Today's New Yorkers, not so tough anymore.

New York City just ain't what it used to be. In the 1980s and 1990s, being a New Yorker was considered a badge of honor that you survived the horrors of living there. The fact that you survived and became tougher means you can live anywhere in the US and say "I had it worse in NYC". Nowadays, it doesn't mean anything. Today, if you mention you are from NYC it means that you can afford to live there and that made me embarrassed. Why? I'll give you some reasons why NYC isn't so tough anymore.

5. Gentrification up the ante

 The Bronx in 1980s or Berlin post WWII? You decide.

A very clean building in Harlem.

Nothing kills the ethnic vibe more than white people moving in to what is known to be the culture center of anything. As soon as speculators decide that Harlem is awesome for cheap rent, big apartments and that "ethnic feel", hipsters would flood the gates open and are deluding themselves that they are one with their neighbors. Here's a hint, as soon as you act uppity, you get shot, no questions asked. It's already happening in Harlem, Chinatown and now Washington Heights. What's surprising is that white people usually do not last that long because when you move into the Heights, we do our best not to change that. We have only one high school in a 30 block radius, that's fucking sad right there.

These folks know what's up.

The summer is the worst time to have if you are not used to the noise. I grew up there, I got used to it and face it noisy people are everywhere and in my opinion, American whites are the worst offenders (I'm looking at you college peers). So far the closest Starbucks is ten blocks away in Hudson Heights, where most Americans prefer to live, it's the cleaner, quieter, safer part of the Heights. Broadway is the border between Dominicans and Americans. They both live on hills and Broadway is the valley, don't believe me? Google it or better, visit there and I'll give you a personal tour for a slice of pizza and a can of soda.

4. Subways are safer now

In the 80s and 90s, the subways were the last place where you want to be past midnight. If Coming to America has taught us anything, the trains were covered in graffiti, smells like piss, no air conditioning and a very high chance of being robbed or killed or both.

Hi, may I shank you for your Nikes?

The cops at the time would not help you because god forbid they would end up dead too. It's a vicious cycle that stopped when Giuliani decided to clean up NYC for good. Now we have murals in bright colors, security cams, no more tokens, air conditioning is available, crime is low there, weirdos thrive there (that's for entertainment), and electronic signs telling us when the next train comes. NYC is a hub of transportation system that New Yorkers rely on and having a car was just not part of our requirement. If you did have a car, pray every night that no one would steal it for parts or worse, leave its corpse for you to see. Now you don't have to worry about that except in pockets where crime is still bad. I'm glad the subways are clean, well except for the piss smell.

Trouble has a way for finding you.

3. Gangs aren't as active as before.

Growing up, I remembered hearing news and warnings on how you can't wear yellow, blue or red because they belong to the Latin Kings, Crips and Bloods. There were fears that you would get beaten up, killed and even have your face decorated with box-cutters because a wannabe gang member wants to be initiated.

Don't worry officer, we're just wrestling.

 This is the reason why my schools had metal detectors and a dress code, to keep that off the school grounds and the school kids safe. We even had a student ID that we scanned onto a computer making sure that we are allowed to be in the school. This is before the TSA became a huge deal. This is how it was in my High School every day. As a result, I became used to it and became more frustrated at airports with their new naked body scanners. What else do we have to hide? Braces are now considered weapons? Spend a day in a NYC inner city High School and pull the same bull in the 90s. Try it, this will educate you. Oh, don't have a time machine? Consider yourself lucky. Today, gangs are still there but they are not as scary as they used to be or made out to be. Most of the hardcore members are either dead or in jail and the rest of the members just hang out and deal drugs.

Today, Sesame Street is run by the Muppet Princes.

2. Your mom works at 42nd Street.

If you had heard that term growing up and KNOW what it meant, congratulations, you are one of the real New Yorkers. If you don't and think it's something to be proud of, you need a swift kick in the butt by education. Times Square wasn't as pretty and clean back in the 80s and 90s. Time Square was one of the last places you want to be caught in unless you're homeless or a hooker. That's right a hooker.

Even Robin had to support himself in Times Square.

Times Square was that seedy place everyone remembers where strip clubs are around as much as Starbucks are today. If you are looking for a hooker to snort blow from her herpes ridden ass, this was the place to go, for shameful dirty sex. Giuliani got rid of all that and Disneyfied it to bring tourism to the city. Times Square is now the place where everyone wants to go and make it big, like Music industry and Fashion big. Last time I went there, there was a "gentleman's club" still hanging around behind the flashy streets of Times Square. That should be a nice clue to what it used to be.

Yep, still there.

1. New York Attitude

The infamous attitude the one thing all native New Yorkers have and can never be shaken off. It's the vibe, the feel, the atmosphere of "fuck you, you in my way" and the ever wonderful "tough shit, you're in NYC now". Now, it feels fake, no tough gimmicks, no hardened souls with a heart of gold. The New Yorkers today, who are mostly transplants from other places, act as if they are hot shit and are snobbish to boot. What happened? When you get rid of the toughness of the city, you take the very substance of what a New Yorker is known for. Make it cleaner and safer for richer individuals and make it the place for aspiring models, artists and musicians and you get an unhealthy haughty attitude that real New Yorkers want to punch their faces in.

Early stages of a New Yorker.

It's terrible, it's fake and being rich is not what NYC was all about. It was survival and has been since Ellis Island. The closest thing to a New York attitude is what you see in movies because it doesn't exist anymore, the pod people have replaced that with what you find on the corner of Teen Beat magazine (that still exists, right?).

We're there in spirit!

In the meantime, enjoy a moment of humanity when snackman breaks up a fight in the 6 train: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Erlw-ODVZxU

References:
http://www.kunsthaus.org.mx/Dulce/10_robin_ing.htm
http://24flinching.com/word/headline/subway-lifeblood/
http://bushwickbk.com/2007/07/09/the-end-of-new-york-city/
http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2007/10/signs_of_the_times.html
And GIS.