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Ready for another peek into our Time Out time capsule? Today, let's see what Time Out's 1990 New York City guidebook had to say about life in the big city then, when you could get from Times Square to the LES for "$4 to $5," the "latest dance craze" was "vogueing," and the Times (at 40 daily) was cheaper than the Village Voice, then a buck:

Lesbian & Gay: The streets are alive with boys and girls cruising the same sex. ... Christopher Street, once the gay mecca, has faded in recent years under the onslaught of drug dealers, but is still an amusing stroll, as is the rest of the West Village. There are a number of restaurants and bars under gay ownership to be found in this area.

Nightlife: Tunnel — The home for some of the leading exponents of the latest dance craze — vogueing. Go just to see this New York urban experience or on a night when party promoter Vito Bruno hosts a bash.

Taxis: An average fare for a three-mile/4.5-km ride (ed. note — roughly the distance from Times Square to the Lower East Side) is about $4 to $5, depending on the traffic or time of day.

But what would New York be without media? Time Out's 1990 take on NYC papers and mags after the jump, including the plus-ça-change observations that "The Village Voice is a slightly aged institution" and New York is great "for its listings and special issues; avoid the dull features."

Newspapers & Magazines: The New York Times (40 daily) is one of the world's great papers. Its international news coverage is excellent, and it also has a down-home edge, but carries more advertising than it knows what to do with. The Sunday edition ($1.25) is mammoth, in about ten or 15 sections. The Wall Street Journal (50 ) continues to be the paper for trainee brokers, bankers, bondspeople.... USA Today (50 ; 'McPaper') is a brilliantly packaged national tabloid, which satisfies more of the people most of the time.

The main local tabloids are: the New York Post (40 ; for an up-to-date score on New York murders, plus details); the Daily News (35 ; picture-and-caption format, which is easy and fun to read, and a landmark building that starred in Superman); and Newsday (25 ; a wordy, worthy right-wing paper).

The venerable New Yorker ($1.95) is the most elegant listings mag in the world; read it for Pauline Kael's film crits and, still, for the writing. The weekly Village Voice ($1) is a slightly aged institution with the best rock music columns and classified ads. Get New York magazine ($1.95) for its listings and special issues; avoid the dull features. Better is 7 Days ($1), a newish listings magazine from the Village Voice stable. More fun is the monthly Paper ($1.95), which looks good and tastes good. Details ($2) used to be essential for anyone interested in the downtown club scene but is now more over- than underground. ... Andy Warhol's Interview ($2.50) is still going, and is even more boring than ever. Get the satirical Spy magazine ($2.95) if you want to take it all with a pinch of salt.

New York City Guide [TONY]
Earlier: In a New York Minute, Everything Can Change