Sadly, New York will never be the same. It will never recover.
There are not many who remember
They say a handful still survive
To tell the world about
The way the lights went out
And keep the memory alive
-Billy Joel
“Sadly, New York will never be the same. It will never recover.”
NYC was nearly apocalypic from late 70s through 80s. I’m talking many nogo zones completely abandoned to squatters, hearing people disappearing and being murdered every day, the west side highway closed down and filled with burned out cars. Entire bands of crackheads burning anything they can find in massive bonfires to stay warm and robbing anyone with a cent. My father was a cabbie and killed two robbers (that I know of).
I was here for that and watched as the city recovered and flourished to a magical place (while still very affordable). There was a decline after covid but NYC today is still paradise by comparison to where it already has been...
The chips and salsa will be replacing pizza as New Yawk’s favorite food. The Big Apple is now the Big Piñata.