Nicholas West took this black and white film of the northern traffic island on Broadway near 88th Street in 1971.

The film is soundless and slow, but it's wild nonetheless.

What's changed about New York City since 1971 besides the extreme alteration in car models?

If you'd ask any New Yorker who lived in both 1971 NYC and current day NYC, they'd say that 1971 NYC was loaded with more... grit, grind, and personality. 

We've certainly noticed a dearth of 7-Elevens and Bank of Americas in the aging clip.

We also noticed that the movie theater in the clip has manually placed letters on its announcement board. Which means someone climbed up a ladder and put the letters in place to indicate what movies were showing. 

[anad]

So we would agree with that assessment, that this 1971 clip of NYC was, in fact, loaded with humanity.

Watch the video below for visual evidence of just how much NYC's changed over the years, and then decide for yourself what's most different between the clip and current-day NYC.

https://youtu.be/jnH6e7mP33w

Have You Ever Wondered What NYC Looked Like Way Back in 1968?!

[via Vanishing New York]