The lost World's Fair Subway line in New York City has a rich yet fleeting history. Constructed for the 1939-1940 World's Fair held in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens, the line served as a direct route for fairgoers from Manhattan to the fairgrounds. However, its legacy was short-lived, as it ceased operations shortly after the fair's conclusion. Despite efforts to repurpose the line for public transit, logistical challenges and financial constraints led to its abandonment. Today, remnants of this once-prominent subway line linger beneath the city streets, serving as a nostalgic reminder of a bygone era of innovation and grandeur.

00:00 Introduction
00:34 The Origins of Broadway
02:58 Broadway Begins
05:54 Ad Break
07:20 Broadway in 1776
10:30 The Bloomingdale Road
14:17 Times Square
16:16 Upper Broadway
19:29 The impact of Broadway

This fantastic video from The New Yorker combines old footage of New York City taken over the past 80 years and combines it with the modern day counterpart, side by side on a split screen. Most of the footage was captured by vehicle, so you can dynamically compare both eras with ease. In its nearly 9-minutes, the video travels all around Manhattan, as well as parts of Brooklyn and Queens, and most of the Lower Manhattan bridges as well.

A split-screen tour of the same streets in New York City, from the nineteen-thirties and today.