From the Tavern on the Green in 1934 to the famous Cavanaugh's Restaurant on West 23rd in 1938 to an old dining shack in Sheepshead Bay in 1953—click through for a look at where New Yorkers used to eat back in the day. The captions (along with the photographs) are all courtesy of the NYC Municipal Archives, who just released nearly one million photos online. Now if only there were a million hours in a day or the NYPL Old Menus crew could combine forces with the Municipal Archives and fully piece together these old spots for us. more ›

Through September 4th, Eugene de Salignac's photographs will be shown at the New York Rises exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York. What separates this photographer from others who have taken famous shots of this city throughout the ages, is that de Salignac served as photographer for the New York City Department of Bridges/Plant and Structures. He did this for the first three decades of the 20th century (1903 to 1934) and in doing so brought us thousands upon thousands of images of New York, in fact, rising. The images of "bridges, buildings, roads, and subways document the emergence of the modern city, while at the same time providing a unique aesthetic vision of the built environment and the people who created it." more ›

No question about it, New Yorkers like to bitch. Bemoaning Gotham's noisy neighbors, putrid stenches, dirty streets, etc., etc., is a habit New Yorkers have enjoyed as long as there have been New Yorkers. Especially popular is the letter of complaint to Hizzoner, a habit that lives on to this day. Seriously, people have been writing these letters for centuries now. A number of just such letters have been unearthed from more than 30,000 boxes of correspondence in the Municipal archive. more ›

In other mayoral news, the Post reports that Mayor Giuliani "conducted scathing research on his political enemies" while campaigning for Mayor and during his terms. Many memos are now in the Municipal Archives, such as one that says, "BILL CLINTON IS NO FRIEND OF NEW YORK CITY!" Oh, Rudy, we knew you had it in you, you don't fool us with any of that September 11 stuff.
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Gothamist occasionally searches through the Municipal Archives for work, but did you know you can visit the Archives pleasure? Without leaving the comfort of your couch? more ›