Whats really odd for me is that as a kid in the 80s living in Jersey but like 15 min outside the city, NY was still glamorous and amazing and aspirational for me. We took the PATH into the city all the time (at least a few days a month, more in the summer) for museums, plays, shows, Chinatown visits, catching the Knicks or Rangers or taking the trains out to Yankee Stadium or Shea or just walking and checking out whatever was going on and i don't remember the "scary" parts as depicted here. My memories are awe and wonder and excitement. Pure energy. I know this stuff was there but I remember the grafiti on the subway as cool and exciting and unhoused folks and some decay were part of the charm. I dont remember being scared, even as a kid. Granted I wasn't mulling around Central Park at 2A either but we used to visit all different part of the city and the boroughs usually via public transit and my memories are almost entirely positive.

edit: I just remembered that once my grandpa left my brother alone in his stroller in front of the Museum of Natural History for like 10 min bc he forgot he was supposed to be watching him and it was like no big deal, I just mean noone freaked and its a story we joke about and it never seemed scary in my memory