but the cat looks so modern!

Tesla lived and died (1/7/43) in room #3327.

Buy it!

there were just too many setbacks.

Because of the strong visual clues in this photograph - the Greyhound Terminal and the Hotel New Yorker - I hereby declare that the location of this parking lot is the north side of West 33rd Street, between Seventh and Eighth Avenues. This would be directly across the street from the north side of Penn Station; it is now the site of the skyscraper called One Penn Plaza, completed in 1972.

I thought that fence "graphics" were part of a car design.

Just enough cues to differentiate it from the top line Roadmaster, which shared the same body. Parked next to a 1957 Mercury. He's a real hepcat in the jargon of the day.

The New Yorker Hotel is still there, as is the narrow building whose windowless wall was and is used for advertising. The cat, parking lot, and surrounding one and two story buildings are now the site of the Penn 1 office tower, encased in black glass and opened in 1972.

Methinks kitty was pretty used to the valets

Pussy is blissfully unaware of the hound running full speed behind it.

You look bemewzed; should I repeat the question?

That's the old Pennsylvania Greyhound Terminal in the background. That, along with the New Yorker Hotel, places this at the current location of the One Penn Plaza building, across the street from Madison Square Garden ... Eighth Avenue between 33rd and 34th Streets.

It looks like the fence of this parking lot runs along the 33rd Street side of the street, across from the north side of Penn Station. Of course, with more recent buildings in place it's impossible to get the same pic today, but an approximation that shows The New Yorker Hotel, 225 West 34th Street on the right (now known as 14 Penn Plaza) and the top of the tall chimney on 494 Eighth Ave can be seen here. The side of 494 Eighth continues to function as a painted signboard.

My tuxie is nearly identical to this. Her white chin fur does not extend up beside her nose, but other than that, her markings are the same. Except my Sweetness kitty is sleek and smooth and soft and pampered and petted and never goes outside.

Darn! A great photo like this with all the windows and signs was begging for the SHORPY to be embedded in some hidden location. I looked forward to the hunt, but there it was in plain sight.

Mildcat.

No relation to Tennessee Tuxedo, obviously.

Yes, you can park close to the fence and scoot out the passenger door. But if the Mercury parks too close, you may have a long wait before the driver returns.

[This would be a pay lot where an attendant parks the cars and keeps the keys. - Dave]

I love Mr. Puss in this photo, but I immediately think that the person parking this car benefitted greatly from what is likely a nice, relatively friction free bench seat upon which to slide in order to exit out the passenger door.