Can We Help This Girl Feel Good About NYC Again?
I was robbed for the first time about three years ago. It happened at about 6AM – I know, because that’s when I woke up and heard someone opening my bedroom door.
At the time, I was living in a loft with other people, and, half-asleep, figured it was just someone drunkenly coming into the wrong room. I made some noise, and whoever it was quickly closed the door. I fell back asleep immediately.
The next morning, when I got up, I found that my camera, laptop, cell phone, and hard drives had all been stolen off of my living room couch. I learned my lesson – as safe as modern day New York City feels, it’s easy to forget that this stuff (and worse) still regularly occurs, no matter where you live.
Over the weekend, I received a heart-breaking letter from a reader talking about a similar experience:
Two weeks ago my apartment was robbed. Everything was taken. My 3 computers, all of my cameras, lenses and most heartbreaking, all of my hard drives. 7 total. Not to mention other personal items ( ipods, jewelry, etc)
I’m a freelance fashion photographer (still working as an assistant, testing when I can). Needless to say, this has been a major blow. Both emotionally and financially. I still don’t think i have fully wrapped my head around the situation.
I remember my own experience vividly. It was a huge setback financially, but the real hit came from losing tons of data on my laptop (literally thousands of scout photos), and the disturbing feeling of knowing that someone had access to a lot of personal stuff. On top of it, something like this can suddenly make NYC feel like a very cold and lonely place to live.
Luckily for this reader, the thieves overlooked one item…
On my book case I kept my most cherished camera of all, my Leica M3. It was passed down to me from my uncle.
With that being said, I need to shoot with the only and most important camera I have left. I have lived in NY for over 3 years now and have yet to explore it the way I would like. I’m hoping that you can direct me to beautiful beaches or someplace that showcases the hauntingly moody weather.
I just really need to shoot and move forward. Even though I usually only shoot fashion and people- I am looking forward to the open space so I can hear the sound of my shutter clicking.
Woo – that’s a big request. Rather than limit the answer to my knowledge of the city, I wanted to turn it over to you readers: where should she go? What are you favorite neighborhoods to explore in NYC? Photographers, where do you like to shoot?
Personally, my favorite neighborhood to walk around is one I’ve never been before, and for this, I can’t recommend Forgotten NY highly enough. I love reading through Kevin’s neighborhood breakdowns, picking one that sounds particularly interesting, and then going out to explore on my own, trying to find little bits and hidden gems of my own.
Then there are the places I never tire of walking around: Coney Island, and east from there – basically, all the waterfront property going all the way to Long Beach. Cemeteries, specifically old Trinity cemetery and those out around “Cemetery Alley”; the old industrial areas down near Sunset Park. Greenpoint/Williamsburg into Bushwick. Fort Totten. I love picking one long avenue or street and just walking/biking its length, like Bedford or Flatbush, and photographing how it changes.
And believe it or not, I love walking around Times Square trying to find remnants of an older age that have somehow survived the endless renovations.
But that’s just me. What are your recommendations? If you had a Leica M3 and the day off today, where would you go?
Finally, if you’ve ever been robbed before, I think it would help if you might share your story in the comments. At the very least, it helps to realize that this happens more than you might think, and that there is light at the end of the tunnel of this very terrible experience.
-SCOUT
My brother finds him photographic exlporations are perfectly satisfied at Floyd Bennet Field in Brooklyn, and Riis Park in Queens – both quiet in the off season, Floyd Bennet has lots of unexplored nooks and crannies – you can check out some of his photos at http://www.goodbye-blue-monday.com...
I shoot with my iPhone, o I am sorry I cannot help you out with any donations, but I have a laptop we dont use that needs nothing more than a charger if you want it…
For beach photographs and peaceful surroundings, nothing in NYC tops the west end of the Rockaways. Start at Fort Tilden, formerly and military base it has now been transformed into a park. The beach this time of year will of course be empty and the base will seem almost ghost like. To completely escape civilization keep going west to Breezy point. This is a gated community but I have a feeling if you share your story with the guard they will let you through. If you go by bike I’ve never been stopped. Go past the small homes and out to the beach which is separated from all the homes by wide dunes. It seems like you are a million miles away. Pure heaven. Good luck.
Hmm.. neighborhood wanderings are always great – I just did a good wander around Red Hook and, while it was freezing, it was incredibly interesting to wander around and take pictures. I also love wandering the Meatpacking District and the West Village – they may be tourist traps but the street art and incredible architecture of the Meatpacking District/High Line are breathtaking, and the people you see there are worth taking pictures of if you are into street photography. I also can’t forget the Lower East Side, which just has so many nooks and crannies that you can’t see enough of it. Like you said Scout, it’s fun to find bits of the old world in the “New” New York.
I was just about to recommend Rockaway Beach and Fort Tilden…and two others already beat me to it! Also not far from there (just over the Marine Parkway Bridge, actually) is Dead Horse Bay. While it sounds a little gross (and it kind of is, since it is a beach totally covered with trash), it has a strange kind of beauty, not to mention a really interesting history. (Photos and information here: http://atlasobscura.com/place/dead-horse-bay)
I love to take pictures at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx. There are beautiful old trees, ponds an streams that look good in all seasons. The Bronx Botanical Garden is another good location. And from the apartment or hospital skyscrapers of The Bronx, one can get amazing pictures of the bridges to Queens and NJ.
The southernmost end of Jones Beach is as quiet as it gets around here. If you go early enough in the morning you can watch the overnight flights from europe coming in to JFK. Their final approach takes them in low over the beach. On the downside, you’ll need a car to get out there. The boardwalk at atlantic beach is cool in it’s own weird long island way.
As for getting robbed, I was held up at gun point once in Ft. Greene and more recently I had my phone (stupid fancy iPhone) grabbed out of my hand in DUMBO. The second incident was far more irritating/faith-in-humanity-shaking.
Wow. I was also just about to recommend the Western Rockaways and Fort Tilden (if your reader wants a haunting beach and especially if he or she has a bike). Glad to see so many others beat me to it!
These are all great suggestions. Personally, I love shooting in Red Hook. It’s quiet, visually arresting and I love the old buildings.
Of course, if the reader wants to stay a bit closer to Manhattan and has not yet explored much of the city, the “beach” under the Brooklyn side of the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges can make for some interesting shots in the right conditions. There are also the micro beaches along the East River around 21st St. Those are neat to discover, but probably not as much to shoot.
The Cloisters/Ft Tryon Park. RIght now, with the snow its beautiful and haunting. And you can view the palisades on the Hudson river.
I have lived here all my life and it wasn’t until I was 22 when my car was broken into and mine and Dad’s cameras were stolen from the trunk. No one was around when we put them in but someone was watching who we could not see.
Just be thankful you were not hurt. Items can be replaced but you can’t.
Try Flushing Meadows park. There’s a really nice variety of scenes you can do there, from nature shots to urban landscapes to iconic landmarks. It’s easy to get to by the 7 train, and generally empty during weekday days.
Sorry about the robbery. Hang in there!
First things first…
If you’re going to a obscure beach like Ft. Tilden in the winter-time, with your prized camera, can I please suggest you go with a group of friends or at least a partner. The last thing you want to do is get robbed again. It may be a random deserted beach, but it’s still the NYC and you still risk getting robbed or worse. Maybe find a group of like-minded photogs or something, but don’t just start exploring alone.
This is an excellent suggestion, one I was going to mention if no one else did. Please don’t go by yourself. I can’t imagine going out with my Yashika (inherited from my father who was a professional news photographer on Capitol Hill and the White House) and having it taken from me. So always go with at least one other person. Be safe. I was first robbed when I was 21 years old and it isn’t an experience I would wish on any young person.
not sure about where to shoot, but i think you might want to upgrade your security.
I got rolled by a “helpful” bystander after a little too much to drink at my friends’ wedding reception in the West Village. Fortunately the purse he lifted off of me only had my iPhone in it because I’d left my wallet at the bar with the bride & groom. There’s nothing quite like the horrible self loathing that comes with a massive hangover coupled with having to replace a $450 cell phone. To make it worse, my father had just died 10 days earlier (hence my having a little too much to drink) and some of the irreplaceable items stored on that phone were photos of him and sympathy texts/phone messages from friends. But on the plus side, it also really touched me with how several of my friends took care of me when I was sick and the Apple consultant at the Chelsea Genius Bar gave me a discount when I heard the whole story. People suck and I’m sure the thief unwittingly brought massive bad karma for stealing from me right after a family death. But I was also incredibly touched by the warmth a lot of people displayed.
In terms of where to go – another vote for the Cloisters, though maybe once the weather has warmed up. I also had a great dayhike after this one incident at the park in Inwood. One of my friends lives up there and we took her dog on the back paths, which is some of the original old growth forest that gives you an idea of what New York was like before European settlers arrived.
A nice place to shoot is on Shore Road in Brooklyn, near the Verrazano Bridge. Nice views of the lower harbor, and Ft. Hamilton, as well as some very nice homes along the Road. All sorts of interesting ships entering the harbor (seeing some of the big cruise ships just barely slip under the bridge is exciting). Great sunsets on clear days. Wonderful atmosphere on foggy evenings.
I’m born and raised in NYC, and can’t imagine living anywhere else. I was mugged once during high school. A guy jumped out of a phonebooth (the kind Clark Kent loved so much). He knocked me to the ground, and grabbed my backpack. I turned over, and recognized him as a guy who had been in my class in grammar school. He recognized me, and ran away with my bag. No police involved — my parents went to his parents, and got some of my stuff back.
My parents’ house in Brooklyn was burglarized once. My youngest brother was in the living room watching a late night movie. Some time during the movie, someone climbed in the rear kitchen window. We assume he saw the TV on in the living room, so went into the basement family room. He carefully removed bottles of soda from a box, and quietly filled it with our desktop computer and a VCR, and left by the back door. When my brother went into the kitchen after his movie, he found the window open, and woke us. I guess he was lucky that the burglar was only interested in stuff.
I used to live in NYC for 26 years. I was never burgled or robbed, but my father, an artist, was burgled. They took all his cameras. It was sad.
BUT, I now live in an idyllic area (Maui). People are being burgled and robbed all the time! I have two friends who have been burgled in 3 times each in the last 10 years and one who was recently burgled. When I lived in Westchester, the entire street I lived in was burgled. It was amazing. My house was broken into, but I only had crap, so no one touched anything. Some houses were hit twice. This was a nice, upscale neighborhood. My sister lived in a beautiful cottage on a lake in Connecticut. She was burgled about 5 times or perhaps more. It got so they couldnʻt tell if they were broken into anymore!
Anyway, I tell you this, since it is not just a NYC phenomenon. It can and does happen all over. Not that it helps much with your feeling of violation.
I would really consider renters insurance going forward. It’s pretty inexpensive and will sometimes cover thefts that occur outside of the home as well.
NYC is NYC (for any transplants out there), and you will be broken into, especially in boroughs other than Manhattan. Beware of apts with fire escapes that are NOT facing the street. Insurance is the best overall protection.
Also… back up all valuable files off of your hardware. I burn CDs and use flash sticks for this. They’re cheap and not likely to be taken.
In parts of both Alley Pond Park & Forest Park (Queens), there are endless forking/twisting trails through surprisingly natural and dense forests. You’ll definitely feel like you’re miles from NYC (except the faint sound of highway traffic– thank you, Robert Moses). Might find some moody winter woods shots– but obviously, don’t go alone and don’t get lost.
Lighthouse Park at the northern tip of Roosevelt Island (take the tram over!) has great views of the Manhattan & Queens shorelines. Definitely feels pretty bleak standing in an empty park under an old lighthouse surrounded by steely cold water (by a park of the East River where lots of ships wrecked over the years) on a frigid winter day.
ship graveyard on Staten Island:
I’ve only been in summer, so I’m not sure about this. You also need a car, and can only see a small portion of this from non-trespassing parts of the shore, but it’s definitely moody/bleak:
http://www.forgotten-ny.com/YOU'D%20NEVER%20BELIEVE/rossville/rossville.html
http://oboylephoto.com/boatyard/index.htm
I was robbed in broad daylight by a group of teenagers who were obviously old hands at it. I was going down the subways steps and they were coming up, I knew it was going to happnen and they knew I knew. They very casually grabbed my purse right off my shoulder and kept on rolling. This was back in the day when there were pay phones in the subway. I called in my credit cards thenb got on the train feeling pissed but resigned. Happy ending though, someone turned in my wallet and money was still in its little hiding spot.
Does she need any computer replacements? Because my office just replaced 7 computers and gave them to me – 80 GB hard drives. Old PCs. I use Macs so I do not necessarily need these desktops. She can take one of the computers and we can add another drive or two – obviously, I’m in NYC as well.
I’d say open spaces? Riis Park, Brighton Beach, Woodlawn Cemetery…
I was jumped in 2008 by 4 kids trying to steal my iPhone. I got picked up from behind, literally by my skull, thrown backwards and kicked and punched for a few minutes. The flip to the ground was so hard it ripped my jeans on both knees. They didn’t get anything, but it hurt.
I had my apartment broken into a number of years ago. Someone didn’t pick they lock, they literally tore the door off the hinges from the other side. As a photographer myself, I was horrified, but they only took one camera and raided through my sock drawer. If they had opened the closet they would have found about $12,000 in camera equipment just sitting there. I was VERY lucky.
I’ve never been robbed in NY — but before I moved here I had been robbed twice. Plus, I knew people who were robbed — Michigan, Ohio, Los Angeles and Wisconsin. I think, per capita, NY has less robberies than other places. Hard to believe if you’ve lived here all of your life. I do know that you have to find out how they got in and then make that entry impossible from now on.
I know this is all about NYC, but the walk along the river on the NJ side is ever-changing. The Hudson is beautiful and changes with the weather. The buildings in NYC do the same. Boulevard East has beautiful old homes. The skyline from Weehawken is where most of the famous NYC skyline photos come from. Lots of public transportation via bus, light rail, ferry but not a lot of people.
I live in a rural area, surrounded by corn and cows. There are few neighbors. My home was burglarized when a teenager came through a window. At the time, I kept very regular hours and it was obvious when I left the home every morning.
Although I was not hurt at all, it was quite a long time before I felt safe in my own home.
That was the year I got a dog and checked the windows every night.
I’m writing this because things can happen outside of a big city and they have the same effect.
Wow guys, lots of good info already. I lived in the city as a youth and off and on ever since, joined my first ship at the Brooklyn Navy Yard and used to walk from the Yard to High Street station (A) and never had any problems. Never been rolled, mugged or what ever. I run around all over town with a camera bag on my shoulder and have never had a problem.
My touchstones when I get back are the Village, the Met and Rock Center and of course GCT. I will sometimes get back to my old hood in LIC near the Sunnyside Yards. My Dad & I used to watch the Pennsy in action there and I still like to watch trains. At the Met I love Paul Manship’s bears, those bears BEAR. I am a big Raymond Hood fan and have to touch base with 30 Rock, McGraw Hill, the Daily News and the Radiator Building.
I am a concert photographer and shoot in as many jazz venues as possible. My only advice really boils down to, get out there. No matter your interest you will find something in the city to stimulate you.
She might want to visit my give-away post. Even if she only gets a camera bag or a cheap tripod or both, it’s a step toward rebuilding.
Much sympathy and empathy here. We were burgled just last August at our house in Queens. They stole jewelry and my new Canon digital SLR, with an almost full 16 gb disc that I had only half downloaded. They took an old laptop that didn’t work unless you knew a trick to make the monitor come on, but the worst was two of my husband’s very fine guitars. Insurance paid up for all but the jewelry (you have to have that on a separate schedule, who knew?).
When I lived in Manhattan, I was burgled twice and I learned to keep anything valuable in a ‘secret’ closet. It was a pain, but necessary, and you get used to the habit of putting things away. The second burglary got the thief very little. Wish I had been as careful after moving to the outer borough. Keep bushes trimmed and windows closed and locked. The cops said that an alarm is only good if it’s loud. Otherwise the response time of 15-20 minutes means the thieves are gone when the cops get there. A security camera, or even just the appearance of one, is good too.
Shooting: I love walking the river, from the Bowery to the Cloisters, there is so much to shoot. Also, good old Central and Riverside Parks, and Alley Pond Park, during the work day, when you can sometimes feel you are alone in the world. But I second everyone’s caution about going with a friend or group of people. It is awful to have your camera grabbed from your hands while you are using it, a type of artistic rape, and this has happened to several of my friends, on Roosevelt Island while shooting the sunrise and on Coney Island in the middle of a crowd.
Be careful out there! And consider using an online service for backup, like Mozy Pro, instead of hard drives. No one can steal a cloud!
got mugged in Chicago six years ago, and I never really felt comfortable walking late at night by myself there again. mostly because Chicago has a lot less pedestrians than NYC, at least in the areas where I’ve lived. It takes a while to forget how lousy people can be toward one another, but the bad vibes eventually dissipate.
Walking Fifth and Eighth Aves in Sunset Park in Brooklyn is a reliable source of weird signs and odd stores; not much for natural or architectural beauty. For aesthetics the Cloisters are hard to beat.
I live in london and my bag from stolen from right under my chair while i was in a cafe. I’ve only been in london for 4 years and its very easy to forget how we need to be more aware of our surroundings. I’ve lost alot of things that are not replaceable. There was also my camera, keys , driving license. It’s a very uncomfortable to know that someone is looking through your stuff, know what you look like and live. Take care and be safe!
I hope I don’t sound like a Debbie Downer. This is a story I don’t tell often. But maybe someone will read this, take heed of my advice, and therefore prevent something similar happening to them.
I was walking home at about 10:30pm on a weeknight in late July 2009, with my headphones on, enjoying my music, like I always did. I was on a residential street near the waterfront in Williamsburg (N. 7th); a street that I walked daily, every morning and every evening, usually with many other people strolling along the same route to and from the Bedford L subway stop. I noticed a few other people walking, but didn’t pay them much attention. The very moment that my fellow pedestrians turned the corner and there were no other people within view, I was violently mugged- literally jumped from behind and dragged to the ground by two rough (can I say ghetto without offending anyone? They were definitively not from that neighborhood) girls. Yes, my muggers were female. They covered my eyes with a hoodie sweatshirt, yelled at me, pulled my hair, hit me with my umbrella and with their fists. At some point I was not holding my purse anymore, but I didn’t notice, as I sincerely thought I might die (it was the only time of my life I could describe as an out-of-body experience). It felt like time had stopped. Thank goodness they did not have or use any weapons. They ran off before anyone could catch them, though one guy did run after them. It was a total fluke, say the detectives. Not common for the area at all. It was horrible, and I was very dazed. A few people came to assist me before the police arrived, including a helpful girl who let me borrow her phone while the detective drove me around the block, searching for the attackers, and a kind guy who later went to the station to work with a sketch artist. I was told later, at the police station, that 8 different people (residents of the apartments on the block) called 911 after hearing me yelling for help.(I thought of the legend of the girl who was attacked on the street and no one called the police, assuming someone else would, so I screamed LOUD. It worked.) In the moments after my attackers ran away, besides being incredibly upset/ shaken up, I realized immediately what I’d lost: an irreplaceable, very personal handwritten diary/ journal, my beloved camera, my iPhone, my checkbook, my wallet, cash (the one day I carried more than $100 in cash, seriously), among other things. I was thankful to have my health/ life, but I was devastated about the loss of the very sentimental items. “Couldn’t they have just taken the cash and phone and left the rest?” I lamented.
In the days after that, even with the loving support of my boyfriend and friends/ family, my excitement and lust for the city really faded. It took me awhile to cheer up. The best therapy in the following days/ weeks was walking around with my boyfriend and a camera, taking photos and exploring, and pushing myself to move on with my life.
(Sidenote: if anyone goes through something similar, there is this thing called the NY Crime Victims Review Board, where you can apply for a fund that will help you with the cost of your stolen/ damaged items. They’re not going to reimburse you for a new iPhone, but things like medical care as a result of the attack, damaged clothing and things like eyeglasses are potentially covered- they were for me.)
I never, ever, EVER walk around NYC with my headphones on anymore. I have a strict rule: I can wear headphones in a crowded subway, on crowded streets, but never when I start my trek into my neighborhood, where the people are sparse. I even make it a habit to glance around me every so often just so I’m aware of who is or isn’t around me while I walk. I’m not overly paranoid, but now I know it’s better to be aware than to be sorry. I recommend putting a security code on your iPhone, so if you lose it or it gets stolen, they can’t access your apps/ info. Even better, sign up for the now free Find my iPhone app. If I had that at the time, my attackers may have been located and prosecuted (what they did was a felony). Now I back up my phone and computer often, and keep an extra copy on a hard drive at my office.
It’s been a year and a half, and I’m still here, living in NYC. And I’m happy!
I love taking photos anywhere around the city, but a couple of stand-outs (perhaps obvious) are Red Hook down along the water near Ikea (there are lots of great old warehouses with beautiful colors and textures), Governor’s Island (those grand buildings!) and DUMBO (oh, the humongous bridges and cobblestone streets!). This city is so chaotic and messy, but the treasure-hunt of finding beauty is such a sweet reward for putting up with it all. 🙂
A haunting place in winter is Coney Island and the surrounding streets.
Advice to not get robbed in your own apt:
If you share a loft or apt with others get yourself a lock box and and keep your valuables locked up when you are not using them! Do not leave your stuff sitting on the couch in a communal area when friends of friends other people you don’t know are coming and going…
Sorry you were ripped off but Robberies of opportunity is usually the culprit.
For the unfortunate girl that was mugged by the girls in her neighborhood. this is not Kansas. Too many have nots that want what you have, and they will rob you for it.
You call it Ghetto, this is NYC. it is a city rough aorund the edges even in the gentrified hood you live in.
Gang initiation is likely the reason they beat up a white girl who was oblivious with her ear buds in.
As a native Brooklynite living in Manhattan. I can tell you for a fact there was never, ever a time in NYC, that you could walk around unaware of what is going around you, and being in defensive mode. This is NYC.
There is only an illusion of safety here. It has never been okay to walk down the street texting or or distracted is any way, in any neighborhood..
NEVER be disconnected from what is going on around you in anyway.
Ear buds in your ears or your camera slung over your shoulder. Robbery of opportunity.
I live in Yonkers, and someone *tried* to break into our home about 8 months ago. I’m from the Catskill’s (upstate NY) and I never ever locked my doors before. Luckily, our dog, Junior, a loveable lab that would never hurt a fly jumped up at the person that so rudely just opened up the door and invited themselves in. The guy only got one foot in, and the dog went at him. Luckily by that time, the neighbors, who are equal opportunity busy bodies, came over and blocked the guy from leaving the area or coming back into the house. Turns out it was just a kid from the neighborhood, that said we left our doors and window open all the time, and every one knew we had a ps3 and big screen tv’s. Who knew? People are greedy and selfish. I know that I was INCREDIBLY lucky. I’m still scared to be here by myself with the kids (I have 4 children 3 and under).
So, it’s definitely not just in NYC. Even though we are only 10 minutes away. 😉
I’m not a photographer, but I have just found the Hipstamatic app on my Iphone, and I’ve fallen in love. I love to take pictures at the Cloisters, and Inwood has some great parks. I also like to take pictures around here in Westchester. We have some awesome places too.
I have never been, but always wanted to look for bottles, at Dead Horse Bay, as earlier poster Sarah said.
After moving into my very first apartment with a friend, we were robbed. They even stole the beer out of the fridge, and all the silver change from my ‘tattoo fund’, a dusty pickle jar on the mantle. They went through a shoebox full of notes I had had since high school, dumped them all over the floor, broke a window, and stole my crappy burned cds. Our furniture at that time was comprised largely of cinderblocks and boards, so it really hurt that they would pick us clean like that. We obviously had no money. My an act of God, I had forgotten my Canon 35mm at my mom’s house two weeks prior, at the bottom of a closet I was living out of, and had thought for sure it had been stolen with the rest. It was a great joy to discover it again. I wish her the best of luck! New York loves you back!
I feel bad for the woman who was mugged in BK. That sounds horrifying. I remember years back, walking downtown, late at night, a rough man approached me after declaring to his friends, “I’ll show you how it’s done!” I said “No,” waved my massive umbrella, and walked into to the middle of the street. And then a few years after that, I rented a car and thieves stole $3,000 worth of parts off it while it was parked under a streetlight. I had to deal with the rental car company for one year in order to not get sued. I really like the architecture and historical references in the sidestreets of Tribeca. There are literally old painted ads on the sides of buildings. Think streets off of Greenwich St. just north of Canal.
“no leaving the house. But didn’t really have to lock doors last night if anyone tried to break in they would have killed themselves on the ice :)”
i have had my own robbery experience and photo gear loss but i saw this comment just now on my tv station’s facebook page. given all the bad weather today, it did make me smile and forget how violated i felt after a couple of robberies. i was once held up at gunpoint in atlanta and gosh, i didn’t even have a wallet. i only had a dime in one coat pocket. he ran off in total disgust.
i’m still shooting and go alone but i’m awfully careful and always try to stay aware of my surroundings and who’s around me. however, i shoot outdoors a lot and am more likely to be mauled by bears than muggers. at least they won’t take my gear.