Reasons why New York Sucks - Page 84

 

In retrospect, my choice of language obviously implied the knocking of boots (which I definitely have nothing against), instead of the near domestic violence I intended to imply.

Let's hear some outspoken opinions on Ed Koch. I need help deciding how little I like him.

Nobody need reply. He was a Dem.

Less fascist than Bloomberg.

He was basically before my time, so I'm interested to hear from any New Yorkers who were around while he was in office.

My limited grasp of history is that New York was resoundingly shitty before he got in office, but by the time he left, New York was only quite shitty. He seems to be credited with saving the city from bankruptcy, although the stature of that claim seems to be undermined by the obviousness of its problems to anybody whose career track wasn't dependent on city hall. Regardless, New York's era of shittiness is endlessly fascinating and I wish to hear moar. And what is the general opinion about Beame and Dinkins and Guliani?

Dinkins? I recall he would sweat profusely. Otherwise I don't know.

Shush. Adults are talking.

ah, not so funny then.

Koch made you want to live in NYC again even if the problems of the 70s got worse in the 80s (murder rate, welfare rolls, unemployment, etc). He believed that NYC was still the greatest city in the world and his personality - part carnival barker, part old timey politcal ward leader - made that infectious. He also spoke his mind to a fault, was less than sympathetic to the plight of minorities and ignored the AIDs crisis for too long. Potholes got filled, budgets were balanced, the South Bronx and Red Hook were rebuilt, Wall Street exploded. And yet crime continued to skyrocket thanks in part to the crack trade. NYC was better off financially in the 80s, but it was more dangerous than the 70s.

I remember taking my dad to times square in 2003. He hadn't been back in almost a decade. He was actually weirdly silent seeing all the stores and tourists and HD billboards.

When we were eating dinner he finally told me why he was so bummed out: I guess back in the day (late 70's to the 80's) he would drive up with friends from Boston and fun and debauchery, and explained how even up to the late 80's times square was chalk full of pimps, brothels basically a huge red light district.

Seeing the cleaned up disney-fied version of times square made him feel ancient.

It was probably my first real adult conversation with my dad...he visited again in 2010 and we ended up having a good time. I took him down to bushwick and knickerbocker street for fun and he was laughing and said something like "now this is what 80's new york used to look like".

I remember seeing 3 movies with my friends in Times Sq for $5. Then we would head to the arcade nearby and spend hours there playing video games. We would then go to a local pizza place and order a pie....A good night out in Times Sq for about $12!!

I went to NYC in 91 with my family. My dad who had lived in Harlem in the mid 60s didn't even take us to times square. I wish he had now.

When she was growing up, my mother's family had a couple restaurants on and about Times Square. When I was little my uncle had sold them and opened porno shops in the same area.