A bit racist that really wasn't it?
Just trying to understand how you were in Gandland New York (New York whilst having groups of people whom associate, and organized Crime, has a very small percentage in the 'gangs' that you refer to. I've no idea how that area was 15 miles from the City, given that it's all City, unless you go out of the City. The worst areas are in the Bronx, Upper Manhattan can be a little rought, Queens has some dodgey areas, and Brooklyn can also etc... but it's generally nice... Boys in the Hood is actually set in Los Angeles, so I guess it's the large proportion of black people outside on the street that gave it that scary edge... and they were all in gangs... cos you didn't know them, but they knew one another? Truth is, I went all over NY, walking from Flatbush through to Redhook and back to manhattan, jumped off the Train at Kingson and Throop / Uttica, and been the only white face out on a real dark night... walked a couple of miles down the road carrying £4000 worth of video equipment, and only got hellos, nods and curious looks from a few... seriously...
(Universon, Fri 30 Oct 2009, 11:44, 1 reply)

Well.
I think you need to put this in the perspective of 2 innocent 20 year old from pre-internet 18 years ago when the only things we saw about America were via American cop shows and films like Colors.

When we were there as far as we were concerned it was Gangland New York...and as far as we were concerned bubba was going to mug us until proven otherwise.

And yes. We were told of several recent shootings that occurred in the vicinity of the hotel. To 2 kids from Cheshire in the late 80's this is as gangland as it's going to get.
( Airman Gabber Living life like a 70's BBC presenter, Fri 30 Oct 2009, 12:01, closed)

Crucial fact
18 years ago. Very different place. I've had the same experience as Universon above, but that was eight years ago and while I never felt threatened (Bed-Stuy, by accident, not a 'good' area at all) I certainly felt alert.

It's not racist to feel intimidated when sticking out as much as two white kids in the South Bronx would. Of course everyone you meet is likely to be law-abiding and at worst curious about your presence there, but you *will* draw attention to yourself and if there are any dodgy types about they *will* notice you. Pretending otherwise out of some white middle-class desire not to be racist is just stupid, not to mention patronising.
( Scrumper, Fri 30 Oct 2009, 14:25, closed)

hmmmm
What I was pointing out was, that it was racist to assume that it was gangland territory, and the comparison with Boys In The Hood, which is an entirely different Coast, thousands of miles away, with a completely different cultural approach to life... seems to have the similarity of 'a lot of black people live there, and seem to hang around outside their houses in the street'. In which case I walked through a small town in Yorkshire and it was like a clan rally.
(Universon, Fri 30 Oct 2009, 15:44, closed)

so..
You've been to Bradford/Keighley then?
(danniekavanagh did nothing constructive on, Sat 31 Oct 2009, 10:11, closed)