I think it is fair to say that despite so much carnage, lost, & trauma the 'Big Apple' has went through in the early 21st century, it has nonetheless persevered. Between 9/11, the collapse of the Housing Bubble, the Wall Street Financial Crisis of the Late 2000s, the Occupy Movement, etc. etc., the mere fact that this city still remains a beacon of hope for all Americans and people from all over the world envisioning to come to America is, well, quite remarkable. However, despite these triumphs, theres no mistaking that the city has seen better days. From the construction boom of skyscrapers in the 1890s-1920s, the civil rights movement in the 1960s, the revitalization of the city in the 80s & 90s after the spike of crime in the city during the 70s, I could go on and on. There have been darker moments for the city and certainly many moments of glee as well. The last 20 years in particular have been a sort of weird mixture of both the good and the bad.

Now as we enter a new decade, a new fresh start of sorts, it seems like New York City is experiencing a new renaissance. One that perfectly mirrors the renaissance the city felt in the 1980s, there seems to be a similar phenomenon now as we enter the 2020s. This of course doesn't negate the controversy surrounding many of these projects, the axed Amazon corporate headquarters in Queens being a perfect example. But nonetheless, there is one particular project that has been at the center of this come back, that being Hudson Yards:

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It is officially the most expensive private real estate development in this country's history, and it's been dubbed the 'Billionaire's Playground' as such. However, while the project evokes the changing times and how the city is becoming more & more as a tourist destination that is on the verge of rivaling more 'modern' cities out east like Shanghai & Tokyo, it has also spurred an equal amount of controversy due to the intrusiveness of this project to the environment/gritty atmosphere of the city & how the structures lacks any 'soul'. They are essentially just post-modern glass skyscrapers tilted at a rather weird angle.

However, on the same token the complex will also have a new park, a shopping mall, an observation deck on one of its towers (& not like the piss poor one found on the new WTC aka Freedom Tower 8-P), and a cool new structure called the The Vessel, which would be bound to attract tons of tourists (and also compete with our fellow northern brotherly rival Chicago with its Bean structure ;D).

In short, I am pretty mixed about the project all around. But I would like to hear your guys thoughts. Especially anybody whom is not a native to 'the city', I would like to hear your opinion in the perspective as a tourist.

Guliani proved that NYC can be a livible city, Bloomberg put NYC on the forefront of as a city of luxury. As an ex New Yorker myself It's interesting to see how much drastic changes NYC has gone through in our lifetime.  I can't even fathom a place like Chelsa was once a hotspot for crack users or Time Square being super dangerous pre 1995. NYC made tremendous improvements since the 90s but continued to face hardships with 9/11, Hurricane Sandy, a masssive wave of genterfication in Black and Hispanic neighborhoods, etc. I left NYC in 2007 when I moved to North Carolina but still continue to visit every year during the summer. I did move back in 2014 for my freshman year of college but decided the NYC life wasn't for me (a whole other story for another thread). When I was living in Nyc I lived in the Astoria area in Queens so I was always around a diverse group of people and there was already quite a bit of identification going on, but when I visit places in Brooklyn or the Bronx you'll usually see one or two enthic group.  It's crazy how a places that were once considered the hood have a large influx of hipsters and yuppies. Harlem is now keeping up with the rest of manhattan with it's luxurious condos and yuppies.

Guliani proved that NYC can be a livible city, Bloomberg put NYC on the forefront of as a city of luxury. As an ex New Yorker myself It's interesting to see how much drastic changes NYC has gone through in our lifetime.  I can't even fathom a place like Chelsa was once a hotspot for crack users or Time Square being super dangerous pre 1995. NYC made tremendous improvements since the 90s but continued to face hardships with 9/11, Hurricane Sandy, a masssive wave of genterfication in Black and Hispanic neighborhoods, etc.


I agree, 100%. Also having been raised in the city in Brooklyn and then moving to New Jersey in my pre-teens, it surely is amazing to see all of the drastic changes the city underwent in the 1990s-2010s. However, what I have in bold is a major complaint I and many other local/traditional residents of 'the city' have. A perfect example to this is Downtown Brooklyn (Flatbush Ave. Prospect Park, Atlantic Ave. areas), which used to be the hood when I was a kid. However, it transformed from that to the modern/hip yuppie area it is today between the opening of the Barclays Center, the Atlantic Terminal Mall, newly developed luxurious condos/apartments, the revitalization of Prospect Park (and a lot of those Victorian era apartments surrounding the park), among other major changes.

I left NYC in 2007 when I moved to North Carolina but still continue to visit every year during the summer. I did move back in 2014 for my freshman year of college but decided the NYC life wasn't for me (a whole other story for another thread). When I was living in Nyc I lived in the Astoria area in Queens so I was always around a diverse group of people and there was already quite a bit of identification going on, but when I visit places in Brooklyn or the Bronx you'll usually see one or two enthic group.  It's crazy how a places that were once considered the hood have a large influx of hipsters and yuppies. Harlem is now keeping up with the rest of manhattan with it's luxurious condos and yuppies.

Yeah even the northern areas of NYC like The Bronx, Long Island City, Harlem, etc. have seen a rebound in recent years. However, in some ways the way they handled it was in the right, and other ways not so much.

I used to live in Brooklyn and I think it's slowly becoming the next Manhattan.

I'm not sure what's in store for NYC in the 2020s, but was the 1980s really considered a renaissance for the city? From what I've heard, it was consumed by drugs and crime, moreso than the 1970s.

Another interesting set of videos. They dive deep into the new structure known as 'The Vessel'

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I agree, 100%. Also having been raised in the city in Brooklyn and then moving to New Jersey in my pre-teens, it surely is amazing to see all of the drastic changes the city underwent in the 1990s-2010s. However, what I have in bold is a major complaint I and many other local/traditional residents of 'the city' have. A perfect example to this is Downtown Brooklyn (Flatbush Ave. Prospect Park, Atlantic Ave. areas), which used to be the hood when I was a kid. However, it transformed from that to the modern/hip yuppie area it is today between the opening of the Barclays Center, the Atlantic Terminal Mall, newly developed luxurious condos/apartments, the revitalization of Prospect Park (and a lot of those Victorian era apartments surrounding the park), among other major changes.
I know right, my cousin use to work in Downtown Brooklyn at Long Island Universty and I remember seeing way more black people in that area in the early 2000s.  I know Park Slope was pretty genterfied by the late 90s but east of prospect park was very much the hood. I heard Brownsville is now starting to gentrify which is considered the worst neighborhood in Brooklyn. The 2010s was really the decade where you saw an explosion of urban renewal. I bet the kids your old neighborhood now would be shocked to see how different the neighborhood was 15-20 years ago.

I'm not sure what's in store for NYC in the 2020s, but was the 1980s really considered a renaissance for the city? From what I've heard, it was consumed by drugs and crime, moreso than the 1970s.

There was a huge financial boom on Wall Street at the time.

I'm not sure what's in store for NYC in the 2020s, but was the 1980s really considered a renaissance for the city? From what I've heard, it was consumed by drugs and crime, moreso than the 1970s.
Well, some parts of the Bronx certainly looked like a war zone in 1982. :o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AVzkTd9R44

I hope they had to search hard to find places that were that much run down.

There was a huge financial boom on Wall Street at the time.
Depends on what part of the decade you're talking about because the 1987 financial crash definitely sapped the enthusiasm out of Wall Street for a few years.

I know right, my cousin use to work in Downtown Brooklyn at Long Island Universty and I remember seeing way more black people in that area in the early 2000s.  I know Park Slope was pretty genterfied by the late 90s but east of prospect park was very much the hood. I heard Brownsville is now starting to gentrify which is considered the worst neighborhood in Brooklyn. The 2010s was really the decade where you saw an explosion of urban renewal. I bet the kids your old neighborhood now would be shocked to see how different the neighborhood was 15-20 years ago.


Yeah Brooklyn has changed dramatically ever since I left there in the mid 2000s. I grew up closer in the Southside though, near the Verrazano Bridge, and that area has relatively remained pretty similar. A lot of the old school residents may have left, but a decent chunk are still there. I still see childhood friends from time to time whenever I'm there in the area seeing family. The northern parts of the Borough closer to Park Slope/Downtown areas has been where much of the urban revitalization has been focused on. And for the most part, its been positive, as the area has certainly became a lot more lively now and noticeably less dangerous.

Anyways, yeah the 2010s was a sharp reversal from the 'suburbmania' zeitgeist of the 2000s.

Yeah Brooklyn has changed dramatically ever since I left there in the mid 2000s. I grew up closer in the Southside though, near the Verrazano Bridge, and that area has relatively remained pretty similar. A lot of the old school residents may have left, but a decent chunk are still there. I still see childhood friends from time to time whenever I'm there in the area seeing family. The northern parts of the Borough closer to Park Slope/Downtown areas has been where much of the urban revitalization has been focused on. And for the most part, its been positive, as the area has certainly became a lot more lively now and noticeably less dangerous.

Anyways, yeah the 2010s was a sharp reversal from the 'suburbmania' zeitgeist of the 2000s.

Bay Ridge?  ???

Yeah Brooklyn has changed dramatically ever since I left there in the mid 2000s. I grew up closer in the Southside though, near the Verrazano Bridge, and that area has relatively remained pretty similar. A lot of the old school residents may have left, but a decent chunk are still there. I still see childhood friends from time to time whenever I'm there in the area seeing family. The northern parts of the Borough closer to Park Slope/Downtown areas has been where much of the urban revitalization has been focused on. And for the most part, its been positive, as the area has certainly became a lot more lively now and noticeably less dangerous.

Anyways, yeah the 2010s was a sharp reversal from the 'suburbmania' zeitgeist of the 2000s.
True, Brooklyn north of Eastern pkwy has seen a significant change in the last 20 years. Wilamsburg snd Bushwick are now hipster havens. Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights is becoming more and more gentrified. Central BK has seen changes as well places like Flatbush and Lefferts Gardens has seen quite a bit of white yuppies as well since they're so close to park slope.

Well, some parts of the Bronx certainly looked like a war zone in 1982. :o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AVzkTd9R44

I hope they had to search hard to find places that were that much run down.


That anguish and pain from that 'warzone' is what helped spur the rise in hip hop culture though ;).



Depends on what part of the decade you're talking about because the 1987 financial crash definitely sapped the enthusiasm out of Wall Street for a few years.


Not to mention where in NYC specifically. The 1980s was overall a renaissance for the city at large, however that didn't necessarily mean that all residents had an equal serving of that economic boom pie.

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This was a promotional video from the International Video Network about the city.


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However, in that same year of 87', you have this home video that had a more nuanced picture of the city. Glee and frivolousness, mixed with depression and poverty.

Well, some parts of the Bronx certainly looked like a war zone in 1982. :o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AVzkTd9R44

I hope they had to search hard to find places that were that much run down.


Damn and I thought my hometown in the '90s was bad. This puts a whole new meaning to rundown :o

I am reading a book set in 1940s-1980s New York at the moment and it's not painting a pretty picture of 1980s New York. The crack epidemic ravaged many cities.  :-\\ But I'm still at 1984/1985, let's see if it get better in the end.

I honestly feel the early 1970s were better. The drug problems were only just beginning in earnest then. The 1960s were especially an amazing decade to be in New York, especially Greenwich Village. It's where everything was happening, and that glow lasted until the early '70s.

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In most aspects I thought New York was doing better than ever. Crime at record lows for example- it’s arguably the safest major city in the US, or at least had the lowest homicide rate. The city has also experienced significant gentrification. It’s certainly a different world to the crime-ridden hellhole it was 40 years ago.

Still really dirty though.

Damn and I thought my hometown in the '90s was bad. This puts a whole new meaning to rundown :o

I am reading a book set in 1940s-1980s New York at the moment and it's not painting a pretty picture of 1980s New York. The crack epidemic ravaged many cities.  :-\\ But I'm still at 1984/1985, let's see if it get better in the end.

I honestly feel the early 1970s were better. The drug problems were only just beginning in earnest then. The 1960s were especially an amazing decade to be in New York, especially Greenwich Village. It's where everything was happening, and that glow lasted until the early '70s.
Yea NY was no joke back then. Lots of Ny'ers were moving down south or upstate at the time, and some still  to this day (mainly for the cost of living).  NYC was the most dangerous city in America in 1990 despite being the largest in population which makes it worse than Chicago in 2019. By the mid-90s NYC started to see major cleaning up with broken windows policy by the mayor at the time Mayor Giuliani. By the end of the 90s NYC was a completely different city.  Time Square was considered a no man's zone for tourists nowadays all you see is families with kids over there. 

In most aspects I thought New York was doing better than ever. Crime at record lows for example- it’s arguably the safest major city in the US, or at least had the lowest homicide rate. The city has also experienced significant gentrification. It’s certainly a different world to the crime-ridden hellhole it was 40 years ago.

Still really dirty though.


Those are all good points. I am still a bit conflicted on gentrification though. On one hand, it has displaced thousands of residents, especially people in the poor & minorities. On the other hand, it has led to a revitalization of 'the city' that hasn't been seen arguably since the 1920s, which may sound a bit hyperbolic. However, walk around neighborhoods in Chelsea, or Greenwich, or Williamsburg, heck even Harlem, and much of the traditional and 'Victorian era' aesthetics of these neighborhoods (Brownstones, sufficient park management systems, the return of integral arts to the community, etc.) have been restored to there former glory.

This is another ambitious project being built:

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I was actually in Central Park not that long ago and saw the building for myself from there. It is very mesmerizing, expected to open in 2020 and to be the tallest building in the Western hemisphere by roof height alone.

This video is dope showage for how booming New York City is right now:

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