The mere presence of a pay phone makes this news stand look like it was lost in time.  There are very few pay phones left on the streets of New York, now that mobile phones are so ubiquitous.  Then there is graffiti covering the metal grates, which adds a pre-Giuliani feel.  The big give-away that this is a not a 15-year old image is that the graffiti actually has a web address as a tag.  I also don’t think McDonald’s was selling frappes that long ago, and the discarded Dunkin’ Donuts cup is also of recent vintage, as they were not so widespread until that past decade, at least.

This area is not as desolate as it appears.  Walk about 5 minutes and you reach a hip new neighborhood on the Long Island City waterfront.