I'm wondering if any of you who live in NYC have noticed an increase in muggings lately. I have three friends who were violently mugged in the last two weeks, and am trying to figure out if it was just a personal coincidence or if things like this are on the rise. Hopefully you'll be able to lay my fears to rest.
PS-I travel all over the city, so this is travel related too.

The short answer is "no." So as not to cause a tourist scare, I note you have a Columbia address. Did the muggings happen in that area as opposed to an more tourist-populated area?

I've lived here for 8 years, and I know one person who has been mugged in that time---a 22 y.o. man walking down a drimly lit street at 3 am drunk by himself. Perhaps not the smartest thing to do.

Be aware of your surroundings, know where you're going, be prepared to take a cab if you feel uncomfortable, and don't walk around flashing cash or jewelery.

The last time I've heard of someone that I've known that got mugged was around 1992.

The muggings happened at Union Square, in Prospect Park, and near Columbia. A priest, a 20-something friend, and a therapist. I guess it was just a bizare run. Thanks for talking some sense into me.

I live 4 blocks from Columbia U and I havent heard of increased muggings. But I will be more aware now.

When the economy is bad, crime increases, so I totally expect the number of muggings to go up. Though I don't know anyone who's been mugged in the past year, I've noticed a lot more homeless people and panhandlers around here.

Sorry about your friends...that was quite a coincidence!

You can thank Mayor Bloomberg for the decline in our wonderful city. The man is an excellent businessman, but he lacks the necessary qualities to be an effective mayor in this city.

I never thought that I would ever say this but I MISS RUDY ! ! !

Moneybags, Bloomberg has an incredible deficit to deal with these days. That coupled with a bad national economy and after effects of 9/11 will certainly effect our city for a long time to come. He did manage to get rid of the Board of Education which every mayor has tried to do unsucessfully for the last 20 years. However, I am not a fan of the guy, just pointing out what's been happening in his short time as mayor. Not marching in Columbus Day parade was a mistake. I'm glad to see the back of Rudy G. though - autocratic control freak that he was.

No, nobody I know has been mugged but I am sorry to hear about the people you know. And inclined to believe that things are changing somewhat. I am very aware of the rise in the number of homeless men I see sleeping on the sidewalk when I walk home in a relatively nice neighborhood.