Forgotten N.Y. ?

At first glance, this site titled Forgotten NY is a log of the more hidden history of the city of New York. Not just monuments or abandoned buildings but a record of everyday things like signs, lamps, and ads that once brand new, beg for some kind of attention today. Overlooked by almost everyone daily, forgotten-ny.com captures what our present day can’t erase. Dedicated to preserving the past the web page amasses photographs and encourages visitors to take a closer more historical view of the city that never sleeps.

Now, the first thing that grabbed my attention was the trolley car. Perhaps it was my childhood recollection to mister roger and his model trolley that had a mind of its own or the thought that the subway cars I take to class had had to have a predecessor. After clicking the link what I find is a photograph, sepia toned with an ancestor to the bus roaming the brick layered street. Squealing on dual rails and guided by cables throughout the town, New York City residents had to dodge these machines if it were a part of life. With stations all around the metropolitan area New Yorkers were provided with the first of public transportation. The “tram cars” as they were also known, were an alternative to the horse and carriage and later the automobile.

Obsolete in the city and since replaced by advancements in technology, tram cars for New Yorkers are extinct. Overpowered by buses, subways and elevated trains, they are a thing of the past, forgotten leaving only unique footprints. If Manhattan is the heart of the city, streets and subway lines are the veins of the city than the trolley rails are the varicose veins. Useless, old and if not covered well can re-expose themselves and look horrible on the surface. For Japan and San Francisco it is a different story, trolleys are still in use, but the next time you walk through any of the boroughs avoid the skyscrapers for one second. Take a break from shopping and seriously look down when you cross the street.

Forgotten-NY.com is truly about remembering. Remembering and learning where the city comes from, where it stands, and what once was.