Leland Bobbé’s photographs take us back to New York City in the 1970s, when,as he tells us, the place was a wild and dangerous place. “The city was on the verge of going bankrupt, there was a major blackout, the Son of Sam murders, the South Bronx looked like a war zone. Before gentrification neighborhoods had distinct personalities. Times Square with it’s prostitutes and peep shows was not a playground for Middle America and in the lower east side there wasn’t a Gap or a Starbuck’s, to be found; it had CBGB’s. The Bowery was the end of the line for many. Some of these shots were taken shooting from the hip, pre-focused to 6’, with a 28mm lens without looking through the viewfinder so I wouldn’t be noticed. With this group of photographs my intention was to capture the grit and personality of a unique period in New York City history. Long live The Ramones…”

All photos Copyright Leland Bobbe.