I am old enough to remember the NYC of per-Giuliani days having done business there on a regular basis over 3-4 decades. NYC was a cesspool overrun with crime - streets filled with petty as well as violent criminals on every other corner. Absolutely no part of the city was safe, the predators would jump the turnstile and ride the subway up to the nice neighborhoods to prey on people. I grew up in a rough Chicago neighborhood and I am a trained martial artist but I never felt comfortable walking NYC streets especially at night. Giuliani came in and busted heads, he initiated cops paying attention and arresting people for the small stuff..hopping subways, vandalism, car window wash con artists, aggressive violent pan handlers, and purse grabbing scum, etc...basically got the parasites and predators off the streets. In Giuliani years and afterwards NYC feels completely different than the old cesspool, it is pretty safe - and the city came back alive and felt safe and pretty much way less violent crime for last number of years.
The de Blasio years will almost certainly mark the return to general lawlessness in NYC and the return of predators freely walking the streets unchallenged as they look for victims. At this point I feel sorry for NYC and its citizens - they seem to have forgotten what it took to make the city safe and great again. I especially feel bad for the NYC cops - most of them with rare exceptions are basically heroes putting their lives on the line and doing an extremely tough job.