New York Skank Is Back

Remember how I used to moan that New York had gotten way too slick and glossy and had lost its challenging edge? Well, it's back! Everywhere you go, there are muggers, beggars, and drug dealers waiting to harass you as if you'd just docked in Jamaica. No longer can you safely walk through any part of town without swiveling your head around like an epileptic every two minutes to see who's following you with a pickaxe. Chat with a stranger on the street and chances are it'll climax with them begging for 50 cents for "rent money". Isn't this fabulous! Gotham has gotten its groove back! Though what I actually meant by "edge"--I swear--was not a return to public skanking, but to some thriving bohemia based on creative expression. Who do I beg to get THAT back?