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I will be working in the area around E. 101st Street/2nd Avenue and wanted to ask people who are more aware of the area than me to answer my questions on whether it is a safe for a relatively young (white) woman to be walking there both in the morning and in the afternoon. Also, would it be better to walk up to E. 104th Street and then down to 2nd Avenue or go down to E. 102nd Street and reach 2nd Avenue that way. I am only asking as I've only been in the city for a week or two and really do not know any areas of NYC well. I have no problem with walking from the metro and would not mind walking longer if my safety was improved (even a little).
You should be fine, just keep your street smarts about you -- know where you're going, keep walking, and don't flash money/expensive items. During the day, there are many people who work in areas of higher crime, and are not hassled. Part of this is because criminal elements do not want the attention of someone going to work being victimized as it will bring unwanted attention to their activities. There is also safety in the light of day and in numbers, as there are many who live in the area who are going about their days, too, and they tend to outnumber the criminal elements during regular working hours.
At night, it's more of an issue, but as long as you stick to busy streets, and don't take short cuts through a park, alley, or building courtyard, you should not have an issue. And, as you're walking, you can always hop a bus downtown if you would feel safer getting back to the subway a little further south, should you be in the area after dark.
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All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
Thank you both for your fast replies. I guess I was a little nervous as before moving to NY I lived in the (desolate) rural South. Thanks again. I feel more comfortable.
Thanks bmwguydc, I know this intellectually but it always does me good to hear it.
I have a sporadic part time job in the west/central Bronx and when I'm not there for a while I always get anxious about it, then when I go I'm reminded that most neighborhoods are populated in the day by people working and living their lives.. not to mention the assorted city service providers (ambulances, police, DOT, Con-Ed etc..) out and about.
Firstly, ignore the above comment..it is nonsense.
You should know that there are lots and lots and lots of young, single white women that take public transportation to teach in the "toughest" districts throughout NYC, and have been for decades. Do you remember the last time you heard/read about any of these single, young, white females being attacked in any of these "rough and tumble" neighborhoods? Exactly....the crime stories are alot of hype these days and are driven almost exclusively by the drug trade. Assuming your job is not a drug mule, you will be just fine.
Why do whites still feel like they're this "precious" commodity that brown and black people want to attack on sight?
Man, get over yourselves. Seriously.
If you're a woman of ANY race, you are taught from the age of 5 to be careful around strangers and to WATCH YOUR BACK IN STRANGE SURROUNDINGS. If it doesn't feel right, you leave the situation.
It's 2010 already. Black and brown people ain't thinking about you like you're the freaking Hope Diamond. Give it a rest.
Thank you both for your fast replies. I guess I was a little nervous as before moving to NY I lived in the (desolate) rural South. Thanks again. I feel more comfortable.
Being that you're from the south, does this mean that you purposefully AVOIDED black people?
It's not like you can avoid them since the south is heavily populated with AAs (rural, country, city, etc.). You never bumped into any?
If it makes her feel any better, East Harlem has an Italian strip where many Italian businesses and residents still remain, its between 103rd and 110th but forgot which Ave. Uptown is in the stage of gentrification with many artists and other 'gentrifiers' moving in to take advantage of low rents but relatively close distance to the core city. 125th St in Harlem is being turned into a new Times Square as the city is trying to turn it into a tourist destination, it certainly has the potential. East Harlem is primarily Puerto Rican and a lot of PRs have light skin that can be hard to distinguish whether they are PR or 'white' and even they can be mistaken by their own people, I have a lot of PR friends like that. Sorry about the smart-alick comment.
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If not, you are in big trouble. 
