I have lived in NY my whole life, first The Bronx and then Queens. There was a lot of crime back in the 70's and 80's and places like Times Square back then weren't places youwent alone, especially at night, it was a far cry from the Disney like athmosphere today.. You couldn't take the IRT subway after 10pm, especially to the Bronx. I was in college in the mid 80's and didn't have a car, which meant I couldnt go anywhere in Manhattan at all for the nightlife.
I remember a situation in Chelsea in the late 80's where a couples phone did not work and the husband went outside to use the pay phone and was shot and killed. That was the type of threats faced by New Yorkers.