Say, would you visit the St. Louis area? The actual "data" indicate that more people died through police action there over the last couple of years or so, than in Athens over the last X number of years

Am I just supposed to trust you on that? It is all very well for you to state it, but a google search has not yielded any data on deaths due to police action in Athens.

(Note this is all ad argumentum so you don't really need to answer on my account. I would certainly be much more likely to visit Athens than to visit St. Louis and I wouldn't really worry about visiting either.) My argument was simply that we shouldn't criticize the OP as some did for asking a legitimate question out of understandable ignorance, given recent media portrayals. As you imply in your post, a similar question could be asked about St. Louis with even more legitimacy.

Of course you can't trust a priori any info that you anonymously get over the Internet. I also agree fully that the OP's question was "legitimate" as were most answers (s)he got, although with a sort of sarcastic connotation. Moreover, even when the stats indicate that there is a very low percent of chances for something to happen, you never know when and if it will happen: what were the chances that one actually flew in a plane where the co-pilot suffered from a bona fide pre-suicidal syndrome? Still, as often indicated in questions of the kind, whether Athens or St. Louis, with simple common sense one avoids most dangers (or so we hope ).

International tourism to Greece was up by +15% in 2014 vs. an already strong 2013, according to statistics of the national tourism office (www.visitgreece.gr). The number of international visitors was 23 million. That's the one positive development regarding the Greek economy.

And people seriously discuss if it's safe? (yes, I know there is a difference between Athens and the islands, but Athens is safe, too.) Enjoy your trip...

Why not? Suppose you are planning to go to a destination with which you are very unfamiliar. The news media suddenly fills with images of protests, stories about the collapsing economy, etc. Wouldn't you at least take some time to find out whether this is just a typical media tempest-in-a-teacup rather than something you should worry about? People don't just instantaneously know the whole story, they have to do some research to find it out. One avenue of research is talking (in person or virtually) with people who are likely to know more than you do. Until you posted the information, I had no idea that Greek tourism was up 15%.

I actually have to slightly revise my previous statements and risk assessments. Although I still believe Greece is quite safe for the average traveler and citizen, there are two potentially risky situations. One is the risk associated with the status of the economy, where there is approximately a 20% chance that there will be a Grexit and a default in the next 4 months, which may be controlled or disorderly. If this were to happen, the country will be in an unchartered territory, and it will most likely include significant social disarray and a substantial increase in crime and violence.

The second risky situation is the unwillingness of the new leftist government (mostly on ideological grounds) to control anarchists' violence in Athens. The result is that a small group of 100 anarchists clashes with the police daily in the center of Athens, burning cars and destroying public property, and a lot of other craziness that happens daily with minimally consequences (e.g., occupying and destroying public universities for weeks, threatening academics, and a multitude of other craziness that will leave a westerner speechless, but are somehow considered "free speech" in Greece).

Again, although Greece and Athens are quite safe for the most part, there is the potential that the confusion and possible ineptness of the current government in handling the financial crisis and public order could gradually or suddenly leave the country in a state of disorder. In any case, you would know it if this were to happen.

I wouldn't stay in Athens for more than 2 days regardless of the political/economic situation. Go to an island for three nights and enjoy the fresh air and sea.

Holidaymakers warned to take cash to Greece amid financial collapse fears

The prime reason for the difficulty in getting seats is the general lack of service between the USA and Athens. Only two direct daily flights---DL/JFK and AA/PHL.....plus a second DL trip from JFK. That's it.....despite the fact that the number of Americans visiting Greece has increased. So mostly dependent on the main European hubs.

Go to the Parthenon museum. It had been re-done a couple of years back. You will get a better appreciation and understanding of the Acropolis.

Lykavitos is a spot that is often overlooked by US tourists. This is the "other" main hill in Athens. At the top, you get the best view of the city.
Also, there is this unique kind of train that goes inside the hill, to get to the top.

The metro system works really well, in getting you from the city to the airport. However, if you are in the first group of flights in the morning out of ATH, that can pose a problem. If I recall correctly, the trains don't start up until 530am....and the airport express bus service is limited at that time, too. So plan accordingly.

But the FCO advice on their website is subtly different to that in the article:
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/greece
"The currency of Greece is the euro. When travelling outside of the UK, you should take more than one means of payment with you (cash, debit card, credit card). Make sure you have enough money to cover emergencies and any unexpected delays."
Does that sound like anything more than routine common sense no matter where you're travelling to?

This is common sense wherever and whenever you travel. Banking networks fail (although more frequently in developing countries), credit/debit cards get hacked, cash gets stolen. Having multiple forms of payment carried in multiple places will be your friend. I have bailed out colleagues more than once when their credit/debit card didn't work. While I am not anticipating an untimely Grexit, these precautions would serve you well in that circumstance.

Another thing to keep in mind when carrying cashe of significant amounts is to be aware of currency restrictions of your destination country. In the event of a financial crisis in your destination country, make sure those restrictions have not changed.

Most of Greece is fine to visit. And Athens overall seems to remain far safer than Baltimore, St. Louis, LA, Miami, and a whole bunch of other cities in the US, including perhaps even NYC, the U.S. mecca for foreign visitors.

While a cash shortage is a conceivable problem, it's easily managed and not the end of the world for a visitor.

Agreed, although it is useful to remind people that they should manage the cash/credit flow risk as people today tend to be a bit complacent with the idea that 'ATM fix everything'.

Should the US be avoided, too? Baltimore, Ferguson, ... - all these places are much more violent than Athens (which isn't violent)