Anonymous wrote:Meaning pre and post 9/11. Was there a lot of crime? What were your favorite places to go to?

Pre-9/11 many people I knew had been held up at knife or gun point or burgled. It was just considered normal, not necessarily dangerous. Men catcalled women on every single street corner. Most of us considered it fairly safe. Also, people yelled. A lot. If you got in someone's way they were going to tell you off till they were blue in the face.

Post-9/11 there were military with automatic weapons everywhere, and we were told there were cameras everywhere watching our every move, so everybody started behaving and it became what most people today would consider safe. Then bloomberg came to power and illegally stayed 3 terms and pushed out all the poor people and brought in white UMC people and it got even safer and people stopped yelling at each other because those demographics consider that behavior unbecoming. Basically, it stopped being ny.

Sooo much better pre-covid and pre911 The 80s were kind of bad but once Giuliani got into office it improved. Was good under Bloomberg also, now it has gone to crap under DeCrapio and this new guy whatever his name is.

I grew up NYC and lived there 1962 to 2017.

One funny thing I remember my dad drove for a limo company. A new play on Broadway back in 1968 hit and my Dad work pick up customers who could not stop talking about it.

He decided to take Mom. It was Hair. In original run cast comes out totally nude into audience whole cast. One even sat in audience member lap in front of his wife

My mom came home white as a ghost!!

Wow, this is all so interesting to read. I lived on the UES from 2000 to 2005. So many familiar names, specifically Tin Lizzie's and Veselka. Someone mentioned Chowhound. What about the Zagat's Guide. I remember buying a paper copy of that book and using it to pick restaurants. Eating out was definitely a thing, I spent more money on food than I should have. Going out (wearing a going out top) was also a major activity. What about Tasti Delite (sp?)? That was dinner some nights. Lol. I'm starting to forget the names of places.... But I'll try to name some -- The Barking Dog, McFadden's, shopping at Century 21. Ugh, my memory is terrible.

NYC died 12-31-1999. 2020 to present is not NYC.

I say 12-31-1999 as huge bull market of 1990s and Y2K consulting projects had people loaded up on cash.

The Y2K consulting bubble popped 12-31-1999, stock market crashed March 2000 and then 9/11.

I worked in NYC from 1986 to 2016. But I grew up in NYC. I did new years in 1980 was wild being in Times Square back in wilding days, Bernie Getz, Son of Sam, John Gotti days where drinking age was 18 and we had High School bars. Yes I went club hopping in Manhattan in the 1970s! I loved 1986 when I was making a boat load in the stock market and coke and cash were king! Many a night waking up suit pants around ankles in some girl from happy hour. No cell phones you just leave.
I loved the Dinken era NYC hookers on the street, crack heads, three card monte, after hours clubs. My friend owned a massive club in NYC open to 10am!! Partying China Club till 430 am on a Monday.

I loved no chain restaurant places. No Starbucks, target, all local bodegas. And diners and bars

I loved the cheap rent and wild times. Heck once at Webster Hall totally wacked out of my mind at 1am from drinking since 5 pm still in business suit I casually walked on stage in middle of naughty by nature doing OPP and took a Mike and did the song!!

Partied once with Joe Montana, Lee Majors, John Travolta in a Monday night at 3 am in a hot club. NYC used to be wild.

I was out once the Head of a department at Morgan Stanley at two amand wacked out he challenged the two bouncers to a fight. These dudes get a third bouncer then grab him. He kicked all their asses, dude was a black belt and ex Marine. 50 year old white guy in suit going full nuts in a bar with no cops called.
I worked in Manhattan post 199 2000-2016 but although 2004-2007 pretty good the crash of 2008 and 2009 along with HR clampdown and political correctness and Me Too and chains restaurants killed off NYC.

I also think post 9/11 security killed off a lot

I love NY. But me getting hammered at 17 and club hopping, hanging out after hour bars not coming back. My good buddy had 20,000 people at his illegal after hours Club each week with a full casino, dance floor and people doing coke in 1992. Was so crazy married walls street brokers in surburbs take early train to work and on way to work stop in and party 7-9am. Can you imagine showing up to work 9 am after having a few shots and lines of coke.

NYC was great!

Anonymous wrote:Agreed felt very safe. I lived there when I graduated college in 2002. I never felt like I would get mugged or anything and um definitely made some poor laid night decisions.

I agree. I moved there when I was 18f and took the train at all
hours everywhere around the city with friends. It was just amazing.

It was a lot more interesting with different generations living there and different socio-economic groups. I remember all the little antique shops run by tiny old ladies down in the village, fondly.

Anonymous wrote:Meaning pre and post 9/11. Was there a lot of crime? What were your favorite places to go to?

Crime was really gone by 1996. The city was gorgeous and fun then. The retail apocalypse might bring the fun back, but now it’s really a city of coffee places, delis and faux gourmet burger places.

Anonymous wrote:I would walk from the theatre district (after a last minute decision to meet a friend for a show) and walk home to my Murray Hill neighborhood after a show without thinking twice. And we weren’t the only people out either. Low crime, and it didn’t hurt that I was in my 20’s either. It was such an amazing time.

I still do this day though remember the flyers hung up after 9/11. Some were up for so long. It was so sad. And that smell. But people were kind.

Yeah I didn't think twice about walking everywhere.

I would walk from the theatre district (after a last minute decision to meet a friend for a show) and walk home to my Murray Hill neighborhood after a show without thinking twice. And we weren’t the only people out either. Low crime, and it didn’t hurt that I was in my 20’s either. It was such an amazing time.

I still do this day though remember the flyers hung up after 9/11. Some were up for so long. It was so sad. And that smell. But people were kind.

Anonymous wrote:Loved it. So much fun. Lived in a tiny studio on the LES and my rent was $695!!

Went out to tiny bars like Sapphire, Ruby's, Max Fish and Den of Thieves. Shopped at flea markets and thrift stores. Had a large group of diverse and interesting friends. Used to bike around everywhere (I worked in Chelsea).

Eating at Veselka, late nights at Tim Cafe, Empire Diner, Lox Around the Clock.

My best friend lived in the studio two floors below me.

There was no buzzer or intercom. When people wanted to visit me they'd stand in the street and shout my name. I'd throw a sock out the window with a spare key safety-pinned to it.

Sigh.

Oh Veselka!

Anonymous wrote:


It was the days of two feet on the ground, hardworking, enterprising people from all over without a buck in their pocket could go there and live their dreams. You could find cheap drinks at places in Soho and hole in the wall restaurants out of a Billy Joel song. Not everyone who lived in the village was a trustfunder who's Dad worked on Wall Street, actually most of them weren't at all. Vibrant neighborhoods that had personality and hadn't been overtaken by corporations and instagram didn't blow up every authentic place with a soul.
Now it's a miserable Mecca of the very rich and very poor...

+1

This.

NYC used to be a place where people took creative risks. People would move there to be in a place where others were doing that.

Creative types have moved to the Hudson Valley and elsewhere. They haven't been able to afford NYC for a while.

It was the days of two feet on the ground, hardworking, enterprising people from all over without a buck in their pocket could go there and live their dreams. You could find cheap drinks at places in Soho and hole in the wall restaurants out of a Billy Joel song. Not everyone who lived in the village was a trustfunder who's Dad worked on Wall Street, actually most of them weren't at all. Vibrant neighborhoods that had personality and hadn't been overtaken by corporations and instagram didn't blow up every authentic place with a soul.
Now it's a miserable Mecca of the very rich and very poor...

I was in my teens, and t didn't feel safe. At all.

Anonymous wrote:Loved it. So much fun. Lived in a tiny studio on the LES and my rent was $695!!

Went out to tiny bars like Sapphire, Ruby's, Max Fish and Den of Thieves. Shopped at flea markets and thrift stores. Had a large group of diverse and interesting friends. Used to bike around everywhere (I worked in Chelsea).

Eating at Veselka, late nights at Tim Cafe, Empire Diner, Lox Around the Clock.

My best friend lived in the studio two floors below me.

There was no buzzer or intercom. When people wanted to visit me they'd stand in the street and shout my name. I'd throw a sock out the window with a spare key safety-pinned to it.

Sigh.

I shared a duplex near Columbia for $600.