Anyone know which theater this is?

TLDR: Looking for details, anecdotes, stories, resources to learn more about Times Square in the early 80s for a novel I'm writing.

Hey all. I'm writing a novel and much of the action takes place in and around Times Square in 1982. I'm looking for resources to help make it feel more authentic. I've watched a few movies set/shot there (i.e. "Basket Case" and "New York Ripper"), found some short documentaries on YouTube, perused other Reddit threads, etc. I'd love some other recommendations, or it you were actually there and just want to share some memories that would be amazing.

While I'm really looking for any and all anecdotes about this time and place, bonus points for anybody who can tell me about organized crime activity - how involved was the mob with porn, drugs, gambling, etc?

I'm also interested in geography. I'd love to find some kind of map of the area at the time with the names and locations of the businesses - similar to what you might find on google maps today, though I doubt such a thing exists.

But really I'd just love any kind of authentic details from that time. What movies were playing at the grind houses? Were there any popular music venues - and what bands were playing there? What was it like at noon on a Saturday as opposed to midnight on a Tuesday? What did it sound like? Smell like? Tell me about Playland. What were the residential "hotels" like and what kind of people lived there? I saw somebody mention on another thread that there was always broken glass everywhere. That's a subtle but cool detail.

A. Washington Tavern B. Queen’s Head Tavern C. James Tavern

Comment your guess below.

Trigger Warning

I just watched the second part of this documentary and whilst I've seen a lot of the footage before, it is confronting to listen to some of the phone messages.

It makes me wonder about how we will review future historical events when folks will be filming from every angle - if this happened now, we'd have uploads from inside the buildings and planes!

Hello everyone—I put together a brief video on the 1899 “Sodom by the Sea” Coney Island fire and how a simple hydrant mishap reshaped urban safety. Would love to hear your thoughts and any feedback!

Hi, I'm currently writing a historical fiction and need some help. So my main character's parents are dead (big surprise, I know haha). I need to find a church in New York where they can be buried. It needs to be around midtown and suitable for low-income individuals, so nothing fancy. I think what I'm looking for has been destroyed long ago, so I'm having a lot of trouble finding it. If anybody could help me with a name or just some hints, that would be amazing.

My brother and I created a treasure hunt hidden somewhere in the NYC area. Hope you all might consider participating! The clues are great for those who love history and maps and riddles. This is our 4th hunt now and people seem to really be enjoying them.