Most of the events in Norby: The Mixed-Up Robot take place in Manhattan many years in the future. Manhattan has become a historical landmark and its Central Park has become a fairly safe place to be, although one should be careful about venturing into it at night. The Asimovs do not paint Manhattan in much detail. Much of it sounds like current-day Manhattan; on the other hand, the relative safety of the future Central Park does sound like science fiction. The police drive in flying cars; a few have personal force fields that protect them from attack.

Police stations have matter transmitters that break matter into molecules at one station and reassembles them at another: an expensive way to travel.