A New York City Train Ride to Coney Island in 1987

I remember heading over to New York City in the 1980s and riding on the subway. It was a memorable and somewhat scary experience, where I never felt in danger, but just felt what I can only describe now as sensory overload. This experience has been hard to translate into words. It is a snapshot of a past that is really best witnessed firsthand.

That is why I was very excited to find this home video that was shot in 1987. In it, a group of friends and family take a ride on a New York City Subway line from Union Square all the way out to Coney Island. In the video, you will witness the sights and sounds of this journey, including graffiti-covered subway cars, sleep passengers, scratched and dirty windows and floors, and most shockingly, webbed toes.

While I prefer a clean and untagged subway experience. Part of me would like NYC to redo a car with a graffiti-tagged theme as a moving museum piece. The problem with that becomes, do you then discourage people from adding new graffiti?

Oh well, at least someone had the sense to grab a video camera and take it along for the ride. It is a pretty magical experience that I hope everyone enjoys.