677]

Me too

[@MrSloika]

In a way it was better, but let's not romanticize this era. The NYC of the the late 70s was full of horrible poverty. The subways were filthy and dangerous. The streets were filthy, rats everywhere. Infrastructure was collapsing. Crime was rampant....prostitution and open drug dealing on the streets. The murder rate was through the roof. I saw it with my own eyes. No sane person wants to go back to that.

[@joshb23]

@@MrSloika As the description stated, "You didn't love it for the drugs or violence or bad conditions..." Some things have improved for sure, but MUCH has been lost.

[@MrSloika]

@Richard Head Yup, junkies, squats....it was a mess. Nothing like it is now.

[@redpillrules3136]

@@MrSloika don't worry, it's coming back soon. Not saying that just to be flippant. It's coming.

[@raymatthews7624]

It's full of nostalgia, we hated then and we miss it now. Either way it's my home.

[@JohnDoe-um4bn]

Definitely not. The 70's and 80's was filled with violence and hate. People got killed and was little to no way to solve crime and criminals knew this. Vary corrupt time

[@anthonysmall5090]

And you know it bro

[@anthonysmall5090]

Best time of my life

[@elpidioperez5618]

Even Though I Was Born In ‘71 These Two Decades For Me I Consider Being The Best Times Of My Life, Especially The ‘80s!!!!

[@newstart49]

70's! When music was alive!! And Real!!

[@halperntv3238]

I was born in Queens in the 70's. We lived in NYC in the 80's. This is what my childhood looked like. I miss the old New York

[@michaelmastrogiacomo6388]

Me Too.

[@MikeJ2023]

Halpern TV I like it the way it is now it’s cleaner and safer and just as big and vibrant as ever.

[@TBone2000Man]

New York sucks now

[@LJB1031]

My time was the 80's. Hanging out in the Village, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Grass Roots Tavern. CBGB, Mudd Club, Max's Kansas City, The Ritz, Peppermint Lounge, Limelight. Breaking night. All those places gone. I feel that my best years ended 30 years ago in that great city. I miss it. You really can't go home again.

[@sleepingwithcats5121]

I'm here still but feel as if I'm living with aliens from another planet in a place I've never really been.

[@sleepingwithcats5121]

The city is not even remotely the same, it went in a bad direction. I'm still here. Pyramid club is still around. I'm trying to leave this place now.

[@sleepingwithcats5121]

@Nyet Nine we should meet up

[@sleepingwithcats5121]

@Nyet Nine [e-mail]

[@tomahern8967]

Born and raised in Brooklyn in the 70’s and 80’s. Miss the fun times with friends either at school or just hanging out on the stoop. Those were the days full of adventure and character, now the city has become a lost soul. Thanks for the memories!

[@HalleyDeVesternBand]

How I miss the city that was. It had heart, it had life, it had its own identity. It's just a corporate shopping mall now, a giant tourist trap. The people who made it a great place to live can no longer afford to live here. So sad.

[@nickrod9526]

Agree with you 100%!

[@crazeefingas33]

I agree as well. I love my city but way too expensive for me in that town. Moved to the midwest and never looking back. NYC ain't going anywhere cause it'll always be there. I use to ride the bus with my dad back in the 70's I wonder if that was me or not in the bus. Kinda look like me lol

[@KSmall109CAB]

New York City still has plenty of neighborhoods that are really neighborhoods, not 'Stepford Wives' pod pits. Affordability was an issue back in the 1970s because inflation was metaphorically off the charts; for the first time in modern history the American economy had high unemployment and high inflation at the same time. I remember graduating from high school in 1975. It was right around the time that the city teetered on the brink of insolvency. I remember being told not to cash my check from my job shelving books at the Lincoln Center library because the city didn't have the money to cover it. It was scary to me as a teenager; I could only imagine how scary it was to my coworkers who had families. I do miss the jazz lofts in what has become SoHo and Tribeca. I miss the folks who wore the crazy outfits who went to CBGB and Studio 54. I miss the way the Knicks played basketball and the way Tom Seaver used to pitch. I don't miss the subways that reeked of urine and smelly homeless people, the streets where hookers openly plied their trade or low level dealers brazenly sold heroin within walking distance of schools, the three-card monte scammers, or the abandoned buildings that were drug dens. Those things were sordid and scary.

[@HalleyDeVesternBand]

Yes, the Seventies were not a good time and I'm sorry you had to live through those scary times as a child. But far as I can see, every neighborhood, every borough, is being transformed into Disneyland; long-time residents are being priced out, small business owners are being forced to shut down. Agreed, the scary things were scary. But this new wealth is not "trickling down". I would have those scary things back in a minute if it meant the artists and the dreamers and the people who made this city unique and amazing could have a place to live and thrive. The subway isn't completely pristine, I still have to hold my breath and dodge homeless and crazy people, excrement and vomit; there are still plenty of dealers visible, though not to the extent that they once were. But I can't stand to see New Yorkers who aren't rich being harassed and forced out of their homes and businesses by greedy landlords who only want that steady corporate money.

[@69threg]

I couldn't agree more. Thanks for the post.

[@juliet3827]

I find the sad and wistful music fitting becoz that's exactly how I feel about those lost decades. I was 18 back then and feel privileged to have grown up during the two best decades ever, the 1960s and 70s. Sure, there were problems but nothing like the problems we have today. I don't like this era. I don't feel optimistic at all. I yearn for those lost decades and feel deep nostalgia. Thanks for these images.

[@oochiewally2783]

Haaa it is the same problems nothing has changed..

[@silverd5920]

They were better days, for sure!

[@butterlevisellman5895]

Juliet very well put..

[@1SouthernRaj]

Lol society is a lot better it is now than it was in the 60s and 70s

[@juliet3827]

@@1SouthernRaj In some respects, yes; in other respects, maybe not so much. I think social media has ruined a lot, but that's just my personal opinion.

[@butterlevisellman5895]

The 70$ and 80s were the best of times .

[@baskinginbarreto1934]

Grew up in the 60s and 70’s in Long Island. Joined the service in ‘76 and left it all behind, including a woman I loved dearly. Like many, I’d love to go back and relive those years. Watching this video brings back so many memories. We hear the term “Life is Short” all the time, and this video proves it. Hug those you love and don’t waste a second of your youth.

[@michaelmastrogiacomo6388]

You hit the nail on the head. Thank You. Born in 1950. Lived in Brooklyn the better part of my adult life. going on 40 years now. Life is short. especially here where things change by the minute now.

[@arkady714]

You're never going to get a better portrayal of what The City looked like than the slideshow you've created. This is exactly what we looked like back then. Take it from this native New Yorker who was a teen in those days. You're photos and the way you present them are perfect.

[@69threg]

Thank You.

[@aaronflowers8881]

What borough you from?

[@arkady714]

@@aaronflowers8881Long Island born but spent a big part of my adolescence living with my grandmother In Brighton Beach.

[@michaelmastrogiacomo6388]

You didn't love it for the drugs, or the violence, or its bad conditions. You loved it because it was real. You could smell it, taste it, live it. Maybe you were young back then, your 20s probably-when everybody seemed to live here-and just about anyone could find a place to call home here. If you couldn't afford the city there was Brooklyn. It was a broken city but it had character it had life. The technology that was to overtake us and put us all in some virtual world had not yet been invented.

[@johnforde2344]

Exactly

[@winterblue383]

I was from Bayonne NJ, but spent all my free time there .. Awesome food, shopping, even people watching was fun

[@lazerbather436]

Beautifully put.

[@90daysinvegas53]

Well said..

[@nikmills]

It was excellent, fabulous and wonderful and magically creative. Anyone and everyone could squeeze themselves in and call it home, as you say.

[@ejay1118]

NYC - 1975 - 1984 -- I miss NYC. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't say; "Why am I not back in New York?" Then I remember the answer; I can't afford it!

[@hereisayana8207]

I lived in NYC in the 80's- 90's .. born there, I also wish I could go back in a time machine.

[@jeffdougherty1878]

NYC '76 - '90. Miss it all the time, but then I remember that the NYC I miss doesn't exist anymore. very sad

[@anatorres4926]

Only by getting a house in Staten Island are we able to live here. I grew up during the 80's working in Times Square when it was seedy and yet full of character.

[@jeffdougherty1878]

@@anatorres4926 That's when Times Square was Times Square, completely incredibly unique now its Las Vegas East.

[@raygordonteacheschess5501]

I was born in 1967 and lived in NYC from 1969-1986. Great place to live if you're an adult, not where I'd raise a kid. Also I lived in a UES hi-rise so I was insulated from what I saw my friends go through in their walkups that became rent-regulated bargains (one friend pays like 500 a month for 2br on the UES). The same complaints are always made that the "old NYC" is ruined which means nothing changes but our finances and perception. NYC was very dangerous during this era, especially its schools. It was a tough, gritty place which I guess is good but I much prefer Philadelphia, where I've lived since I was nineteen.

[@saulchapnick1566]

I lived, went to grad school and worked in The City during the 70s and 80s. Never noticed or was bothered by its run down side. That is what love does. I have been to many cities worldwide since then. NYC is still my first love.

[@rijamor]

I went to NYC from the UK in '78. I was 23 years old and people said I was mad, but I loved it. It was edgy, scary, colourful, exciting. It had soul and character. And it had proper yellow cabs! I went back a couple of years ago, but someone stole it...

[@simonmadi1177]

Most of the comments are from people who remember New York as it was. Sadly nothing remains the same. Time marches on and so do people. I remember a time when my parents were younger and so full of life. Most of the friends they had are dead, along with my dad in 1996. My mom is in her 90's and in a home for the elderly. Life is cruel sometimes, but I personally believe that it's your memories of days gone by that keep those days alive. Merry Christmas to one and all.

[@mondoenterprises6710]

So glad I got to spend time there during that era thanks to my parents. It's all so long ago and far away...one word to describe it: Grittiness.

[@telebob]

This is gorgeous. It breaks my heart. Nice choice of music.

[@mosesberkowitz3298]

Horrible music; so depressing!

[@sandrapatterson2916]

@telebob The music had a nostalgic feel to it. Very fitting!

[@JubeProductions]

When I reflect back to those years of my life they seem like such perfect times. Yet while I was living those times I didn't feel that way. Now that I'm older I have a lot to reflect back on. I'm nearing 50 years old and I can feel the time slipping away like grains of sand in an hour glass that once was so full but now is nearing empty. But if I spend too much time looking back thinking how it used to be I miss the times in front of me. I can't change where I've been, only where I'm going.

[@hasonmorris5542]

The city had a certain raw delicious flavor that was NEW YORK . I’m so glad I lived and got to experience the 70s growing up NY style

[@eamonq9535]

loved every second of this. love watching old ny movies like taxi driver midnight cowboy French connection. city had real soul back then. this video captures that. great music choice

[@marylou931]

Hurts too much to see what's passed and gone... Even tho I moved to Europe in 71. Came back in 93 to a culture shock I'm still not recovered from in 27 years. Biggest mistake was returning.... Memories of being born and raised in NY will always be with me but there's not one thing left of those days.

[@manhattanfunk80s31]

R.I.P. Twin Towers :(

[@HipHop101Tv]

Manhattan Funk 80's Sucks Zionists took it down :(

[@hthtv3440]

...there's a picture of the late #Gemini rapper #Biggie, taken in front of the WTC... twins...Gemini. Very profound photo.

[@michaelserby7697]

🖤 🇺🇸 💖 💙 sleep in peace 💖 goodnight from America in the Great Midwest 🇺🇸 💜

[@youmustbekidding1718]

@@HipHop101Tv Brain dead much?

[@longislandny696]

I remember looking out the car window in the early 1980s at the twin towers 💔. I was a six year old kid then.I could still smell the beach at Coney Island.Those were good memories 😕

[@Frid66]

My friends were just around the corner and Mom and Pop were just a bike ride away. Sure it shines and gleams today, but, like the WTC, the heart is gone.

[@MissCane9]

Eternally grateful for those times and places.

[@bobbycars1340]

The New York I grew up in, loved every minute of it.

[@hereisayana8207]

Me too... It means a lot to grow up in a city, that you LOVE and see so many exciting things every day

[@donaldcontillo9205]

I had the privilege of living in Manhattan from 1973-1981 and still recall those years with nostalgia. Even though the city was going through a major economic crisis towards 1977, its cultural and social life was simply unbeatable. The city was really alive. People were coming and going all the time. The city had a rough edge to it, which was probably its major attraction.

[@Q7R43]

Did you ever se John Lennon? :)

[@ejay1118]

My mother worked for an older gentleman at the Dakota, I was going home down the city's SLOWEST elevator when he and Yoko walked in. Wow!

[@donaldcontillo9205]

I was never inside the Dakota when I lived in Manhattan but walked past it many times on my way to Central Park or to take the subway at 72nd Street and CPW. I remember that I was at home on WEA in December of 1980 the night that John Lennon was shot. I'll never forget that night . . .

[@donaldcontillo9205]

Marcel, Thank you very much for your reply. You are absolutely right - at the time, it was an area of the city that was experiencing lots of economic and social issues. And I fully realise how difficult it must have been for so many people to survive there during that very difficult and uncertain period in the city's history.

[@whackamolechamp]

Great comment. I grew up on Ave A during that time. What made it awesome was the people. We all knew and looked out for each other in times of need.

[@LifeForceConnect]

My Dad owned the Texaco gas station on Houston between Mott & Elizabeth in the 70s. I was 20 & didn’t wait on line when we alternated odd & even license plates during the gas shortage to fill up, ahhh those were the days.

[@nickrod9526]

The last photo of that streetlight was amazing. I can't believe that light fixture is almost 50 years old! They have a lot of those in Albany, NY to this day! I remember seeing a lot of these as a kid growing up in Brooklyn in the 80's.

[@Do0m3sDayPr0ducti0ns]

Joe Grizzly now they all replace with LED lights I really not a big fan of them they hurt my eye really badly

[@RICHBLACKCOCK]

2001 did it in. Final. Im unable to put this in print Final knell with the WTC TOWERS gone. It wont ever be the same again. Iconic steel and glass structure gone forever not ever to be replaced. NYC hasnt had the same feel since.

[@stefanmarchione6757]

Bishop Boyd AMEN! I'm watching this vlog right now, on 9/11/2018, ironically. Your comment just struck a nerve. Perfect time and place. I'm weeping now, seeing how it is all gone; people, places, things...never to return again. 😭

[@deidrealbrightson7249]

In December 1971 I was born and we lived in New York City and i still call it home. Because that what New York city is to me.

[@Mhel2023]

As a HS student ('79-'83) I used to sit in the library at Andrew Jackson HS, which had am unobstructed view of the WTC. I used to daydream about working at an exciting job in those fabulous towers one day.

[@JP-od9ps]

You’re right nyc again was never the same. Real people who knew New York like the back of their hand. Prices were fair people were real. Now everyone is only worried about themselves not real New Yorkers. We cared about each other before the 911 bullshit!!! It will never be the same again

[@marcinna8553]

NYC has changed out of recognition every several generations during its long existence. Today is no different in that respect. Yes, things disappear and are never the same -- when has it been otherwise?

[@larciabella]

Beautiful homage to a bygone city and era.In the 1960's my dad and uncle would take me into NYC from just across the Hudson in Jersey.I'll never forget those days.The smell of Chestnuts ,the old Coliseum at Columbus Circle,the bus ride in.An INCREDIBLE time to grow up.

[@edde1968]

I remember as a 70's kid we sat on front of those 1970' s big cars and hung out with friends in the neighborhood.

[@ACLTony]

Yep. I still remember that often times kids would somehow get fire hydrants open and have a good time getting wet during those muggy hot summers.

[@rah938]

Yeah, hangin out on the stoop with friends, pass a jaybo around, suck down a few Schaeffers...maybe play some hoops in the yard. Heaven on earth.

[@DJB635]

Yea real cars made of steel.... not the plastic ones of today.... Memories!

[@glorymosbyfloyd3878]

No matter what arises here in this great City of Ours, this is HOME!!! HARLEM USA!!!

[@glorymosbyfloyd3878]

@Aaron Dukes No, still Ours

[@littlejoe9381]

I was born in NYC, but we moved to the south in ‘74. I was a child of the seventies and whenever I see pictures or movies of NY from the seventies, it makes me both happy and sad. It’s a little hard to explain, but NY will always be close to my heart.

[@jumboshrimp5193]

Fills me with nostalgia and melancholy. Even with the filth and chaos, it was a better world than todays because the matrix wasnt in control like it is today.

[@ACLTony]

This is a very well put-together video. However, when I look at it I turn down the volume, open up my media player and play songs such as: Summer Breeze, Diamond Girl, Will it go in circles, Welcome Back, and Spinning Wheel. Listening to upbeat 70s songs like those and looking at this vid brings back wonderful memories of walking those streets with my parents, riding in my Dad's Pontiac, and countless rides on the subway. Was so neat that for .35 cents you could ride from the north Bronx all the way to Far Rockaway! Those memorable days are long gone, but well captured on photo and film :-)

[@tfm1449]

Ah, but remember, you had to pay carfare to exit the el if you went all the way to the Rockaways...… another .35......I axed about that, I was told it was to pay for the bridge toll in Howard Beach. Where the train bridge went over Jamaica Bay. I lived in Queens.

[@johnrobinsoniii4028]

.35 CENTS??? I remember when the Bus and Subway fares were fifthTEEN(!!!) cents.

[@mysticgold1947]

I miss Woolworths...I miss Howard Johnson..I mis the Real ,THE TRUE NEW YORK .. waw so many Memories 1970s 1980s....it was life then ....

[@Frankieefootballmundial]

Nadime Miller now rent is up and lots of condos and commercial buildings in New York

[@DWilliam1]

All you can eat clam strips....

[@tfm1449]

Since you mentioned Woolworths. A few of us punks in the neighborhood, would go in Woolworths, in Queens. Steal albums, cause trouble, squirt ketchup, and mustard on the windows, the doors. To make the manager chase us. Well, twenty years later, I'm sitting in my neiborhood bar in Huntington Beach, Ca. The bartender tells me she told this guy over there that I was from Queens also. He says to her "buy him a beer on me". Guess who he turned out to be?...…..the 5 & dime store manager...crazy small world.

[@joannsissy4768]

Tads flame steaks

[@captainamericaamerica8090]

IT WAS A FILTHY RAT NEST😣😣😤😤🐀🐀🐀🐀🐀💩💩💩

[@sir.fuentes7642]

That spirit that the real New York had which was difficult to explain, but when you knew it you knew it, is no longer there.

[@dogcowrph]

Boston would make a wonderful sequel. Ken Burns did a twenty hour documentary about NYC. He had to release another volume after 9/11. It is highly recommended if you enjoyed the short ten minutes presented here. Thank you for making this short film available.

[@damianbranica]

The 90s were downtowns final breath.

[@aztiff]

You could feel it in 1997 and 8 that something bad was going to happen

[@davidofglenbrook4487]

I moved into the City in 1978 and lived there until 1989. Now my daughter and her husband live there. I love the City.

[@JP-od9ps]

I was born in 1980 a great decade people were real people were aware and people when gathered around one another they actually spoke to everyone! Now everyone meets up for lunch or dinner at a table and are all glued to their phones saying it was nice catching up.

[@alexanderdewey]

Wasn’t expecting to be so moved by this. My city. The one I remember, love and miss so much.

[@MrEljefe0000]

boy how i miss what nyc was, you could sit on the stoop and engage in small talk with everyone from your block where every neighbor knew your first name and it was a heaven for real artists.

[@sisophous]

My childhood was from the 70s decade and I remember NYC as a dangerous place. I lived north of the city but my folks would take me into Manhattan every few weeks. Crime was out of control, thugs and thieves were all over the city. It was also a filthy place. Seeing these images and listening to the somber music gives it an eerie nostalgic feel that brings back memories, big time. Thanks for sharing.

[@eddieblack4568]

If you were in your 20's it was not dangerous to us it was hanging out all night in The Village, it was our world, our time we only noticed the good, it was cool to be out all night , I never encountered any danger, in the 70's ,the 1960's were still going on and the notion that we were all brothers still permeated the youth culture, Picking up girls at Grand Central station at 3 am on a holiday weekend was not dangerous and lots of fun,. The word ,can't had not yet entered our vocabulary and youth made everything possible.The graffiti looked like urban art to us not a sign of decay and at this date 2015, sure enough there are art galleries where one can find graffiti next to other art.Like Jackson Browne said in Running On Empty, In 65 I was 17, a great time in this country to have been young, would not have changed it for anything!!

[@69threg]

+Eddie Black Thanks Eddie for your comments . you hit the nail on the head. A great time to be young.

[@johnaltyn3171]

Exactly Eddie...I would ride the 3 train out of Linden Blvd at 3:00 AM and never had a problem. I attended Pratt Institute and would walk through Bed-Sty and never have a problem...

[@waynejohnson1304]

My mother used to take us kids down, by Greyhound bus, each year to see the Rockettes (Ice Capades) at the Radio City Music Hall or see the Nucracker Christmas Show or some other event. In 1974, we went up to the top of the World Trade Center just after it opened. I still have the little W.T.C. booklet from that day. Back then, the city was dirty and the crime rate was high. You never knew what to expect. For us kids though, we thought the hookers were funny and the whole area around 42nd street where most of them worked. My mother would tell us to turn our heads but, we'd sneak a peek anyway. LOL Everyone was different back then. The city was different and unique with its own character. The XXX rated businesses were a part of Time's Square and the people who hanged around that area would today be considered sexual predators. As smutty as it was though, it seemed to be a part of the culture that made going there special and different. I remember many times going there with friends while older and being followed around by people trying to sell me drugs and even had a 15 year old prostitute offer me what I thought were eggs. I told her thank you but, I was eating at the restaurant behind her and then, I realized she said "head". It was all so normal while in New York for those things to happen back then. All of that is in the past now. New York is a MUCH cleaned up city but, those days will always be remembered. Today, New York is a city for the very wealthy only. No longer do you see people playing guitars on the sidewalk trying to make ends meet or any of the other hundreds of people trying to attract a crowd of people in order to earn some cash. That part of the cleanup is sad. The city may be a lot cleaner now but, it lost its character in the process.

[@Camaro7745]

Reading you guys' comments about your memories is just fascinating to me, as someone who was born and raised in another country, another culture, another time. Or perhaps I just like contemplating on life at midnights while watching videos like this.

[@freddiemiranda5366]

This is so nostalgic just like the song yesterday thanks for the memories.

[@TheJasonCombee76]

As bad as it was it had much more character and realness then it has today.

[@azul8811]

Yeah, 2,262 homicides in 1990 and only 319 last year despite having 1.3 million more residents today. What a pity!

[@TheJasonCombee76]

@@azul8811 I'm talking about the old ethnic neighborhoods and old school tough many New Yorkers had. Of course the crime was much worse and that is one thing better about the City today.

[@azul8811]

@David Mitnick And you've concluded that from my one very brief post? That's quite a feat...and pretty funny! It's also inaccurate. Funny that you should mention the city under water, my house was...back in late October 2012! The very same home that my family has lived in since it was built almost 100 years ago. My family emigrated to the USA 150 years ago and settled in NYC. As for myself, I'm a boomer, and I can only tell you what I remember. I still live here BTW. I remember not locking doors. I remember riding my bicycle to go to the store and leaving it unlocked & unattended outside the store. Mothers would leave baby carriages outside the mom & pop stores for brief periods of time. We rode our bikes to school and walked to church. I lived within a very brief walking distance of both sets of grandparents, as well as my 9 cousins. My memories of those times were almost idyllic because of the living conditions, which were very modest BTW, and because of the sense of security and community. I guess you could say because of the overall quality of life. It did not take much to make us happy. But I also remember sensing the changes. However, back then we didn't have access to data like we do today. I recall arguing with a college professor about rising crime back around 1971 or so. He told me that it was only my "perception." Today we know otherwise. I remember 1975 when the city came within inches of bankruptcy. City workers were laid off, including cops & firefighters. Fire houses were closed, and manning on fire engines was reduced. During the following year, 1976, the FDNY responded to an all time record of structure fires, unbroken to this day. In 1977 we had a blackout which I witnessed firsthand. Stores were looted and then torched afterward. The 1977 blackout was much UNLIKE the previous blackout of 1965, which was uneventful, crime wise. Something must have changed in those 12 years between blackouts. "More character & realness" perhaps? During the '70's and '80's I remember seeing scores of vacant apartment buildings, many burnt out, some abandoned by their owners. The city wound up taking possession of many of them because of unpaid taxes and the Koch Administration had the plywood covered "windows" painted with make believe widow dressings and silhouettes of people. I remember not being able to see out of the windows of subway cars because of the graffiti. People were leaving NYC in droves and the city was losing its tax base. Fortunately that was turned around starting in the early 1990's. If it hadn't been, I wonder if NYC could have become another Detroit? Since the turnaround people have been moving to the city rather than fleeing it. The city population has increased by over 1 million people. Do I like all of the changes? Do I feel a kinship with many of the newcomers? Do I like the proliferation of the chain stores and the demise of the mom & pop stores? Do I like tripping over tourists? Do I like the rising rents? Do I like the easing of zoning allowing buildings that ruin the character of a neighborhood? My answer is NO. I don't like it. But if I had to pick a time that "the city had more character and realness than today", it sure as shit wouldn't be the 1970's. Make it 1960 and I'll be on board. NYC was going down the crapper in the 1970...and I hung in here. Many of those who are nostalgic for those times didn't hang in here, or didn't even live here back then. I did, and I'm still here. If this city should become like it was in the 1970's, I'm not riding it out again.

[@RCfromtheNYC]

The New York of my youth. Thank you!

[@michaelmastrogiacomo6388]

Thank You

[@LJB1031]

Dirty, gritty, and grimy. My NYC of my youth. I love it now, I loved it then. I miss what it was, but proud of what it is. I left 26 years ago and if I could afford it, I'd come back.

[@nyceyes]

I was born and raised in *Manhattan* a while ago, and those were beautiful times. *Times Square* , for instance, was gritty, slimy even, but no matter,... that was part of it's perverse allure, where you could watch two movies for $3.00; visit nearby penny arcades; and eat a hotdog (or two) at Nathans all in one night if you wanted. Trains were graffiti filled, older and loud, but no matter, that was New York City back then. There was no social media, but no matter... the AM/FM radio stations that we simultaneously listened to, held us together, told us what was happening where, and we'd trek from different boroughs to meet and get to know one another; maybe even exchange landline telephone numbers that we'd manually memorize. A mix of Salsa, Classic Rock, Funk, R&B, Jazz and Disco kept city dwellers moving and grooving. We, New York City, even came to within inches of bankruptcy; but somehow we made it through. And although we never thought of it, in a sense *we were all naked* because there were no computers accounts or cell phones to hide behind... Not that we wanted or needed them. Sadly, it's all been lost. Those people that you see in the film... Theirs was a night and day different New York City. Yours, *NYCeyes*

[@rstefanie2622]

7:21 Thurman Munson, Bobby Murcer, Johnny Ellis, and I think that's Mel Stottlemyre taking the field. Wow. Just wow.

[@ceasarandrepont5331]

i wish new York could have kept some of the soul. redevelopment has changed its life.

[@JamalSG]

And it’s unaffordable. You can’t even visit there without the decent amount of spending money.

[@MrEljefe0000]

its has no life anymore and its soul has been taken away its all about disgusting money

[@jjflash2611]

I was a teenager in the 1980s grew up during this time. I will miss it always as it is with nostalgia. We all romanticize the past pulling out the good things, not the bad. Kids in their teens now will look back in 30 years and say how great the 2020s were. It’s the Human condition and there’s nothing wrong with that.

[@jimmyolsen5897]

I don’t think anybody will look back and say the 2020s were good

[@provideniamedina8923]

I born in new york in Manhattan wao back in the days that was new york memories📹👊👵iam gettyng old well that's live😊👍

[@michaelmastrogiacomo6388]

All the best to you

[@johnaltyn3171]

I was born and raised on the streets of Greenpoint Brooklyn and Manhattan was a few train stops away on the LL train and the GG to Queens Plaza. We ran wild in the streets and we hurt no one. Being a musician, I used to drink with Joey Ramone at CB's and never had a problem. I used to travel to Harlem to rehearse with "Shorty Jackson" who was 91 years old at the time and played with Louie Armstrong. We never had any problems...I am grateful I was raised in a city with grit and personality. It was the "Characters" that gave NYC its character.

[@michaelmastrogiacomo6388]

I lived on Java Street just off of Franklyn. Before the invasion. When people said "GreenPoint, Where is that"

[@johnforde2344]

Yes, I miss hanging in the village

[@dianapgarcia2054]

I love these oldies....I'm 51, and from Colombia but I love ny

[@oc5939]

Such great memories of that time. There were tough times but the city had mom & pop shops, orchard street shopping and Times Square wasn't Disneyfied yet. I miss the hustlers at Port Authority, the seediness, the grit and the flavor of the city. There was such a sense struggle but that we were all in it together.

[@facemasksdontwork1378]

Thank you for the upload! It's crazy how my City has changed! I love being a part of something special, the special part of being a new yorker, where everyone wants to be! All other cities envy New York! Such history, such heart. Too bad it's leaders are ruining it!

[@percyholland5592]

IT HAS BEEN A PRIVILEGE TO BE BORN IN THE LATE 60S & RAISED IN NYC THE BIG 🍎 APPLE IN THE 70S SO MUCH HAS CHANGED IT HAS SEEN MANY RISES & FALLS BUT WE'RE STILL HERE ( RIP) TWIN TOWERS I MISS YOU & THOSE WHO DIED THAT 9/11/01 DAY LEFT US TO SOON

[@gaggle57]

I grew up in New Paltz NY in the'60s and '70s (where a local theater group called itself "90 Miles Off Broadway") At around 13, I only knew of NYC from school trips to museums or the occasional family outing...yet still, I was so enchanted by the sights and sounds and smells of the City that I still get waves of nostalgia when seeing this. The music doesn't hurt, either.

[@NickyDeeNM]

Wow man! Talk about nostalgia. Lived in upper Manhattan from age three ('69) through third grade ('74), then Westchester. Then back to the city in '89. Left for good in '94. I hear about expensive places in alphabet city, and hipsters in Williamsburg. Uggh. I don't know if time robs the nostalgia of everyone's home town, but it seems worse with NYC. I haven't been back in years.

[@iimagination6388]

I don't even know what New York city is anymore. The skyline isn't even the same with all these futuristic buildings

[@VinceHere98]

The new World Trade Center, the Hudson yards redevelopment project, One57, 432 Park Ave, 8 spruce street, 30 park place... The city keeps changing everyday. It's a part of life sadly....

[@swarzeoz2550]

That isn't sad. It is just different. I loved the city in the 70s, but I remember my parents saying it was better in the 40s, and my grandparents telling me how fab it was in the early 1900s. I still love it, every day. It changes, but it has never lost its pulse. You can walk down a street in NY every day for years, and one day look up, and see something you never saw before. You can't spend a day in NY and not see something new. That will never change. I still love NY. It never EVER disappoints.

[@II-be1ze]

@@HipHop101Tv . What do you mean

[@sandrapatterson2916]

@@swarzeoz2550 I totally, TOTALLY agree with you. I moved to NY in March 1970 from Asheville, NC. It is an exciting place to live (I'm in Bklyn) and an awesome place to visit. Has it changed? Yes, absolutely, but change can be good. Change happens...embrace it!

[@mike_404]

IKR! I mean even in the 2000s, when New York was getting modern, I could still see the same 3 buildings from my apartment in Astoria. The Citibank building, Empire State Building, and Chrysler building. What’s a skyline with too many skyscrapers? It’s ugly with these new high rise apartments. Goodbye old New York. You will always be remembered as the greatest city in the world 😔

[@ACLTony]

Something I took for granted back then is that, especially in the Bronx, SO MANY of the local businesses were typical "Mom & Pop" types. Each with its own style and character. Saddening that so many have gone and today we have the usual slew of McDonald's, Dunkin Donuts, etc. On another note, I think now that the MTA regrets tearing down the 3rd Avenue El line back in 1974. Traffic and business has really picked up and buses can only handle so many people in a high traffic area during the rush hours. But city leaders back then did tend to be rather short sighted.

[@ejay1118]

I haven't seen a politician yet who could see past the next election cycle.

[@marcusalfonso1317]

I remember on Creston Ave and Burnside a small grocery store, Dave's Supperette. Down from P.S. 79 Creston Junior High School. 2 train stops from Yankee Stadium. Those were the days.

[@waynejohnson1304]

The Mom and Pop places were the BEST! You could order a grinder from an Italian Mom and Pop restaurant and get three times the meat than from Subway Grinders. I live in Connecticut and have to drive all the way to Hartford to get a good Italian grinder now. It's worth the trip though even though I have to stand in line and wait to get inside.

[@waynejohnson1304]

My mother used to take us kids down, by Greyhound bus, each year to see the Rockettes (Ice Capades) at the Radio City Music Hall or see the Nucracker Christmas Show or some other event. In 1974, we went up to the top of the World Trade Center just after it opened. I still have the little W.T.C. booklet from that day. Back then, the city was dirty and the crime rate was high. You never knew what to expect. For us kids though, we thought the hookers were funny and the whole area around 42nd street where most of them worked. My mother would tell us to turn our heads but, we'd sneak a peek anyway. LOL Everyone was different back then. The city was different and unique with its own character. The XXX rated businesses were a part of Time's Square and the people who hanged around that area would today be considered sexual predators. As smutty as it was though, it seemed to be a part of the culture that made going there special and different. I remember many times going there with friends while older and being followed around by people trying to sell me drugs and even had a 15 year old prostitute offer me what I thought were eggs. I told her thank you but, I was eating at the restaurant behind her and then, I realized she said "head". It was all so normal while in New York for those things to happen back then. All of that is in the past now. New York is a MUCH cleaned up city but, those days will always be remembered. Today, New York is a city for the very wealthy only. No longer do you see people playing guitars on the sidewalk trying to make ends meet or any of the other hundreds of people trying to attract a crowd of people in order to earn some cash. That part of the cleanup is sad. The city may be a lot cleaner now but, it lost its character in the process.

[@jackpotsearlytapes]

ACLTony That is happening everywhere.. Amsterdam was exactly the same.. now its an overprized entertainment park..

[@gatewayz75]

I lived there for one year in the mid nineties and worked in the WTC and lived in Battery Park, had the time of my life and I’ll never forget it, it was completely different living there to what you might imagine and I found people on the whole friendly and polite which shocked me

[@puplover7991]

Remember when NYC got rid of the orange and blue license plates? That was a turning point!

[@VinceHere98]

The other turning point was when the first iPod came out 2 months after 9/11..... And 9/11 fucked up the NYC skyline, making the Empire State Building the tallest in the city again... So unfair.

[@whackamolechamp]

I remember those. My Grandpa's 67 Plymouth Belvedere had them. He even had a key chain with a miniature version to help you report it stolen if you didn't remember the plate numbers and letters.

[@bernardpopp541]

when the old subway cars were replaced, nothing felt the same...when Horn & Hardarts disappeared...the Automat cafeterias...the cell phone era then drove in the last nail...technology is an insatiable destroyer of social life.

[@johnforde2344]

And don't forget the yellow cabs 🚕

[@hthtv3440]

And the Statue of Liberty were on those...the new ones gave the impression of the state's shape on the map. Liberty denotes 'Freedom' for many, to take away that image... huh?

[@mm7cc]

before stupid cell phones it was better then i wish it would go back to that

[@ACLTony]

Yes! Agree totally.

[@imadeyoureadthis1500]

Ironically you are using a cellphone

[@lissettevasconez9939]

I still remember back then in the late 70’s and early 80’s , I did not have a phone at all to communicate with friends...lol... All I had to do was yell out from my kitchen window to say, YO WAZ UP!!!.... lol... miss those days. I felt free , I didn’t have any device attached to me carrying charges around. Now in days you gotta carry to much shit...lol

[@davidchan9632]

Same here. I miss the 1970's to the early 1980's. I get very emotional when I see & think of those years. Things were better in prospective.

[@jamesvickers9476]

Everything must change....

[@michaelbeza7469]

Aaaahh the old cars nice..New York was gritty but it had character..people in New York respected your space back in those days you knew not to get all around a person..it was exciting..the seedy 42nd st at the time ..very different now..

[@knottybogeye6387]

Since a child I've always wanted or preferred to visit NYC in the late 70's early 80's, when Christopher cross song caught between the moon and New York city was at its fame height, I finally done it, 2019, I stood in time square seen the moon, i took a photo of the moon a huge dream for me, New York people made me feel at home, me being from liverpool UK, if I have the chance like arnie said I will be back, I love New York.and her people.

[@michaelmastrogiacomo2513]

Thanks. I made this video some years back. It reminds me of my youth. Come visit us again soon.

[@kenlouse5477]

just watched this video, nicely done! brings back memories of new york at an older and better time, keep on making them

[@richardkirk3313]

Mike this was NYC of the 70s, gritty but real, brought back so many memories, thanks.

[@tfm1449]

Great video. Wow, you even got a great shot of the clothes lines weighted down with laundry...I so remember my Mom hanging halfway out the kitchen window, worried she would fall out. I had already lost my Dad to the streets. I couldn't imagine losing her too. Come to think of it, If I had two friends who's family's were intact, I considered them lucky. Most of my friends (and hey, who didn't have a shit load of friends while being raised in NYC?) where from broken families, being raised by single Moms.

[@ChooseCompassion]

This is how I remember it during my teens. The music makes it especially poignant and bringing up so much emotions that I’m actually crying while I’m watching this. Thank you! 🙏🏼❤️🗽

[@jeanangel2104]

That's the NYC I remember the grit the dirt God I miss that place.

[@pugsandcoffeeplease]

This music is 100% PERFECT. Was it Clint Mansell's score from The Fountain? Stunning video.

[@69threg]

Michael Duvic Yes, Clint Mansell's score with some editing. Thanks for the feedback.

[@NaturalMeAmerica]

Nothing like that time ever again. The creativity,enthusiasm,love for just living,was unique. Seems those ideals are now replaced by the lust for money,and the greed for power and attention.

[@jenc7927]

Grew up in NYC in the late 70's and 80's so glad I did ,was so different then I loved it ,lived there over 30years ,now I'm in my mid 40s and I live upstate NY now ,I almost cried when I visited in 2018 ,it was like a completely different city ,it wasn't my childhood ,or teenage years or my 20's anymore ,transformed into a former shell of what I loved ,the heart,the differences,the grit,the character just gone

[@michaelmastrogiacomo2513]

You said it

[@robertadinolfi4217]

All different classes mixed. It rocked.

[@jasjas-rm9kc]

I lived there in the 70s. Bleecker Street. A real place, to be sure. These pictures are nice, but there was more. Hard to put into words. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

[@jkratoville]

New York looked older back then. You could still see and feel its history. It wasn't all shiny, modern & new - it was New York. I don't miss the grime, but I miss the grit.

[@marlon1171]

Such an aura of sadeness, times gone, peoples and loved ones gone, slices of life frozen forever into eternity.....

[@josevgarcia6138]

I still remember my years 1972 to 1982.I miss the good food,Pizzas the Best.

[@robertglenn5398]

At 7:50, I love the protest march and the banner, "Our Real Enemy, US Corporations" Things really haven't changed much...the new enemy to the current generation is still the old enemy to us who were hitting the streets in the 60s and 70s

[@lucasm4299]

It looks like a pro labor union effort. We’re still fighting today. People are trying to give workers a voice in Amazon but Jeff Bezos, one of the richest guys ever, swore to put a stop on it afraid that if it succeeded it would inspire other Amazon workplaces from forming labor unions.

[@jimmyolsen5897]

You brainwashed commie hippie

[@eclint]

Thank You for pointing this out and stating it so simply. The old enemy is the same enemy today. Unfortunately, THEY are gaining the win....so far.

[@Leatricaw]

Watching this has me very emotional. Maybe it's the music. I love New York in the 70's and miss those days. We moved from Jamaica , Queens to Long Island in 1973, for me those were days of family, friends and good neighbors. Everyone looking out for one another. At least in my neighborhood they did. Nice memories and great video of days gone by. Thanks for sharing this (wipes tear).

[@69threg]

-To the 70s, and 80's too. You didn't love it for the drugs, or the violence, or its bad conditions. You loved it because it was real. You could smell it, taste it, live it. Maybe you were young back then, your 20s probably-when everybody seemed to live here-and just about anyone could find a place to call home here. If you couldn't afford the city there was Brooklyn. It was a broken city but it had character it had life. The technology that was to overtake us and put us all in some virtual world had not yet been invented.

[@ACLTony]

So well stated!

[@andradejurk]

Im from Brazil. I was flight attendant and usually to fly to N.Y. in the 90's and in the beginning of 2000. I love this town. Now im retired, but i wish be back one day with my family...

[@johnaltyn3171]

My Generation, was the LAST Generation to run Free on the Streets of Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens. Staten Island was like taking a cruise on the Ferry and much too far away. We ran FREE because no one was really watching. There were no cameras and we knew where that invisible line was to just keep out of trouble with Cops. We were creative without judgment, we started Rock bands, and hung out at rehearsals with KISS in a cold and drafty loft on 23rd St. We played at clubs like "Mother's" and "Club 82," and the "Bitter End." And if you were good enough, you got to play at CBGB's and the prestigious "Max's Kansas City." We were wise guys, who would offer you a dime, when you might be talking about something that no one cared about. We would offer you a dime to call someone who cared. We were the Last Generation to know what true freedom of growing up in the City that never sleeps, except on Sunday's when all of the stores were closed. It was a great time to dream and create...Because honestly, no one was watching.... The Hippies, had all moved up to Woodstock, and the void needed to be filled. The Disco kids from Brooklyn and Long Island went into Manhattan to try to get into Studio 54, while Mrozinski Mrozinski, Wayne County, Cherry Vanilla, The Ramones, Blondie the Richard Hell and the Voidiods, were playing clubs down on the lower eastside... This was OUR playground, and some of us lived and many died... We WERE, the last Generation to run FREE on the Streets...

[@michaelmastrogiacomo6388]

Thank You for that comment. It hit the mark. You said it.

[@johnaltyn3171]

Michael, this is brilliant and extremely moving. Thank you so much for your incredible video and choice of music...I could feel the heat and the cold. I could smell of burnt pretzels in winter and the stinky sewers during the summer. This was my world...Playing CBGB's and Max's Kansas City. Drinking at the Terminal Bar and watching the Towers go up and come down. Thank you sir.

[@michaelmastrogiacomo6388]

Thank You! " It was the best of times it was the worst of times"

[@mysticgold1947]

We were human them....its a nostalgic feeling of how we lost the real New York City.....where people were real ....more honest,more down to Earth???.. I miss my twin towers . . What happenned ??.. in a blink of the eye Everything disappear!!...its very sad its like loosing a love one..a real friend ...1970s NYC WHERE ARE YOU ?? .... Lost in my own space ....I lost my only friend its very sad .....Well perhaps I grew up!!!!..... thank you , great video!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@michaelmastrogiacomo6388]

Well said my friend. Well said

[@hereisayana8207]

It does feel like losing a loved one

[@PM-zw9xz]

It had a soul. I miss it!

[@josesantana27]

@Halley you are absolutely right. Old New York City had its issues but in odd ways had Community. And if you notice Old NYC didn't have the enormous amount of homelessness. This is the saddest part about the New York, way to expensive for average New Yorker to live in. I Miss Some aspects of Old New York.

[@proskills2168]

Good stuff. Well done, old NY, another world. Rooftop memories never die. We did it well back then.

[@JeffFrmJoisey]

Ahh, the Gritty City. How I miss it. Even though crime was much worse, I felt safer then than I do now - "military style" on the streets makes me feel less safe, especially knowing why they are there.

[@KSmall109CAB]

I will miss the jazz lofts from that era and some of the jazz clubs. Studio Rivbea was on Bond Street and featured many New Wave jazz artists. Sam Rivers, a renowned saxophonist, headed the loft. It was part of my growing up. On the other side of Lower Manhattan and near the Holland Tunnel on Greene Street was a place owned by Rashied Ali, who among other things was the last drummer to record with John Coltrane. Always had good cold beer and tasty potato salad to go along with the music. I'd be coming out of Studio Rivbea or Ali's Alley and the punkers would come out of CBGB. We'd all ride the subway home together, sharing stories about the music we'd listened or listened and danced to.

[@LydianLunch]

What a beautiful presentation. Thanks. What makes it even more special is to remember that cameras were not that common back then. My family was middle class and we didn’t have a camera until 1978 or so. My whole childhood in the 60s and 70s there’s like 7 pictures. I lived in lower Manhattan for 15 years and could see the Trade Center out my bathroom window. LOL. I remember drinking at the Terminal Bar. Wow. What a trip.

[@NeoNitty]

I’m a Brooklynite but this is my city. Then, now and forever! I’m in my 30s now and one of the last members of my family that still resides here.

[@erich1308]

Beautiful.....Miss the old days of my city. So much character. It’s all but gone now.

[@Mhel2023]

I was born and raised there but left in 86 when I joined the military. I'm going back to visit next month. I know I can't go back again, but I hope I find something worthwhile.

[@Mhel2023]

.. I returned for a week in January 2020 (unaware of the pandemic). It was strange to see everyone on the train looking down at phones. Some places were the same but most weren't. I felt lost. I walked my old neighborhood and pretended my family and friends were at work, at the store, anything to take away the fact that there's no one there anymore. I also returned with the worst cold I ever had. I often wonder if it was covid. Oh well, life marches on. At least I had my heyday in the 70's and 80's and I'll never forget it.

[@ang2664]

I wish it was the 80s again and 90s, I miss my childhood I want it again, IT IS HARD FOR ME TO ACCEPT THE FACT THAT 1970'S, 1980'S AND 1990'S AND EARLY 2000 IS GONE I WONDER WHERE DID THE TIME GO ??? LOOKING BACK ALOT, MAKES IT HARD AND I WISH I LOOK BACK SOONER BUT I DID NOT HAVE KZbin OR AND HIGH QUALITY TECHNOLOGY, THERE ALOT OF THINGS I DID NOT GET TO SAY OR DO BECAUSE I HAVE DID HAVE GOOD COMMUNICATION SKILLS I WAS A LITTLE DUMD AND I WAS AFRAID OF LIFE, I WISH THERE WAS A TIME MACHINE TO GO BACK IN TIME I WISH GOD COULD MAKE A TIME MACHINE TO MAKE THE CITY BETTER AND MY LIFE GOD SHOULD GIVE THAT TO ME. I would give anything to have A time MACHINE OR TIME TRAVEL back IN TIME, I WISH THAT WAS POSSIBLE. I hate how everything is expensive in NYC, just because it a city does not mean it needs to be expensive.

[@michaelmastrogiacomo6388]

Puerto Ricans are the best! I miss those days too.

[@pabs5270]

ang I

[@moonglow1311]

ang I can relate to how who feel. I do not belong in the 2000's. My happiness in NYC was when I was employed in Manhattan from 1975 - 1990. The people I knew, the restaurants I frequented. The clubs, shows and theatres I enjoyed going to. I was young, healthy, had the world at my feet, my whole life was ahead of me. I could do anything I wanted, and I did!!! Unfortunately, there is no going back, no time machine. We just have to live with the memories we have, and be content with that......

[@nanapearlpearl2696]

.

[@ztoronto5011]

Thank you for your comment, it reminds me to just enjoy the moment cause im gonna miss these days eventually