New York, New York, Part 1

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This video aired on a New York TV program called "Perception." It was recorded in the early seventies and is a lush cityscape that gives the viewer a glimpse into daily life in New York City.

00:00 This tape begins with a blue screen.

00:27 In a sea of static, the word “Perception” fades in as narrator Eric Siegel introduces his tape.

01:17 Cut to a shot of Hare Krishnas on a New York City street. The sidewalks are flooded with people as they travel to and from their destinations. Street performers and salesmen are seen amidst the crowds of people.

02:53 Cut to footage from the subway as MTA riders await the next train. We watch as trains arrive and depart from the Union Square 14th Street stop.

04:08 As the videomaker steps onto the train, riders are seen sitting quietly, reading their books and newspapers. A few patrons curiously stare at the camera. as time goes on, more riders board the train. The videomaker gathers footage of the many commuters aboard the train.

08:47 Cut to the streets which still remain very crowded. The videomaker gets a shot of an electronic news ticker on the side of a building.

09:45 Cut to a shot of a homeless man who lays nearly motionless in a phone booth. The man is surround by paper scraps and street garbage. A group of law enforcement officials try to move the man out of the way. After a bit of a struggle, the police officers finally escort the man off of the premises.

11:42 Cut to a quick shot from outside of a clothing store. This is followed by footage from outside of a New York theater. This portion of the tape is cross cut with clips of naked men and women performing some type of theater piece on stage. This lasts for several minutes.

13:57 Cut to more footage from inside of a subway train. An older woman shoos the camera away, not wanting to be seen on camera. The videomaker gathers footage of a group of young girls conversing with one another.

15:35 We watch as a young boy and two men communicate through a window. Standing outside, the two men make funny faces as the child, who is inside, giggles and hides behind a napkin. Eventually, only one of the men stands outside of the window and continues to try and make the child laugh, even after the young boy loses interest. This lasts for several minutes.

18:23 Cut to more footage from the train.

21:28 Cut to footage from the street. This is followed by footage of then President Richard Nixon having dinner with a group of Chinese diplomats during his monumental visit to China in 1972. Nixon also gives a speech that is fairly inaudible as a John Lennon song plays in the background. The clip is cross cut with footage from the streets of New York.

24:18 More footage from the streets. We watch as the videomaker gathers footage from a poorer area in New York City. This lasts for several minutes.

25:43 Cut to a shot of a homeless man laying still upon the steps of the Bowery Savings Bank. This is followed by more footage from around the street.

26:35 Shot from inside of a cab, a man approaches a cab driver and asks him a few muffled questions. This is followed by footage from Central Park. Boats glide across the water as hordes of people walk through the park There is some type of large gathering taking place in the park. At one point a man is seen walking around the park completely naked. Oddly enough, many people don’t even seem to notice or might be trying not to. This lasts for the remainder of the tape.

32:38 Tape ends.