Was New York better in the olden days? (low crime, movies)

[Blitzkrieg]

Every time I see New York City re-imagined as it used to be in the mid 1900's, via movies or photos, I see glamorous buildings and parks housing men and women of fashion, and streets that are very clean relative to today's standards. I picture a sort of "Golden Age" of classy urban living.

I live in New York now and every time I venture into the heart of the city, I see trash littered on the streets and street vendors. The farther I move from Manhattan, the worse it gets. Ghetto slums are found almost ubiquitously, with dirty people and thugs alike populating the filthy streets. There are signs of urban decay everywhere.

Does anyone here think that New York City, despite being more wealthy than it used to be, is nowhere near as glamorous as it used to be?

[Japanfan1986]

I guess it is kind of a good thing I stuck so much to the Upper West Side/Morningside Heights when I lived there then huh? LOL.

Actually, I lived on the very border of Harlem going into Morningside Heights (because I'm not rich), but anyway the streets were always very clean around those areas. I've been to all the boroughs though and know it is not like that everywhere.

I'm hoping to move back next year. Possibly to Staten Island. So wish me luck. If I don't have enough of it I'll probably move to one of the low crime towns in northern New Jersey instead.

[Rare727]

Problem #1: you're comparing reality to photographs. I'm sure the pictures from modern NYC only show the clean streets, too.

[Henna]

Yeah, if it's a glamorous movie, I doubt they are going to put trash on their sets.

OP, you should check some of the photographers in different eras who portrayed things the way things really were and not how they would be seen in a movie or a magazine. Check out Jacob Riis' "How the other half lives." I know it's not from the time period you're asking about, but his project was meant to shed light on how people were living in NYC outside of the public eye. http://tjbogar.wordpress.com/2012/10...-street-arabs/

You could also look for photos of the Bowery in the 1950's. I'm sure those are not glamorous, as the area was also known as Skid Row.

One last point -- New York in the 1950's was in the midst of the post-war boom, which might account for some of the glamorous scenes you are seeing from around that time.