I became a serious pooner in the mid-1980s
Yes, when the Albert Street stroll was the high track. Those were the glory days.
That whole area had a wonderful night life with cafés, restaurants (Chopin's and Spaghetti Factory) and the Robins where cops, hookers and clients all hung out almost amicably.
Bogart's and Elbows were like indoor strolls with really nice looking ladies you could dance with, chat up over drinks, and broker a deal.
Whatever went wrong with downtown, it is a hollow shell now. I am sorry younger people will never see anything like that or understand what it was like.
I think the upper echelon of police bear much of the blame.
The old vice office was almost right on top of the stroll and the area was heavily policed to keep things in order.
Obnoxious drunks were given the boot.
The street level officers managed it well.
Then the police brass decide to withdraw into the bunker of the PSB, they abandoned street level policing, and abandoned community.
Instead of walking around talking to people officers stayed in their cars.
The women and their customers were no longer relatively safe, and they went underground.
Look at the new police fortress on Grant. That reflects their isolation perfectly.