The girlfriend is working as an au pair in Harlem.
People in Harlem employ au pairs now? Has it become gentrified?
Yes, it has. Harlem has many gorgeous homes that have been rehabbed over the years - rich whites and blacks moved in.
My take on how tourists like this go wrong is that they don’t pass the maniac by who panhandles them (or harasses them). Tourists tend to engage with these maniacs and the result is not pretty.