I haven’t been to NYC in years. Back in the late 70’s (during the high crime and Bernie Goetz era) I would visit my uncle regularly who worked as a researcher at Montefiore hospital in the North Bronx. I’d ride the subway going from my hotel in Midtown Manhattan to visit him at work as the subway went through the Harlem and the South Bronx to get there and would get rather nervous as gang members would get on at those points, eyeing people as if they were sizing up an easy victim to rob.
I was with a girlfriend who whispered into my ear, those gang members are eyeing my purse and I’m NOT giving it up. There was 8-10 of them and I’m thinking oh great now I’m going to get killed trying to defend her. So I faked bravado and gave them a hard look and reached into my jacket as if I had a gun and they decided to back off. I breathed a sigh of relief then made a note to myself that in the future I would find a girlfriend who was more willing to give up here purse instead of expecting me to risk my life for it lol.