Dn the 1970s, when I arrived in New York, my hosts’ first care was to advise me on which areas of Manhattan I should not go to at any cost. I had to, they told me, not have more than $ 20 in my pocket to give if I was attacked by a drug addict and stick to the busier areas of Central Park. The city was bankrupt, the police absent, and potholes dotted the main avenues. Since then, New York has collapsed and rebounded several times, especially after the attacks of September 11, 2001. When I got there …
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