The Year.....1984. The Place......New York City.

The first part of my research into NYC in the 80s is purely visual.

 

So I'm Carrie Bradshaw. Im in New York City for the first time.

 

 

This is how the city looks.

 

All authentic images of NYC in 1984.

 

 

 

 

 

The city looks so big, very big, enormous, over whelming and scary even.

 

The city looks gritty and unafraid.

 

To get a better feel for the city in the 1980s (unfortunately I couldn't lay my hands on a time machine),  I have been watching original film footage of the city.

This gave me a better sense of the city than the stills. It helped to enhance the mood I got from the photographs I have found. It brought the city to life.

 

 

The city is constantly busy and bustling with people. An ecclectic mixture of races and fashions. The city is noisy and colourful yet in places it is still and calm.

 

 The city must have been a dream for young creatives in the 80s. So many personalities, places, faces and situations to learn and to gain inspiration from.

 

 24 hour cities and town centres are something today we are used to but in the 80s this was still new and exciting for those moving to a big city like New York. From the footage you can see that even at night time the city is still as busy. The colourful lights from the shops and advertising are captivating in the day time but at night they are brighter and more vibrant. Making it clear for all who reside there the city never goes to sleep.

 What an exciting time this must have been. The city looks gritty and rusty in parts and for me that adds to its character. Although some places look tired and worn the people moving within the spaces are what brings New York City to life.

 

Below is my favourite image so far that I have sourced of the city in 1984.

To me this image is a perfect description of the city in one moment.

 

 

I believe that for a teenage Carrie Bradshaw, dreaming and hoping of one day becoming a successful writer, her first impressions of the big city would fit perfectly with my description of this image.

A scary, dark, worn, gritty, used up container of fun, colour,  vibrance and thought provoking moments.