Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

 

 

Arts & Entertainment

Some Of The Realest Reasons To Love NYC Are Found In This 1976 Listicle

By

Jen Carlson

Published Jun 5, 2018

Modified Jun 6, 2018

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 .

Street scene of the Garment District in New York City in 1976.

 

Anastasi Giuseppe/AP/REX/Shutterstock

By

Jen Carlson

Published Jun 5, 2018

Modified Jun 6, 2018

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

It is an almost impossible task to pull apart New York City and create a list of reasons why New Yorkers love it. Observe a New Yorker in the wild on any given day, and you will see your subject be broken down by the city, its subway system, its often arduous obstacles, and even other New Yorkers. The relationship between a New Yorker and this city is so complicated and personal, both perfect and dysfunctional AF, and as such it's difficult to pinpoint why any one of us has fallen helplessly captive to this place.

Certainly there are some through lines connecting our communal love for the city, though—many listicles have tackled this, but the closest-to-perfect list we've ever seen comes from The NY Times circa June 1976, if only for its brutal honesty and specificity. Here are a few timeless bullet points:

1976nyc18.jpg
"Commuters face the usual morning rush hour crowds, at the Rockefeller Center subway station, 1976." (Suzanne Vlamis/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

The list also includes a few now-charmingly-dated items:

"The apostrophe missing from DONT WALK." (These were phased out around 2000.)

"Flipping the change tray in the plastic taxicab divider."

"Dialing 873-0404" (This was the Dial-A-Satellite hotline which delivered information about passing satellites.)

"Habitually fitting your thumbnail in the Y-cutout of a subway token.

See the full list here.

Tagged

1970s

flashback

history

reasons we love nyc

same as it ever was

why we love nyc

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

Ever wish you could get paid to walk through a stranger’s house? ‘The Scout’ is for you.

A new film focuses on the strange career of a location scout in New York City.

By

Sonia Rao

Published Sep 26, 2026

There are 100s of places to visit during Open House New York. Here's 5 of our favorites.

See the entire lineup for the weekend when the city opens its doors.

By

Hannah Frishberg

Arts & Entertainment

There are 100s of places to visit during Open House New York. Here's 5 of our favorites.

See the entire lineup for the weekend when the city opens its doors.

By

Hannah Frishberg

A massive MTA archive ended up in a Virginia warehouse. A Brooklyn man brought it home.

By

Hannah Frishberg

How a Harry Styles pop-up in the East Village led to a nearby bookstore owner's arrest

By

Sonia Rao

NYC’s creative workers are increasingly self-employed, report says

By

Hannah Frishberg

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 .