About 12 years ago I made my first visit to New York. I must admit I was a bit petrified! I'd heard all these scary stories about NY but was so excited nonetheless.
We arrived on Thanksgiving evening, the city was pretty much closed down and deserted. We didn't have a clue about Thanksgiving and this quietness only added to our heightened nervousness. We look back now and laugh of course.
Mayor Giuliani had been in office for about 2-3 years then and had considerably 'cleaned' up the city. So 'hoboes' and the like were no longer part of the street scene. So no real reason to be 'petrified'.
I'm not sure about all this 'cleaning' up. They did it in Camden Town. Leaves the place a little sterile after a while. Anyway any non-conformists just travel to the next area to play havoc or fade away.
These little badges I picked up there. I think the Canal Jean co. is a bit of an institution there. I liked these as the graphics harked back to the Ska 2 Tone era. I was a big fan. The Selecter, Specials, The Beat etc. Had to include this. Fantastic.