I've been to New York maybe a half dozen times, almost all in Manhattan (twice in the Bronx). I've loved every trip, but from what I hear from the people that have seen the transformation, Manhattan and New York in general used to be a much more colorful place. Times Square could hold everything from businessmen, to dealers, to hookers, mobsters, musicians and much more. Now it's just tourists.

Seems to me like Guiliani cleaned it all up, and Bloomberg turned it into what we know it as of right now