Over the years, countless number of movies and literature has given New York the title of a dangerous city. Ask New Yorkers and they will mostly disagree, except those who have experiences of certain neighborhoods in the city.
One has to understand that even though New York is the biggest city in the world, it is still a city and the standard rules of a city apply to it as well. The standard rules that say that always, especially during nighttime, stay within areas that have crowds or people and stay away from dark alleys and secluded places which can be harbors for criminals.
But there are a few places in New York that people should avoid during the silent hours (of days as well as night). More precaution should be taken when you are alone or travelling with a minor. Although I haven’t been hurt in any of these places or personally know them for being dangerous, the places in New York that are most talked about as being dangerous, according to the boroughs are,
- Manhattan – Washington Heights, some parts of Lower East Side and some parts of Harlem; however, Harlem has cleaned up nice over the past years and is a changed neighborhood. The St. Nicholas Av/125th Street is also considered amongst the top 25 dangerous areas in the country.
- Bronx – South Bronx, North Bronx projects, Fordham-Bedford, Castle Hill Projects, Melrose, Wakefield, Highbridge and Tremont amongst others.
- Brooklyn – Crown Heights, Bedford Stuyvesant, Flatbush, Brownsville, East New York, Bushwick among others.
- Queens – Queensbridge projects, Southside Jamaica, Far Rockway
- Staten Island – West Brighton
The Central Park is also one of the most visited places by New Yorkers and the tourists as well. But what many fail to understand is that it is not a recreational place all the time. During nightfall and sometimes during the day there are some areas of the Park which can get pretty dangerous. The danger can be either human or as recently reported, raccoons.
I cannot say how these are exactly dangerous and can’t prove it as well, but the general public considers them to be and hence if I were you, I’d watch my step in these areas.
