I go there once a year to see the minor league Cyclones. So I only know about it in the summertime now.
And, with that caveat, it's far better now than when we moved. The next 15-20 years were even worse. Certainly it is portrayed in that light in "Requiem for a Dream".
Since I've been going in 2004, it seemed much cleaner and safer to me. And the boardwalk was PACKED. Two years ago I walked "the old neighborhood" with no issues with my mom, who lived there from birth until we moved to LI. She even found a couple of people she knew as a kid. We had some conversations with some others ... like those sitting on the stoop of my grandma's old apartment ... though that was in a mix of Span-glish. The place should improve more once they replace Astroland as was announced. But, I wouldn't live there.
It seems they changed the boardwalk. I don't think you can walk under it anymore ... at least not in the spots I did as a kid ... but I wasn't paying that close attention ... and wouldn't have DARED even if the opportunity had arisen.
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Amo i Gemelli!!