That's the problem with guns. I like them as much as anyone, but they become a crutch after a while. Sometimes to the point of being almost mentally crippling. I have a family member who is like some here, he won't travel outside of his own area anymore if he can't carry a gun. Wow!
This ain't the wild west, you ain't traveling the Sante Fe trail, and there ain't wild injuns coming over the hill. If you use your head, practice some situational awareness, and don't go hanging out at bars late at night, you'll be fine.
Carry a stout walking stick, have a large Maglite in your car, or some other non firearm tools, and everything will be fine.
That's the trouble with this site, it's supposed to be strategies and tactics, but all I can see is some weak ego people who when they can't have their toys with them, they suffer angst. I used to be a bit jealous of the people who live in CCW states, but maybe I've been better off living most of my life without carrying a gun. And to think I made it to senior citizen status without one. Wow!
Some people need to take some MA courses, or get some training in other ways to deal with a problem other than pull your gun. Sometimes a gun is the very last thing you want to use. Wacking some street punk with a blackthorn stick or maglight, or jamming a Cross pen in his mastoid gland, will cost you a lot less in lawyers fees than shooting him, or even pulling the gun.
Like was said, a million people have made that trip and nothing happened to them. Millions of people live in New York without anything happening to them. Just be aware of your surroundings, and don't act like an idiot, and you'll have a great trip to look back on. N.Y. has some of the best dining places in the country, as well as some of the best museums. Take some time to enjoy it. New Yorkers are some of the friendliest and best people in the world. Kick back and have a great time. Treat this as a chance to have a mini vacation. The wife and I travel to NYC once a month sometimes for a weekend, and we haven't been killed yet. But we have a great time in the big apple.