Jun 14, 2017
May 29, 1981: Miraculously, the best hot dogs in Manhattan could be found underneath the West Side Highway, where “tailgate vendors” peddled their wares, profiting from the closing of the elevated highway, which diverted traffic to where sellers of things could flag down motorists. “Entrepreneurs, working from cars along West Street, had varied items for sale, ranging from car booster cables,” The Times reported, “to cowboy hats,” which, presumably, could be enjoyed with a superlative frankfurter. Photo: William E. Sauro/The New York Times