This new site, SepiaTown, which launched over the weekend, is what the Google Street View Time Machine should look like when they invent it, letting you explore Old New York via sepia tone photographs of old-timey streets and buildings. If you happen to have a huge stash (or just a couple) of old photos of the city, you can upload them to their appropriate place on the map for others to see. Just yesterday afternoon, someone added the image below, which shows Talman Street circa 1936, which used to be right where most L Mag staffers come out of the subway on their way to work. Other favorites include the elevated subway on Bowery, and the beautiful Manhattan Market right where our ugly-as-sin convention center now sits. (Curbed)
These photos are mesmerizing. It’s such an clear concept, but the sepiatown website is just especially easy to use. I’d love to see the stories, like the one in this article, that go with each personal upload.