Time Traveler No.13 - Dressed for the Occasion

Time Traveler No.13 - Dressed for the Occasion

The New York City Subway's "Holiday Nostalgia Train" (sadly not run last Holiday Season for the obvious reasons) attracts not only fans of these sturdy old R1/9 growlers but also those who enjoy dressing in period clothing of the type seen when these trains were new in the 1930s and '40s on the 6th and 8th Avenue IND Subway.

But if one also happens to be a photog, well you could hardly time-travel better than this gent with his press camera and large format film! And does anyone here remember the blinding flash of those No.5 or 25 flashbulbs (or might these have been even larger?), the aroma of spent bulbs...the not-to-be-forgotten sensation of touching one too soon?

The scene here was the uptown platform of the F train's 2nd Ave Station on the Lower East Side of
Manhattan, as we all waited to board for the ride up to Harlem - my first ride on the HNT, in December 2018.

Not seen, but very present also - live music, people swing dancing further up the platform to Cole Porter and
Duke Ellington and contemporaries. (*) There were even musical ensembles and singers in some of the cars.

In short, happy, festive, deliciously nostalgic....

While I do not own a press camera, I was disappointed in myself for not thinking to bring along
a film camera on this first outing - an oversight I made sure to rectify on my next trip in 2019! (**)

The photo makes its first F-C appearance today.

©2021 Steve Ember
Grazie mille, Carlo Pollaci, per aver proposto questa foto per la Gallery!
(*)