new york old and new

When people who used to live in New York a few decades ago spend any time here these days, they are pretty shocked by the changes. No muggings, car thefts, filthy streets, graffiti. Time Square has become Disneyland, the Upper White Side is Yuppie Mummy Central, Broadway is Franchise Boulevard (but for the lingering side-street storefront, above) and the outer reaches of Brooklyn and Queens have become Cool Town. Parking meters have given way to electronic ticket machines, sidewalk cafes have multiplied, and prices of everything have skyrocketed. People still wear black, though.