Where in the world is Carmen SanDiego?

May 23, 2012 10:02 AM

Where was this circa 1970's photo taken?

Asking for someone else, thanks for any suggestions.

posted by crayon to Grab Bag (11 answers total)

Any clues at all? Where is this person from? Where did their dad live at that time? Any travel that they know about?

The view is reminiscent to me of the view from the roof of the Metropolitan Museum on Fifth Ave in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. That said, I'm not sure the museum's roof was open to the public in the 70's. It could also be another rooftop or terrace along the East Side of Central Park in New York City.

Or it could be any terrace along any tree-lined urban park pretty much anywhere in the world that has deciduous trees.
posted by Sara C. at 10:09 AM on May 23, 2012

It definitely does not look like NYC to me (at least not Manhattan). I don't think there is anywhere in NYC that has so strip of trees that is so dense, but so narrow, as what's in the picture. If you were on the roof of the Met facing 5th, there would be no trees. If facing CPW, the buildings would be much, much further away.

Can anyone recognize the structure on the roof/hidden behind the building in the upper right?
posted by Admiral Haddock at 10:16 AM on May 23, 2012 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: From the OP "He did business in Rochester and North Carolina during this era....He also went on a few safaris in Africa, but I am not familiar with the development of any African cities."
posted by crayon at 10:22 AM on May 23, 2012

In the early 70s, if I remember correctly, there were few direct flights from the US to African countries so he probably had to fly from the US to Europe first. It could be somewhere in Europe, or maybe even South Africa.
posted by mareli at 10:59 AM on May 23, 2012

It looks like this picture and question were posted elsewhere and that it is in Raleigh.
posted by Frank Grimes at 11:20 AM on May 23, 2012 [1 favorite]

Frank Grimes - according to the top comment on the link you posted it is Harare, Zimbabwe rather than Raleigh. See picture.
posted by rongorongo at 11:26 AM on May 23, 2012 [1 favorite]

Or maybe Harare, Zimbabwe.
posted by Frank Grimes at 11:27 AM on May 23, 2012 [3 favorites]

Frank, now they are saying Zimbabwe on your link. Looks like Raleigh has been ruled out.
posted by MultiFaceted at 11:30 AM on May 23, 2012

There's a hotel on the south side of Africa Unity Square in downtown Harare (then Salisbury). My guess is he's somewhere near that, and the camera is facing northwest.
posted by one more dead town's last parade at 12:04 PM on May 23, 2012

This is a cross post from REDDIT. Answer
posted by GurnB at 12:06 PM on May 23, 2012 [1 favorite]

Mod note: In the future do not knowingly crosspost this stuff from Reddit without saying "I am crossposting this from Reddit" Thanks. Use the contact form if you need to talk to us about this.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 2:10 PM on May 23, 2012