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Absolutely. I wasn't saying Forest Hills > DC ... not even close. But it's a fantastic neighborhood. On the whole, I'm just interested as to why someone would choose DC over NYC just due to the fact that NYC offers everything.
Well, I've tried to give a number of reasons in this thread why someone would choose DC over NYC. Personally for me, DC can't compete with NYC overall. Neither can any other U.S. city. And actually, it's a bit of an unfair comparison given that NYC is more than 13 times as large as DC. But it is what it is.
I will say that for a city its size, DC does quite well. It is the #2 city and metro in the U.S. to me, and that's something I'm willing to debate about.
But if you're talking about housing stock, then I'm not so sure. I think DC is more of a rowhouse city than NYC is. From what I've seen, I don't think NYC has as many Victorian-style rowhouses as DC. So that also may be a reason for someone choosing DC's housing stock.
(I may be wrong of course. NYC is a monstrously large mega-city. I haven't seen anywhere close to all of it.)
Last edited by BigCityDreamer; 08-18-2011 at 01:02 PM..
But if you're talking about housing stock, then I'm not so sure. I think DC is more of a rowhouse city than NYC is. From what I've seen, I don't think NYC has as many Victorian-style rowhouses as DC. So that also may be a reason for someone choosing DC's housing stock.
(I may be wrong of course. NYC is a monstrously large mega-city. I haven't seen anywhere close to all of it.)
I was talking about purely housing stock.
I think you can find more than enough row homes in Greenwich Village, Chelsea, Tribeca, SoHo, Upper East & West sides, etc...likely more than any other city, though not per capita.
Absolutely. I wasn't saying Forest Hills > DC ... not even close. But it's a fantastic neighborhood. On the whole, I'm just interested as to why someone would choose DC over NYC just due to the fact that NYC offers everything.
As someone who chose DC over NYC, I'll tell you why.
1. DC is nicer looking. There's less trash in the streets. The city has a very sleek look to it. And the surrounding areas are nicer. I enjoy driving on the Cabin John Parkway, hiking up to Great Falls, or sailing in Annapolis. The Chesapeake is more scenic, imo.
2. It's more civilized than New York. When I'm going to work, I just want people to shut the f up and ride the train. In DC, people get on Metro, read the Express, and shut the F up. In NYC, it's always a circus on the subway.
3. NYC has too many damn people. There's a line for everything. Pinkberry? Long ass line. Trying to get a seat at a coffee shop? Long ass line. Waiting for a public bathroom? Long ass line. And people are always in the streets. Sometimes it's nice to hear crickets.
4. Related to Point #1, but I prefer DC's housing stock. The colorful rows of Victorians are better than the monotonous brownstones of Brooklyn and Manhattan. I like brownstones very much, but I just like the gingerbread castles in DC better.
5. I love being around the politics. Not necessarily in it, but around it. One of my favorite things about living here is driving on I-395 and seeing Marine One fly over the Memorials on its way to Andrews Air Force base. That's always cool to see. Presidential motorcades that cut through your neighborhood are always cool, too.
6. There's also something kinda cool about living in a city that would be the first place in America to be nuked in the event of global nuclear war.
7. It's a cool mix of north and south. NYC is hectic all the time. At least DC does slow down to breathe occasionally.
For me, DC offers enough of what NYC offers where I don't feel like I'm missing out on that much. There's only so much Thai, Indian or Lebanese food I want to eat. And I'm not cultured enough to know when a ballerina missteps during Swan Lake or when the first-chair violinist misses a note during Brandenburg Concerto No. 5.
6. There's also something kinda cool about living in a city that would be the first place in America to be nuked in the event of global nuclear war.
haha +1
BTW, I was only referring to housing stock. I have no problem, nor do I "wonder" why someone would choose DC over NYC. I respect your opinion. That said, I still think you're selling the housing stock a bit short in NYC...it's not just montonous brownstones when it's not a highrise. There are plenty of beautiful brick buildings in places like SoHo, Greenwich Village, Tribeca, etc. and of course the beautiful Tudor collection in Forest Hills, Queens.
However, thanks for the response. To each his own.
Quote:
And I'm not cultured enough to know when a ballerina missteps during Swan Lake or when the first-chair violinist misses a note during Brandenburg Concerto No. 5.
And I'm not cultured enough to know when a ballerina missteps during Swan Lake or when the first-chair violinist misses a note during Brandenburg Concerto No. 5.
I'd say you have to be a little bit cultured to even know what those are.
As someone who chose DC over NYC, I'll tell you why.
1. DC is nicer looking. There's less trash in the streets. The city has a very sleek look to it. And the surrounding areas are nicer. I enjoy driving on the Cabin John Parkway, hiking up to Great Falls, or sailing in Annapolis. The Chesapeake is more scenic, imo.
What you really meant was,
...you enjoyed your route on the Cabin John Parkway to your route using the subway from Brooklyn into Manhattan.
....you enjoyed hiking up to the Great Falls because you never hiked in New York
....you miss sailing in Annapolis because you never did it in New York.
Because notion that greater DC is more "scenic" than greater NYC is just laughable.
Let's see,
Cabin John Parkway, Maryland
vs my old route in Westchester County, New York
Hiking
Great Falls, Virginia
Vs.
Adriondaks, New York
Sailing in pancake flat Anapolis, Maryland
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vs
Sailing on the Hudson River (right off of Northern Manhattan), NY
Port Jefferson, NY
vs
Anapolis, MD
"The Chesapeake" in Maryland (which is completely flat, and uninteresting)
vs
The Atlantic Ocean, in this case, a south shore Long Island beach in New York.
So no, greater Washington DC isn't anywhere near as nice as greater NYC. Like most transplants into New York City, you simply know very little about the New York area outside of where you apparently briefly lived... in your case, Brooklyn.
Becuse of its size, Washington DC itself is tidier than New York City, but Houston is tidier than London. Houston isn't nicer than London. New York City creams Washington DC when it comes to architecture and impressiveness. DC is half bland/half ghetto, IMO. I don't find it impressive at all.
Quote:
Related to Point #1, but I prefer DC's housing stock. The colorful rows of Victorians are better than the monotonous brownstones of Brooklyn and Manhattan. I like brownstones very much, but I just like the gingerbread castles in DC better.
So you what you mean is gingerbread castles are your favorite style of housing, NOT DC has better and or more varieties housing stock than New York because that's false.
I'd take a cast iron loft in Tribeca, a limestone mansion on the Upper East Side, or a sparkling new condo in a skyscraper in Manhattan (can't find that in DC) anyday over a dilapidated tacky gingerbread house which I personally find ugly an scary.
Last edited by wallstreetmafia; 08-18-2011 at 05:22 PM..
Well, I've tried to give a number of reasons in this thread why someone would choose DC over NYC. Personally for me, DC can't compete with NYC overall. Neither can any other U.S. city.
You cannot truly believe the mess that came out of your mouth? Ever heard of San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, San Diego, Seattle, etc...you better realize the world doesn't revolve around Crap York City.
LOL this thread. I especially love the scenic NYC photos (showing a picture of the Adirondacks (5 hrs from NYC), yet oddly none of the chemical factories of Jersey you see rolling in on 95.
I moved out of DC to NYC. So you know where I stand. But, honestly. Of course a city of 8 million is going to have to see and do than a mid sized city of 600k. Beyond the size, I generally think NYC is pound for pound a better city. NYC stumbled in the 60s and 70s, but has been firing on all cylinders for 20 years now. DC basically collapsed for 50 years and has really only started to turn in the past 10 years.
That being said, I can see how somebody would prefer the lower (barely) cost of living and the more manageable size of DC. In DC you can have a house and small yard in an area like Dupont and yet still have the amenities of a fairly large city around the corner (museums, theaters, dining). In NYC, you can also have that out in Queens, but you will have a pretty long daily commute to the city. Plus, getting out of NYC on the weekends can be a nightmare.
Why is it that when people vote for a city other than NYC that always have to give their disclaimer that, no city can compare to it, the sun revolves around...blah blah....etc? Like people are sad that they didn't pick nyc. It's a lot of nyc ass kissing going on.
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