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LOL...i almost felt embarrased by such overly flattering comments on nyc.
Well...................... again, as an outsider who had last visited there over 30 years ago, it is a very nice place. Sometimes, it is like seeing children you have not seen for many years- you are surprised at the changes. If you live there, the changes are slower and may seem imperceptible.
I am actually very "snooty" about places I visit and am not a "Polyanna" of tourism. If it was unpleasant, I would certainly say so. Ask me about San Fran over the last 30 years- it has evolved into a crap hole and used to be a very nice city. New Orleans, similarly, is a crap hole. Tuscon, Detroit, Miami, Los Angelos, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Houston, Memphis and sadly Atlanta- crap holes.
Well, it is VERY CLEAN compared to what it was 33 years ago. Keep in mind that there are 10 million people packed into a very small area. We DID WALK AROUND A LOT. Were you in NYC 33 years ago? If so, I think you can appreciate that the city is much better than it used to be. Is it as spotless as where I live? No- however, we do not have nearly as close to the same population density.
Is it as clean as Tokyo? No, however, I don't think there is any large city on the planet cleaner than Tokyo.
However, it is FAR CLEANER than it w AChas 33 years ago and is actually very pleasant for a large city. Chicago is much cleaner than it used to be, while San Francisco is much more dirty. DC is a good example of a city much cleaner than 30 years ago as well.
I've lived here my entire life, which does span longer than 33 years. This city is a pigsty. Sure, some parts are better than others, but it is not acceptable by any means to have areas where the normal stench can kill small children. I work in a part of Lower Manhattan which on a summer day makes me want to go back overseas in the Army.
^ I agree with Hawkeye that the city is much cleaner today than it was back then. There was litter everywhere, streets, sidewalks, the side of highways, subway tracks and on and on.
Graffiti was everywhere as well. There is a lot less graffiti now and what there is, it isn't as "colorful" as it was back then. New York just looked so unkempt and run down back then. It is much spiffier today, even in the poorer areas, which would have been unheard of then.
There is also a lot more national chains today. On the flipside, NY is not as interesting or uniquely "New York" today.
The turnover of people is also very apparent. Like the OP said, there used to be a lot more native New Yorkers. Due to gentrification and the high cost of living, many of those people have fled to other areas, mainly Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, etc.
My wife and I took my daughter to the Westminister Dog Show as a college graduation present (going to med school/loves dogs and cats). I had been in Manhattan 33 years ago for six months and was pleasantly surprised at how different NYC has is, compared to 1980.
1. CLOTHES- you needed to dress in all black. Guys needed business suits, long coats, laced shoes, and ties. If you did not have that look, you were an outsider, unless you were a working stiff. If someone was dumb enough to wear a "Wisconsin" t-shirt, they were immediate victims.
I, as a physician, rarely wear the "New York costume". However, I wore $3,000 suits with ties and laced shoes. My wife and daughter wore contemporary New York formal fashions, long coats, and boots. I was shocked to see MANY people dressed in informal clothes and "costumes" that immediately identified them as non New Yorkers. No one seemed to care today. What the hell? We got our "costumes" for nothing.
2. Cleanliness. 33 years ago, New York was dirty. There was trash casually thrown on the streets, the place smelled bad, and rats were visible even during the day. The subways were smelly and dirty. EVERYTHING in NYC was SPOTLESS today. I was shocked. It looked like San Francisco used to look. Now NYC is clean and SF is dirty.
3. No Prostitutes. When we drove around at midnight and beyond, we were approached by prostitutes at most stoplights. I (we) did not see one prostitute.
4. Drug dealers. You used to be able to walk near Times Square and hear guys walking with the chant, "coke, smoke, meth, speed, pill" quite often. As kids, we used to score some weed from these guys, who would have a confederate "drop" a "dime bag" ten to fifteen feet away while the transaction was conducted. No OVERT dealers on the streets.
5. Three card monty scams- None of them anywhere
6. Cabbies- in 1980, most were American and they would talk your ear off. Today, we could not even understand ANY of the cabbies, who (obviously) said nothing to us in our ride. I used to like the cabbies giving some sh*t about something or another. Now I wondered whether the guy in the front seat was going to go "Jihad" on me or something.
7. Cab fares- they are cheap today compared to 1980.
8. Food- GOOD food prices were about the same as 1980. As a broke bum in 1980, I could not afford the "expensive" food in the city. Today, it seemed CHEAP and actually lower than midwestern prices.
9. Politeness. People in NYC today WERE NICE! I remember the tougher side where there was more of a "tough" side presented and no "please","thank yous", or "my pleasures" stated. What the hell has happened to these people? They seem like fellow midwesterners to me now (that is good).
10. Violence and guns. My friends and I always used to carry 9mms and a knife when in the city. Violence was more prevalent and in some areas, it was wise to be armed. We went ALL OVER and and at all times, and not at one time did I ever feel "naked" without carrying a gun or knife (I had carpal tunnel done by one of my partners just before leaving and was concerned I would not be able to use a gun if necessary- I left my carry piece home). In 1980, you would periodically hear gunfire at night. I NEVER heard any gunfire anywhere in NYC.
11. Subways- they were DIRTY then. Now, despite the continued graffiti, they were CLEAN!
12. Bums- They used to be EVERYWHERE. Pan handling and begging was endemic. I only saw a few panhandlers and no one sleeping on steam vents.
13. Drugs- You used to be able to Washington Square Park late at night and score some weed easily. EVERYONE in the park was smoking weed and some were shooting up in the open. We saw no drug use at all in NYC today.
14. Hotel fees. Hotel fees were OUTRAGEOUS. The hotel rates in NYC are not much different than any other large metro area in the US.
15. Dog crap. For some odd reason, people never used to pick up dog crap in NYC. Today, I saw no animal waste ANYWHERE on the streets.
16. Broadway plays. WHAT THE HELL????!!! We used to be able to see a matinee for $30. I bought two days of matinee performances (good seats) for $400 per seat.
17. Local New Yorkers. Nearly EVERYONE in 1980 has a New York accent and you could easily tell people who were not locals, even those from "Jsersey". Today, there were TONS of people with no accents.
18. Taking photos. NO ONE in their right mind would stop and take urban photos. You would immediately be identified as a tourist and would be a victim. Today, EVERYONE takes photos and have no fear of doing so.
19. Subway maps. NO ONE would ever look at a map (or now an I-phone) to figure out where they were. This was a sure sign of being a rube. NO ONE even stops to think about asking for directions or looking to see where they are.
20. Eye contact and "building gazing". We were always told to keep eyes straight ahead, never look up, and never respond to anyone on the street. MANY tourists were engaging in eye contact and buildinding gazing without any consequences at all.
21. Fat people. In 1980, I thought NYC residents were relatively fat. Now they are relatively thin. Must be all of the walking.
Amazing- NYC is a far different place, very pleasant, and very easy to navigate. It is much more friendly and welcoming than I ever remember. All in all, a very nice place. I was amused, however, at the "calorie counts" that were posted by any concession at Madison Square Garden. "What the hell", I told a native New Yorker behind me in line, "I never knew a bag of peanuts has 1190 calories. I am forgetting that, as it is FOUR hot dogs". The guy said, "Yeah..... I pass on that crap now that I know about it. I work to hard too become a fat as* on a few bags of peanuts". I agree- the lefties have it "right" there in providing some useful information.
1. The clothes thing was funny and I agree.
2 NYC is still very dirty. It's cleaner but still dirty. Been to SF several times and I found it to be cleaner. SF at night is very different though since the homeless come out in full force.
3. They are still here just more sophisticated and discreet. Outer borough areas near bridges and highways you will see a lot of the lower echelon at night.
4. Also more discreet and clandestine but trust me it's still here. Definitely not like the 70's or crack era days though.
5. In the Bronx you still see 3 card monty. But yeah it's been eradicated from manhattan.
6. Ehh a little extra and unnecessary with the comment about Jihad. A lot of cabbies aren't even Muslim.
7. I don't know about that but yeah metered cabs are still fairly reasonable.
8. Would disagree. The city is tougher and more expensive for lower class people now.
9. I think that's generally because the city is safer so people are a little less apprehensive and guarded.
10. The city is a lot safer.
11. Don't know what you saw but graffiti on/in subways except for some "scratchiti" is pretty much nonexistent. I wouldn't call subways clean though. They smell terribly.
12. Homelessness got better briefly in the early 2000's but it's back on the rise.
13. Lol people still smoke weed there. It's just a better looking environment now.
14. Well, NYC has always been one of the more expensive cities in the U.S.
15. You clearly have not been above 72nd street or outer boroughs. Lol. I would say there are a lot more dog owners now and the dog poop problem is a serious and increasing QOL issue. Watch where you step!
16. Not sure what $30 then is equivalent to now but yeah broadway shows are expensive but there are a lot of discounts around if you look or if you don't necessarily go see the hottest show.
17. The population was probably a little more uniform then.
18. Yes, correct.
19. Yes.
20. Yes, but they still get jacked sometimes, especially around times square.
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