And my friends thought I was nuts for shelling out $300 for the Ric Burns "New York" box-set. I can't believe that Bob Moses wanted to tear down all these awesome buildings for expressways?

PS. I think every gentleman wore a hat until the early sixties, when nonconformity started to creep in.

Summer in NYC in that era would be odorous... All that horse manure on hot streets had to be breath taking...
I also noted the hats on all the men and the more formal street dress...

I notice in the newsboys photos that even the young lads are wearing hats, often coats, and some even have ties and they appear to be friendly... What a contrast to the pants baring buttock crease and nasty attitudes I see worn on many young men today...

This is the original GCT. The train station was torn down in phases between 1900 and 1915 and replaced by the current one.

the transportation issue aside, it appears that each and every man in this picture is wearing a hat or a cap...

Lower Broadway in the horse-and-buggy days was notorious for having horrid traffic snarls, thanks to a combination of Broadway being the main artery, a population concentrated below 14th Street, and no such thing as traffic signals. Well before the subways (and even the elevateds) were built, there were many public transportation plans discussed to alleviate the terrible congestion.

This photo is perfect for a frame.

Good post Anonymous! It would be nice if we could avoid the traffic that we're subjected to these days. :)

While this time era depicts "the olden days" there is a lot that we can learn from the picture. Notice the complete lack of traffic snarl and the abundance of public transportation.