Hey there, gang — Happy Boxing Day. I hope everyone’s had a joyous and festive holiday thus far. Here’s a quick one I thought I’d share with y’all for your nostalgic viewing pleasure.
I’ve mentioned proto-video-blogger Nelson Sullivan a few times here before (notably here, here and here), but — in a nutshell — Nelson was a maverick character who documented his daily doings on video. That sounds quaint today, but in the early-to-mid 80’s when he was doing that, you have to remember that the endeavor would have required a bulky videocamera. Overall, it must have been a somewhat labor-intensive undertaking. But, god bless’im for it. Sadly, we lost Nelson at the dawn of the 90’s. One wonders what he would have gone onto document — or what he’d have to say about the changes to this city.
In any case, this past December 22nd, 5ninthavenueproject published another archival clip of Nelson’s, and a friend of mine on Facebook gave me a quick nudge about it. Check it out below.
Entitled “A Walk from Washington Square to the East Village, 1985,” this clip captures just that — a leisurely stroll from west to east in July of that year. While that might sound low on thrills, the amount of since-vanished businesses, buildings, landmarks and other visual delights will positively enthrall anyone who harbors an affinity for this era of downtown Manhattan.
Personal favorite depicted for me included several shots of the old Gringo mural, a fleeting invocation of the Unique Boutique, DoJo and the very-soon-to-vanish Grassroots Tavern on St. Marks Place and so much more.
Check it out and enjoy…
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