My oldest son has been living in Troy, New York for over 25 years. He lives in a three-floor brownstone just down the street from Russell Sage College. There's alternate street parking. Quite a while ago, he had to begin renting a UPS box for his packages, because after all the years he's been living there, and never had a problem, someone began stealing packages from the front stoops of the brownstones which line the block. The building he lives in has a stone staircase that leads to the front door of the building. It's the main entry way for the three people who live in the building, and it's locked all the time.
He's had his car clipped by city plows during the winter. Last year, within a six month period, he had his car hit and heavily damaged. The first time he was parked in front of his building, and a drunk driver came down the street and bounced off several cars. Hit his back end, and pushed his car into the one in front, and then up over the curb. Cops caught the person, but don't you know, the cameras on his street were down for repair at the time.
The second time he was parked on the side street, and he thinks somebody who parked in the college parking lot across the street from him, came out and clipped him. The side street is a one-way street like his is. And the other problem is that despite having a big parking lot that students can park in, they won't, and instead, park on the street, taking up the spots of the people who live there. I can't tell you how many times I've visited him over the years, and multiple times during the day and night, you hear police or firetruck sirens blaring on their way down his street.
Yup, I've been around, worked many different kinds of jobs in many different kinds places.. From Cincinnati to El Paso.. And the one thing I've learned over the years is this.. Stay the heck out of the big cities.!
I really luck out when I found a great job in the Appellation hills of Southern Ohio.. I got to raise my son out here in the boonies. But, even here, it's getting more dangerous with every passing year. Nowadays we see LOTS of foreigners at the local Wal-Mart. Ohio is pretty much a "constitutional carry" state, so nearly everyone packs a roscoe.
Well, maybe it's like they say, "It's got to get worse before we can make it better." We'll just have to wait and see what's around the next bend.... I got a feeling what's around that bend ain't going to be any fun at all... :(