Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Video: Spend An Hour On 72nd Street & Broadway In The 1980s
By
Jen Carlson
Published Sep 21, 2012
Modified Sep 21, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Sep 21, 2012
Modified Sep 21, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The Upper West Side in the 1980s may not have been as yuppified as it seemed in that Carly Simon video we revisited recently—shockingly that music video was not totally accurate. Below you can travel back to 72nd Street and Broadway in 1982 and 1983 for about one full hour—you'll get street scenes, old cabs and busses, the NYPD, and New Yorkers talking about getting cable television! You'll also meet Mrs. Meyers as she buys her daily newspapers (check out the headlines)—she tells the camera, "I'll never be happy... not around here," right before another woman chimes in, "Tell them to stop making all the apartments condominiums, we can't afford it."
Tagged
1980s
flashback
history
Upper West Side
uws
original
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
NYC music in October: The Strokes, a Blink-182 cover band, and Polish experimentalism
An excellent and diverse month of concerts are in store for October.
By
Hank Shteamer
Published Oct 2, 2026
Are you a New Yorker? The Department of New Yorker Verification will now decide.
There is now an (un)official verification process for those who can claim the title of city resident.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Arts & Entertainment
Are you a New Yorker? The Department of New Yorker Verification will now decide.
There is now an (un)official verification process for those who can claim the title of city resident.
By
Hannah Frishberg
In the mood for a pastoral autumn experience? Try Queens.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
October is spooky season at the movies in New York City
By
Emma Stefansky
At the Museum at FIT, an argument for dolls as the ultimate fashion influencers
By
Quinn Moreland
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .