.
Muting helps that immensely.
Wow.
Incredible (re-mastered) video quality. Here is a similar one of San Francisco, 1906:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Q5Nur642BU
The streetcars used a conduit to access DC electricity because of opposition to stringing wires. La Guardia put an end to these streetcars because he thought they were noise, dirty and smelly.
The traffic light had not yet been invented. Every intersection of importance had a cop directing traffic.
The elevated railroad is the 3rd Avenue line, torn down in 1958. The wooden cars that serviced that line went to the east side of San Francisco Bay during World War II to provide trolley service to the shipyards. The lines were installed for the war effort and torn up right after VJ Day.
The Brooklyn Bridge had streetcar service leading to an underground terminal on the Manhattan side of the bridge. Note that the Brooklyn trolleys used catenary wire, not conduit.
Before the Hudson River tunnels were built, the railroads operated their own private navies to ferry people from Jersey City and Hoboken to downtown Manhattan. By 1966 the last railroad-operated ferry disappeared.
Despite the Brooklyn, Williamsburg and Manhattan Bridges being in service and rail lines going under the river, there was still East River ferry service in 1911.
Nootice the piles of horse poop in the streets? Imagine the smells wafting from a hot August street filled with manure for 24 days.
And no air conditioning. Windows open to the flies, rats, and smell.
Get a load of those flat top hats. Almost all the men and women wore hats and suit jackets for men and long dresses for women. Looks like they got along just fine without traffic lights.
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We happen to be one of the earliest generations able to see images from the past. What that means in terms of social interaction has yet to be fathomed. Who cannot marvel at NYC, despite all the leftist garbage produced and imbibed there?
Observation: Very few overweight folks.
Observation: Virtually no one casually dressed. Not even street vendors.
Check out the right-hand-drive steering wheels on the cars.
At that time, the War between the States was only as distant as Vietnam was today.
Agree on both points. Thanks for posting this.
I also enjoyed another video there of really old photographs.
I also muted the music.
I was surprised to see that the cars had the steering wheel on the right side. Was that typical of cars in that era?
Thank you. This is the year my paternal grandparents came from sicily on separate boats, through Ellis island, settled on Little Italy, and finally met in Switzer WV.
Nice to see that most everyone was well dressed and seemed to have a purpose in life.
No slackers or layabouts to be seen. (Although they were probably extant - a few streets over).
The streets look cleaner then, for one thing!