I drove a 40' highway coach (an MC-7) around Manhattan and Brooklyn for a month. I've got street cred over ALL of ya. Never had an accident, either, although I was a moving target for all the cabbies.
NYC in the '70s was sort of like watching a preview trailer for "Fort Apache: The Bronx." Whatta DUMP!
I even screwed up just getting to the tunnel upon arrival by winding up on the Skyway in NJ. That was a fat ticket.