Festishizing that "authentic, old-school New York experience," Adam Fisher moved to NYC to frolic with hipsters, sing selections from Rent, or snap his fingers to the jazzy beats along with the other bohemian artists when he moved to Bushwick, Brooklyn. Unfortunately, his time there was a bit too real. Severely beaten and mugged of $28 while at the Morgan Avenue L subway station, Fisher hightails it back to his hometown, San Francisco. In his jarring piece for New York Magazine ("The Bleeding Edge"), he goes into graphic detail and explains his move back West.
Within 24 hours of my release from the hospital, I made it back to San Francisco, where I grew up; within 48 hours, I decided to quit my job and move back there ... I carry a knife now, a small utility blade that I picked up at the hardware store. And when friends of mine get nostalgic for the bad old days, when lofts were cheap and New York was edgy, I tell them that it’s all still there, if you know where to look.
Having twice experience the not-so-gentle hands of a violent mugger ourselves, we feel for Fisher. We do. But why back to San Francisco, where crime is making a fearless comeback?
Oh, and a commenter going by the moniker "poopmast," on Gothamist's post of the same subject, declares that "I lived in SF for a bit and believe me SF is more dangerous because they let the homeless roam freely and follow you home, whereas they get nypd beatings to keep them in check here."
How lovely. Anyway, although we disagree on SFPD-sanctioned torture on the homeless, this begs the question: is SF safer than NYC?