Yeah, even as a foreigner living there in the 2000s it was pretty dismal. Or wonderfully safe and livable for a big American city, depending on which side of the debate you fall on. I found it awful - Starbucks, D'Agostinos, Kinko on every other block. Haven't been back since I left the country; apparently it's all million-dollar condos in Park Slope now. (???) When I hear stories like maump's, I get nostalgic for times I never had the pleasure to experience.