What is the "Old New York"?

Question

I hear this phrase sometimes used by New Yorkers... there's even clothing which feature the words "I miss the old New York"

My guess is this is referring to the period of New York City starting from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.

I am guessing this is described as a period when the subway trains were covered in graffiti, Times Square was filled with adult theaters and prostitutes, the Bronx had enough burned-out abandoned buildings and empty lots filled with junked cars and burning oil drums resemble a war zone, walking through Central Park could mean getting mugged, when there were still rough neighborhoods in lower Manhattan, stickup kids lurking around every corner, etc.

I'm sure there are "good things" about the old New York but I am not sure. I guess that means less transplants from Wisconsin and less hipsters.

And what exactly changed NYC to becoming a safer, cleaner city?

Answer 1

What constitutes Old New York depends on your perspective. To me, Old New York is pre-World War II.

Answer 2

Everything you mentioned are negative effects but the city back then thrived with the arts, music and quality of life. It never felt dangerous to us, only to tourists and transplants.



From the ruble came hiphop, disco, newave, punk, house music etc; NYC was the club capital of the world. Now, there is nothing but over priced bottle lounges filled with transplants and euro trash. Artists were able to afford to live in the city and the middle class weren't being squeezed like we are now. NYC has been hypergentrified and many of the old residents & mom & pop business have been forced out. Nothing now but shitty big name stores and glassy, run of the mill, overpriced condos filled with over privileged, demanding transplants who want to live like real New Yorkers but NEVER will because the best of NYC is gone. They will NEVER be New Yorkers.



The quality of life in NYC sucks now. And YOU will never understand because you never lived it.

Answer 3

Five points in the 19th Century was the most violent and corrupt neighborhood imaginable. There's a movie about it called "Gangs of New York." The neighborhood encompasses Little Italy and the Lower East Side.

Answer 4

I am assuming "Old New York" was NYC pre-gentrification. Tbh I think gentrification helped NYC more than it harmed it. While it's the true with gentrification the prices are skyrocketing at least the neighborhoods became much safer.

Answer 5

I was born and raised in Noo Yawk City, and to me, the OLD New York, was men in Fedora's going off to work en masse every morning, neighbors having some sort of manners.......everyone looking after one another........and the city was a place of endless opportunity, where the BEST of the BEST worked.



Yeahhhhhh, over the years........during the 70's....as drug use crept up, crime went up, Times Square got seedier and seedier.........X rated theaters went to double x and then TRIPLE, the prostitutes stepped out of the shadows and openly partrolled Broadway...... crooked cops became the norm, (The Serpico Years) ......landlords were abandoning buildings, and the city was on a real downward slide .





But then, things started turning around.........Yuppies started buying old warehouses and turning a run down district into the new "It" place to live........80's disco's and clubs, are the stuff of legends.



Wall St took off, and became the game of kings again........the seafront was redone with million dollar projects and penthouses. they ***FINALLY**** did something with the decrepit West side highway.......



and new life got breathed into the city..........then Donald Trump came along, and fixed Wollman Rink----and built several new Landmark buildings.......and then Guliani continued to build on the progress, cleaning up Times Square, and pushing all the sleaze back over to 8th avenue, out of sight of most of the tourists, and turning Times Square as clean as Disneyland......with Toys R' US outlets, with tourist rides, and even a Bubba Gump Shrimp Outlet restaurant.



In fact, he cleaned it SO well, it actually became a little BORING and too clean for my liking...........but you couldn't deny it was clearly an improvement over the eyesore it had become.



Then 9-11 happened.........and New Yorkers come together like never before.



Some called it our worst hour..............I called it our finest moment........because we showed the world what we're made of, and we were tougher than that all.



I am PROUD to call New York City my home.............and I have been all over the world, to over 35 countries and countless cities........and NONE, hold a candle to New York City.



They might come close.........but there's only ONE New YORK City-



Copied and imitated, all over the GLOBE.



No matter where you go in the world........you will *Always* see references to New York City........



Not London, Not Paris, Not Rome, Tokyo or Sydney........ Not Hong Kong , Prague, or Berlin......



but you will *Always* find references to NEW YORK CITY.



There's only ONE center of the Universe, and that's NEW YORK.

Answer 6

What happened to make New York City safer and cleaner can be summed up in 3 words- Mayor Rudy Giuliani. He didn't go far enough, though, because the city still has the racist gun laws imposed in 1925.