For me, The Bronx has been a no-go-zone since the early 60’s.
These Daze, I keep the Bronx at a Social Distance of >1600 mi.
To a great extent in the past, blue collar white neighborhoods, especially Italian American areas, were relatively free of street crime. The Mafia and other gangs kept these areas reasonably safe. However, in New York and other cities, such neighborhoods are largely gone.
I used to hang out on Arthur Avenue and along Webster up to Fordham Road until 1980 or so.
Took my kids to the zoo in 2018. The elephants that delighted me when I was a child are gone, replaced by roaches in an insect exhibit (true).
Rudy’s time in office showed it could be done. And the number of offenders that needed 20 years upstate was only about 20 000.
They’re all home now, and it shows.