Life, 1896-08-27 · page 11 of 18
Life — August 27, 1896 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Analysis This is **not a political cartoon**, but rather a travel guide article titled "Life's Guide to the Metropolis: New York as a Summer Resort." The page features a street photograph of New York City in August, showing classical architecture, pedestrians, and church spires. The accompanying text promotes New York as a summer destination, comparing it favorably to Chicago and recommending specific activities: viewing tenement districts, visiting roof gardens, strolling Broadway to admire architecture, and enjoying Central Park skating. The article's tone is lighthearted tourism promotion, positioning Manhattan's urban landscape and working-class neighborhoods as attractions for summer visitors seeking novelty and entertainment during hot weather months.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
STREET SCENE IN NEW YORK IN AUGUST. LIFE'S GUIDE TO THE METROPOLIS. NEW YORK AS A SUMMER RESORT. i EXT to Chicago and Hades, New York probably offers more advantages as a summer resort than any other place on this continent. where good Croton water can be had on Sunday at any saloon, and which is frequently referred to by Westerners as the Kansas City of the East, has peculiar advantages that This bustling and bibulous town, the other places mentioned do not possess. It is entirely surrounded by ferryboats, and by strolling along the river front occasional ‘glimpses of the water can be seen by the visitor at almost any hour of the day and night. From the East side the lofty spires of Brooklyn are seen in the distance and the scenery is not to be compared with anything in Jersey City. On the West side a fine view of Hoboken can be obtained from any of the wharves, and the floating ice in the Hudson glimmers like myriads of diamonds in the August sunshine. During this month the skating in Central Park is at its best, and it is a beautiful sight, about three- thirty in the afternoon on any fine day to see thousands of the inhabitants availing themselves of this privilege and bowling along over the hard surface with shouts of merry laughter. There are many places of popular interest in the metropolis that are peculiarly appropriate to visit at this time of year. It is a pleasant sight on a sunshiny day to stroll through the tenement district and see the contented residents sitting on the fire escapes with their families, drinking claret cup and iced champagne with happy abandon, or in strong con- trast to this one can visit the uptown residence or chocolate caramel portion of the city and there view the unhappy stock- broker sitting dejectly in the cool of the evening on his front door step, compelled by a sudden fall in the market to live with his family during the time when he ought to be enjoying himself at the roof gardens. During the middle of the day when the sun is up, the visitor will find ample entertainment in strolling down Broad- way, his eye refreshed by the architectural mishaps that line his path and his ear soothed by the monotonous bursting of the corner thermometers. The frigid simoon from the meadows beyond Newark will cool his fevered brow and the comicbooks.com