I lived in NYC briefly in the late '80s (the pre-Giuliani days) and it was quickly deteriorating, just the way it is now. Crime, homelessness, huge piles of garbage, vermin everywhere, poor public transportation and services made life a daily struggle. I could not wait to get the hell out. When I moved back to Boston, it was a breath of fresh air, even though life there was not perfect, either.
When I visited New York again in the late 90's, I was amazed at the improvement, all made possible by a mayor who had no qualms about enforcing the law and demanding that the city be cleaned up. He respected the police and expected the citizens to do the same.
I was back in the city a few months ago and the decay was once again evident, along with the sense of an overwhelming and omnipresent city government - signs everywhere telling people what they must and must not do - the same government, of course that will not keep the streets and subways safe and clean.
I live in the country now, as I have for a long time, and I am thankful not to have to deal with all of that. Not that I could afford to live in Manhattan again - it's for the wealthy and the poor, exclusively. If you're rich, you can live high above the problems; if you're impoverished, you are given an income and vouchers generous enough to eat non-nutritious food, pay your subsidized rent, and perhaps, support your drug habit.
