Toughness Check for New York City

Monday, September 13, was a landmark day for New York City: The city schools reopened, with mandatory in-person instruction, and the subways and sidewalks were the busiest they’ve been since the Before Times. Meanwhile, four of Broadway’s tentpole shows were to reopen the following day, giving fans of Hamilton, The Lion King, Wicked, and Chicago their first chance to see these offerings since March of 2020.

Restaurants and bars, which by city mandate are now required to ensure that all adult patrons are vaccinated, are going strong. Real-estate salesmen tell me that, though there was a mass exodus last spring, especially among renters, the former homes of the fleeing have been eagerly snapped up by incomers, and sales prices are off only by 10 percent or so. The crime wave of last year appears to have peaked, and this summer violent crime fell. Overall crime rates are roughly flat from 2020 to 2021, but still well below the levels of the first decade of this century and far below 1990s levels. (New York City is on track for about 450 murders this year, much worse than 2019’s 311, but well below the first ten years of Mike Bloomberg’s twelve-year mayoralty.)

About the Author

Kyle Smith

Kyle Smith is the film critic for the Wall Street Journal.

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Monday, September 13, was a landmark day for New York City: The city schools reopened, with mandatory in-person instruction, and the subways and sidewalks were the busiest they’ve been since the Before Times. Meanwhile, four of Broadway’s tentpole shows were to reopen the following day, giving fans of Hamilton, The Lion King, Wicked, and Chicago their first chance to see these offerings since March of 2020.

Restaurants and bars, which by city mandate are now required to ensure that all adult patrons are vaccinated, are going strong. Real-estate salesmen tell me that, though there was a mass exodus last spring, especially among renters, the former homes of the fleeing have been eagerly snapped up by incomers, and sales prices are off only by 10 percent or so. The crime wave of last year appears to have peaked, and this summer violent crime fell. Overall crime rates are roughly flat from 2020 to 2021, but still well below the levels of the first decade of this century and far below 1990s levels. (New York City is on track for about 450 murders this year, much worse than 2019’s 311, but well below the first ten years of Mike Bloomberg’s twelve-year mayoralty.)