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Circa 1908. "Riverside Drive, New York." Tourists in an electric charabanc or "automobile bus." 8x10 glass negative, Detroit Publishing Co. View full size.
The building with the striped awnings (the one furthest to the right side of the photo) I believe is 224 Riverside Drive. The building with the awnings next to that one (to its left) is 227 Riverside Drive. (I think)
...up Riverside Drive since I know this wall type is only a long a few stretches.
This is the intersection of West 95th and Riverside Drive. The corner building and the one behind it and to the right are the two buildings with the awnings in the original image:
(Google maps link: http://goo.gl/maps/Kdb1B)
My Great-great-grandparents, William and Julia O'Connell owned a farm on the upper west side of Manhattan from the 1870's to about 1900. Family lore has it that the City bought the farm (through imminent domain) for the purpose of building Riverside Drive. Perhaps this was the location of the O'Connell farm? They moved to a brownstone on West 151st Street in Harlem.
Three more of these electric charabancs have appeared in Shorpy. two here- https://www.shorpy.com/node/8314 and one here- https://www.shorpy.com/node/7251
Is it just me, or are there a couple small kids riding up on the roof of the bus? Also, does anyone think it unusual that the sidewalks are paved, but the road isn't?
[Wheeled vehicles and horses could negotiate unpaved thoroughfares easily; people on foot couldn't. - tterrace]
Why do I get the feeling the conductor standing up is leading a rousing chorus of "the wheels on the bus go round and round"?
Sure hope they had deodorant back then! Nevertheless, it looks like fun.
Are you sure this isn't in Oklahoma?
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