That's the spirit

"New York in the 80s", Steven Siegel.

"Some older people are nostalgic for “the good old days.” For example, they remember the Times Square of the 80’s… And what they remember is not so much the danger but the grittiness and (for lack of a better word) the authenticity. Yes, there was sleaze, but there were also video arcades, cheap movies, restaurants, and weird places. These same people resent the “Disney-ification” of Times Square and the gentrification of virtually all of Manhattan and many areas of the boroughs, and the loss of cheap housing and local stores everywhere.

Others’ reactions to these same photos could not be more different. If they’re over a certain age, they remember the high crime, the twin crises of AIDS and crack, the racial tension, the lurid tabloid headlines about the latest street crime. They say: It was a nightmare, and thank God it’s over.

Of course, both views are right.

(...)

The New York of the 1980s differed in two fundamental ways from the New York of today.

First, 1980s-era New York was an edgier, riskier, dirtier, tenser, more dangerous and chaotic place. I think that fairly comes through in my images.

Second, 1980s-era New York had a sense of wide-openness and freedom that was lost following 9/11 ... and likely never will be regained. "

Só conheço NY dos filmes, da net, ou de registos impressos (livros e revistas) mas até eu percebo isto. E faz parte do imaginário colectivo, sim.

Estas fotografias são bestiais, assim como todo o set.