19 vintage photos that show what New York City looked like in the 1980s

View_of_the_Twin_Towers,_New_York_City_1985Janet Delaney

The New York City of the 1980s is quite different from the city we know today. Homicides were at near-record highs, the crack epidemic was raging, and NYC had not yet experienced the wave of gentrification that has marked it in modern times.

Janet Delaney grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles, but always wanted to experience the city life. Though she never officially moved to the Big Apple, she took several trips and ended up taking some beautiful photos there.

Below are some of her photos that depict what New York City was like decades ago.

AdvertisementDelaney started taking one-week trips to New York in the mid-1980s.Trash_on_the_East_River,_New_York_City,_1986 Janet Delaney“When I visited New York during these years, 1984 to 1987, I was happily taking photographs because I was in love with the place,” she told Business Insider.Coats_for_Sale,_New_York_City,_1984 Janet DelaneyAdvertisementDuring one trip, while she was staying at a friend’s loft, she came back at 3 in the morning and realized she had forgotten the key.Brooklyn_Bridge_from_Dover_Street,_New_York_City,1986 Janet DelaneyShe decided to spend the rest of the night drifting around lower Manhattan.Newsstand_in_the_Subway_New_York_City_1985 Janet DelaneyAdvertisementOnce dawn hit that day, she took the Staten Island Ferry back and forth to kill time.South_Street,_New_York_City_1984 Janet DelaneyShe took this shot during the ferry ride, even managing to capture the word “American” in the frame naturally.American_Staten_Island_Ferry,_New_York_City_1985 Janet DelaneyAdvertisementOf this couple onboard, she said: “They never acknowledged me, they were so lost in each other. I was the only other person on the bow of the ferry, but we never spoke.”6am_on_the_Staten_Island_Ferry,_New_York_City_1985 Janet DelaneyThe aforementioned friend she was staying with was Barbara Mensch, another photographer who had a studio by the Brooklyn Bridge and South Street Seaport.Fish_Co.South_Street,_New_York_City,1985 Janet DelaneyAdvertisementMensch helped guide Delaney through downtown. She found the love for the city infectious.Painter,_SoHo,_New_York_City,1984 Janet DelaneyAs Delaney was photographing, she focused on the idea of how a city goes through changes over time.BroadwayLafayette_Station,_New_York_City,_1984 Janet DelaneyAdvertisementAt the same time she was taking these photos in New York, Delaney was finishing up a project in San Francisco about the changing demographics of that city.OnStrike,_New_York_City,1985 Janet DelaneyThe photos are not just about Delaney’s eye and what she saw, but also a way of examining how different types of people were represented or seen in society at the time.Policeman,_SoHo,_New_York_City,_1986 Janet DelaneyAdvertisementShe also did interviews with the people she saw, meaning that her photos can be seen as fine art and social documentation.Woman_with_Tree,_New_York_City_1987 Janet DelaneyOne thing she looks back on now — and realizes she didn’t appreciate as much at the time — was how unique small businesses were before Manhattan filled up with chain stores.Playing_Video_Games,_New_York_City_1985 Janet DelaneyAdvertisement”This really homogenized the experience on the street,” Delaney said. “And as the cost of living in Manhattan rose, it seemed the place became a bit more predictable.”Wall_Street,_New_York_City_1984 Janet DelaneyShe has always been, and continues to be, drawn to New York.Twin_Towers_and_Truck,_New_York_City,1987 Janet DelaneyAdvertisementBut she has not photographed it in the same way since this project from the ’80s.Manhattan_Bridge,_New_York_City_1987 Janet Delaney