<p>Even in the 1980s (crack epidemic heyday) when NYC was considerably less savory I felt the Columbia neighborhood was pretty safe. I lived right on the edge of Morningside Park and you'd occasionally here pops which you hoped were firecrackers, but might have been guns. The only time I ever felt weird was when I had to pick up a package from the 125th St. post office. Not so much because it seemed dangerous, but because the neighborhood was so segregated that I felt very out of place.</p>