Welcome to New York – late 1970s

This is a photo taken on a holiday in the late 1970s. It has some exposure issues, which have resulted in the scan being both darker and lower quality than a normal scan. I didn’t know exactly where the photo was taken was so I asked ChatGPT to have a look at it and give me a clue. This is what it reported:

First thing that jumps out: the big “Welcome to New York” sign with Hugh L. Carey listed as Governor. He was in office from 1975 to 1982, which neatly dates this photo to the late 1970s or very early 1980s. That lines up perfectly with the clothes and cars.

Behind it there’s another sign saying “Welcome to the United States / Bienvenue aux États-Unis” — so this is clearly at a US–Canada land border crossing. The bilingual sign confirms it’s on the Canadian frontier. Given the road shields visible — I-190, US 104, and NY 384 — this is almost certainly at or very near the Niagara Falls / Buffalo crossing area in western New York.

The three people in the foreground look like travellers who’ve just crossed over — relaxed, slightly windswept, dressed for cool weather. The man on the left wearing what looks like a high-visibility or reflective strap could even be mid-journey or road-trip prepared.