We read travel books and thay all tell us, put your money in your shoes, don't walk through central park at night... Are we to be worried? Safety tips?

New York is the safest big city in the United States. Twenty years ago it was dangerous, but not now.

That said, no one can assure another's safery. And one should always have their wits about them as in any big city. Personally I would still not walk through Central Park at night, but the surroundings area are extremely safe.

Women should never leave their bags on the back of a chair in a public place but seeing a crime is not common occurrence.

The subways are very safe and crowded in mid-town almost all of the time. On top of that we probably have the best undercover cops who are often on the trains.

Since 9/11, the effort to stop terrorists has also stopped criminals. And fair minded police officials acknowledge that NYC has the best anti-terrorists units in the country including the FBI and CIA.

While I probably still wouldn't walk through Central Park at night, it's actually the safest police precinct in all of NYC in terms of the number of reported crimes. And a lot of people cut through the park after work, or ride their bikes through, or jog at all hours.

NYC is as safe as any big city in the world, but there is obviously still crime. Most crime is crime of opportunity. If you do certain things such as walk around distracted with a wallet in your back pocket, you are more likely to become a victim of a pickpocket. If you are walking around drunk you are more likely to become the victim of a mugger. Violent crime, especially in Manhattan, is still relatively rare (especially against tourists), but it does happen. I almost always walk home after the theater, down quiet dark streets and don't give it a thought.

If there are travel books out that note that you should carry your money in your shoes in NYC - that is an indication that the writer of that book may not know too much about any aspect of visiting this town. Utter nonsense. Anyway - the big danger of walking in crowded areas like Times Square is being pushed off the sidewalk by the hordes of tourists and clusters of them who block intersections. I would not recommend walking in Central Park at night - but who would want to, anyway? Although I was surprised to see a number of dog walkers entering the park after dark and they seem to do that on a regular basis.

Would you mind sharing the name, publisher and the publication date of one of those books. I find this fascinating.

I felt very safe there on a trip there a couple of weeks ago. I was with my daughter and took the subway, walked around after the theatre, carried a regular purse that was not hid under my jacket, etc...

Like the others, I would not walk in Central Park after dark.
Always be aware of your surroundings and use good judgment - of course that is wherever you happen to be.

You will be pleasantly surprized when you arrive!! Have fun!!

What year was your travel book published? 1979?

Putting your money in your shoes is the silliest thing I've ever heard of.

NYC is probably the safest city in the United States.

Just don't act like a doofus and you'll be fine.

True story, I heard it from the guy who did it:

A guy was visiting his friend in Manhattan; he had to sleep on the floor in the hallway because space was tight, and around 3am he couldn't sleep and decided to get up and take a walk. In Central Park. He saw a group of people standing around in the shadows talking, so he decided to walk up and join them. There was a silence in the group as he approached and just stood there. Then somebody asked, ``You're not from around here, are you?''. He replied that that was so. So the person said, ``Go away.'' So he did. Unharmed.

Putting money in your shoes is a ridiculous idea. I would stop using that guidebook immediately!

Seriously, since (I know from your other posts) you are on a long cross-country trip, I would consider using a normal money belt under your clothes, or something along those lines.

Money in your shoes? Ouch! Use a pocket book or wallet like the rest of us. Lived here all my life. Money in shoes. That's a new one.

LOL picturing 8 million people who use their shoes instead of wallets.

Another quaint aspect of that advice is the implication that ANYBODY carries a significant amount of cash anymore. We all use plastic! Over a recent long weekend in NYC, I probably spent about $30 in actual cash.

I felt safer in NYC than I do on the streets of my hometown.
Of course you should not walk in Central Park at night and of course you should be mindful. The beauty of NYC is that it never seems to sleep. There are always people on the streets.
I would not travel on Madison Avenue at night..that was the one time I was a bit scared. It's empty.

Safety is what you mae it.

No - I would not walk alone through Cenral Park at 3 am (earlier eveing is fine). Nor would I walk alone down a dark alley or hang out around the docks.

But, NYC is safer than any other large city in the country. All regular tourist areas are safe (but do keep an eye on your belongings - as in don;t let go of anything)and we routinely ride the subway in the evening. (We don't take later than 12 or so, since they run less often and a cab is much fster - but they're still safe in Manhattan.)

But - if you drink more than you can hold and wander around alone, walk off and leave your bag on a table or chair in a club or restaurant - or don't pay attention to what's going on behind you - you can suffer losses. Just like anyplace else in the world.

The more I think about this the dumber it is. How hard would it be to knock someone down and steal their shoes if the wild, wild streets of NYC were actually brimming with criminals?

The only time I’ve ever seen or heard of money in shoes is kids at an amusement park who are old enough to walk around a bit without their parents and are given money to buy a snack or drink.

Years ago when things were bad in NY people kept money everywhere but in their pockets and wallet. I never put money in my wallet, which started 45 years ago.

It is a habit.

Visitors are always surprised how many people are on the streets on all hours of the night.

I honestly don't know the books name/author or anything... been hunting down so much info lately, can't remember, sorry, will let you know if I come across it again

Many of you spoke of rooms for $35 in NYC... well I can't find them, no decent places at least. I have been surfing the net all day, always checking it out with trip advisor of course, learnt somethingPlease tell me where you get these "prices"

Must add, to those of you who tried to help me get to the airport, I came across a website www.a2btransfers.com They quoted me $40.60 for 2 of us from JFK-Manhattan and $40.60 from Manhattan-EWR. Quite good hey? Best arranged pick up for EWR only was $81

I haven't heard anyone here specifically mention rooms for $35, but I may have heard (over at TripAdvisor, not here) mention of hostels around that price. I think.

I would not use anything from the NY area airports to your hotel which involves dropping off other passengers. If this is case with this company, forget it.

My previous topic was full of it... you could go check. About the transfers, I will chat with them tomorrow, 11:11pm now, going to bed! We had elections today, so everyhing was closed, could not phone.

Manhattan is generally fine during daylight hours. At night (especially late), it's wise to avoid walking through parks, though that's true in all US and several European cities. In a few areas late at night (Lower East Side, Meat Packing District, Alphabet City east of the East Village, and several places above about 96th Street), it's a good idea to stick to main streets, know where you're going, and walk with purpose without dawdling. Taking the subway after about midnight is often not the best option unless you're part of a crowd leaving a baseball game or similar event -- taking a cab is usually wisest after this hour.

That being said, there's no need to get drastic hiding money in your shoe and similar nonsense. If you're really, truly concerned, keeping valuables and extra cash in a discreet money belt hidden under your clothes or in a hotel safe is more than enough, but that's probably not a bad idea anywhere you travel.

New York is in fact one of the safer large cities in the US. In general, just use common sense as you would in any urban area.