How bad was 42nd Street back in the '80s? (violent crime, house)
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I was there in 1982, a wide eyed geeky 23 yr old kid from the midwest. Times Sqaure then was INSANE. Drugs and prostitution openly sold while the cops 20 feet away just stood and kept a watchful eye. Men stood on the sidewalk yelling come ons to go upstairs to massage parlors. Porn shops, peep shows, adult bookstores, X rated theaters, places offering live nude girls, live sex shows, along with bars, elelctronic shops, lined the sidewalks. I partook of some of those sins, it was one reason I visited the city, and I wish I had done a lot more, but had limited time, money and courage.
It was an amazing thing to experience. Nothing like it will ever exist again, I believe, at least not in this country. The times have changed and I dont ever see that kind of freedom coming back. I was there again in 2005, you might as well go to any shopping area in the country, its exactly the same as Times Square.
Yeah Times Square has come a very long way from the days of hookers, chain snatchers, pick pockets and sleazy shows. I was born in the 70's in Brooklyn and grew up in the 80's so I remember very clearly the way it was. Great that it was cleaned up, it was an eyesore. Especially inside Port Authority you knew to hold on tight to your jewelry and purse!
And if you were female, the occasional pimp who wanted to "recruit" you.
I am a native New Yorker. The Old Time Square area reaching to West Street to the west, 5th Avenue to the east, and into the 50's streets up to the north was a fascinating world and culture. Non-natives always were often scared to death of even being near it. The majority of us that grew up here just saw it as part of our city. You could see pimps, prostitutes, and drug dealers in close proximity to police officers. XXX theaters both gay and straight were plentiful. Peep show/video booth/live girl joints were all over beckoning the curious and horny.
People watching was like no other place in the world. Aside from the usual cast of seedy, sleazy, and loose characters, if you stood and watched for 1 minute, you would see people of all kinds and from every corner of the earth pass you by. While it was a 24/7/365 playground for drugs, prostitution, pornography it was a part of the city that many people, once in a while, weekly, monthly, or daily, would pass through. The old, young, blue collar, white collar, rich, poor, and of every ethnicity passed through without any fear. If you weren't interested in buying drugs, or 15 minutes of sex, or 3 card monte games it was just someplace on your route that day. As natives we didn't give danger anymore consideration than we would in any other part of he city. We have a 6th sense about danger on the streets and when we are truly going to encounter it.
The west area in Hell's Kitchen was probably the most dangerous area. the streets running from 8th Ave to West Street were somewhat desolate and the only people encountered were pimps, prostitutes, drug dealers, and muggers. Sex and drug workers far outnumbered the muggers. The pimps and hookers often had a rapport with the residents helping them get into their buildings safely. I knew a woman that worked at the 21 club till 4am... the hookers would warn her if they thought a mugger was lurking in the hallways of her building and even walk her to her apartment door for her safety.
I had a relative, affectionately called, Uncle Joe Black Eyes. Right in the heart of Times Square, he owned a souvenir store, a peep show/sex shop next door, and a massage parlor upstairs. He was in business in the 1960's and up to about the early 1980's. At the peep show one would purchase tokens to feed the video booths. Of course I didn't need to buy the tokens... lol. You would deposit a token and the back of the booth's door became a projection screen for a super 8 format porn film.
So it all got cleaned up and now exists in it's a pristine and practically sacred pilgrimage for the tourists. Now there are throngs of tourists typically wearing blindingly white peddle pusher slacks, an intensely bright colored day-glow orange top, and a bilious red sun visor. Outfits that New Yorkers would never wear and we find clown-like. They navigate without any sense of the intuitive interactive skill of walking a city street without colliding with other pedestrians. Unaware that their group walking 5 or 6 abreast can not just stop in their tracks to look in a window blocking most of the sidewalk,while a few hundred people are walking at top speed behind them. I guess this skill isn't required where they live.
People do not understand the the attraction and affection we have for the old Times Square. They didn't experience the unique atmosphere that permeated the area. Especially incomprehensible when they hear natives of all kinds defending their preference to the old days. Natives from the porn/prostitute customers, to the curious, to ordinary residents, movie goers, play attendees, even the elderly church going women.... all wishing it was as it was.
Last edited by inimret; 12-30-2015 at 03:07 PM..
Reason: spelling and punctuation.
I am a native New Yorker. The Old Time Square area reaching to West Street to the west, 5th Avenue to the east, and into the 50's streets up to the north was a fascinating world and culture. Non-natives always were often scared to death of even being near it. The majority of us that grew up here just saw it as part of our city.
It was an amazing thing to experience. Nothing like it will ever exist again, I believe, at least not in this country. The times have changed and I dont ever see that kind of freedom coming back.
Just go to Detroit. All the drugs, gangs, and crime that you could possibly want. Most street walkers have moved online nowadays.
I prefer the old days when crime was higher there, it kept the area quiet and less congested. It's the most overrated part of NYC today. The reason Olive Garden at Times Square can charge $400 for a New Year's party just to show you how over-rated that area is.
Back in the '86-'89 period, my friends and I used to hop the turnstile and go down to the city to hang out in the area just for kicks.
It sure was interesting, but it didn't seem dangerous. Certainly not as dangerous as Mount Vernon where we were coming from.
For some reason ppl get sleazy and dangerous mixed up. Yes Times Square was sleazy and slimy but I don't remember it being dangerous either. Sure ppl were picking pockets and snatching chains but native NYers usually knew what precautions to take. But to me those type of crimes are not "dangerous". Dangerous to me is getting shot, stabbed, raped or violently robbed. I don't remember anything like that from the deuce. Did violence happen there? I'm sure it did. But this is NY. Violence can happen anywhere, anytime.
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