Episode 19: New York City in the 1970s

[00:00:00] Welcome to English, please, the podcast where we explore captivating topics in under 10 minutes, in clear intermediate English. I’m your host, Christopher. I live and work in New York City, and I’m a language enthusiast who has always been interested in the best ways to learn a new language. Thank you for joining me for another episode, designed to help you improve your English listening skills and vocabulary. 

Last week. I spent a few days in California, visiting family in Los Angeles and San Francisco. I also took some time to visit some tourist spots. In San Francisco, I saw the iconic Golden Gate [00:01:00] Bridge and the sprawling Golden Gate Park. I also explored the vibrant Chinatown and treated myself to some delicious meals. In Los Angeles, I walked on the beaches, spent time in some interesting neighborhoods, and I visited the Getty Center, a fantastic museum. As I did in San Francisco, I enjoyed delicious food with friends and family in Los Angeles, as well. 

On my flight back, I met someone from Los Angeles who was excited to be visiting New York City for the very first time. She was eager to learn more about the city and asked me for recommendations, and I was happy to share several with her. However, the conversation then shifted towards the topic of crime and safety. She mentioned that her parents had lived in New York City in the 1970s, and she wondered if the city was returning to the way it was back [00:02:00] then. 

It’s important to remember that the 1970s were a very different time. And it was 50 years ago! Many things have changed a lot since then. Even though I wasn’t in New York City back in the 70s, I know it was a completely different period. You might have seen some movies filmed in New York City during the 70s. For example, Taxi Driver, Serpico, Mean Streets, or even Saturday Night Fever. These movies often show New York City as a tough and dirty place with a lot of crime and graffiti. And it’s true. Life in the city was pretty difficult back then. But New York City was also a creative and unique place in the 1970s. Even though there were challenges, there was a special energy to the [00:03:00] city. 

The 1970s began with hope. The giant World Trade Center towers had just been built and they stood high over the city with amazing views, of course, and also with many important companies from around the world located inside. 

But this feeling of hope didn’t last long. Local factories began to close and companies began moving them to other countries in order to reduce costs. As a result, people lost their jobs. Crime began to increase. Families who had money moved away from the city to the suburbs, looking for lower crime and bigger houses. As people left and jobs were lost, the city started to fall apart. New York City didn’t have enough money from taxes to take care of things. [00:04:00] For example, bridges were rusty and unreliable, garbage piled up on the streets, causing the city to smell bad, and the subways were always delayed or broken down. 

Crime in the 1970s in New York City went wild. People were scared of being robbed, especially at night. The subways, once clean and fast, were dangerous and covered in graffiti. Empty buildings were everywhere. Newspapers made the crime seem even worse with scary headlines that talked about robberies, beatings, and murders. And this made more people, and more companies, want to leave. Oh, and New York City’s budget problems got worse. 

Even though things were tough, those who lived in New York did their best. People found ways to [00:05:00] make money and all sorts of creative and sometimes questionable ways. On busy corners, for example, people sold hot dogs, flowers, fruits, and crafts they made themselves. They sold luxury clothing that was fake, and they even sold copies of records, featuring popular music. 

The 1970s were also a special time for art in New York City. The city was like a magnet for artists, musicians, and writers. They came for the exciting energy of the city and also for the chance to become famous. Because of things like the high rate of crime, the financial difficulty of the city to provide essential services, and the huge number of empty and dilapidated buildings, it was cheap to rent an apartment. 

New and loud music called punk rock started to become popular in [00:06:00] small, dirty clubs, like CBGB in the East Village, and the Mudd Club in Tribeca. This music, a lot of energy and influenced other music styles, as well as literature and visual art. There were also some famous nightclubs like Studio 54, which were all about glamour with mirrors , bright lights, and people dancing to disco music all night. Amazing new visual artists were developing new styles and movements. Young artists like Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat, who started with street art and graffiti, became very famous for their bold paintings with social messages. Keith Haring’s colorful cartoon style pictures talked about problems like war and AIDS, while Basquiat’s strong paintings explored race, identity, and [00:07:00] colonialism. 

Famous Pop Art artists like Andy Warhol continued to create new and interesting work during the 70s. Other artists like Richard Serra and Louise Bourgeois made huge sculptures that caused people to think differently about space and shape. This was also a time when women artists, for example, Jenny Holzer, used their art to challenge ideas about what women should be like. The 1970s in New York City was a decade full of incredibly talented artists from all walks of life, and it completely changed the world of Modern Art. 

For many, New York City never lost its magic. It was still a place where dreams could come true, and actors, singers, and dancers also came to the city full of hope, and worked hard to make it big. Young professionals were also attracted by the city’s [00:08:00] fast pace and the chance to make a lot of money. They built careers on Wall Street or in the world of advertising and marketing on Madison Avenue. In general people believed that if they worked hard and had talent, they could succeed in New York. By the end of the decade, things were starting to improve. The economy was getting better and some of the neighborhoods were being cleaned up and restored. 

The challenges of the 1970s made New York City stronger. People had to find new ways to solve problems, and they had to be more creative, and that’s still a big part of the city today. While some people say they would like to go back to an era when the city was less expensive, and maybe had more character, the economic problems and the high crime are definitely not something anyone would want. 

I hope you were able to understand most of the content in this episode, and don’t forget, [00:09:00] as always, there’s a transcript available to help you with your understanding. You can find the link in the episode notes. I recommend listening again with the transcript to help with anything that wasn’t clear. 

Again, I’m Christopher, and I want to invite you to join me in future episodes of English, please to hear about a variety of topics, all focused on helping you with your English. Subscribe now, wherever you listen to podcasts, and let’s embark on an adventure together in clear, understandable English. I also encourage you to visit comullen.com/pod for more information. 

Thanks for listening. See you soon!