Describing the problematic pedestrian dance plus his ‘war cry’ gave me a laugh; while I was a mechanic and not a courier, I empathize with the perils of riding in the city.   Still great to see his attitude despite the decline in economy and opportunity.

“Zo has been a bike messenger in New York for a decade. His name is short for “Schizo” - a nickname he gained in school because he always seemed to be in many different places at the same time.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, Zo started working at AtoZ Courier in Manhattan at the age of 21 when the messenger market was still booming.

Today, half the clients have gone and Zo is left delivering items that can not be sent over the internet - but he says he loves the job.

The BBC caught up with Zo in Manhattan’s Lower East Side where he explained how he navigated the city’s busy streets and how riders feared pedestrians who started “the dance” when half way across.”

Sometimes I think we forget how ‘80’s the early 90’s were - there’s this perceptual lag that causes us to paint eras with the same 10 year brush.  Still a fantastic retrospect; I wonder if we’d find photos taken at West Edmonton Mall or Southgate to day just as interesting in 20 years…