Changes: New York City

it used to be you held on like iron to your bag in fear of getting it snatched.
now you hold on like iron to your bag because if it's left unattended you look like a terrorist.

used to be that tourists would avoid Times square to avoid the hookers, pick pockets etc.
now NYers avoid Times square to avoid all the tourists.

if you look at Manhattan like it was a human body, for instance the Empire state building is in the middle so it's the you know what, Central park is the lungs etc, Wall street is on one end, and in the past it could be seen at the top end as the brains of the operation, figuring out how to make money, get ahead etc. but since fall 2008 at least it's reversed, where it's had shit for brains, where Wall street's head was up it's ass so it's back down in the bowels of the world in reputation.

Manhattan's getting old, too established, too pricey, too corporate, when Brooklyn is getting more sheik, new, artsy, happening