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Implying that Chicago "lacks action" or that there's a general "lack of action outside of NYC" comes off more dated provincial than NYC elitist.
I didn't imply that Chicago lacks action. I said that someone may feel that anywhere outside of NYC lacks action, so it's essentially New York or bust for them. So just as there are people who say NYC is "totally not worth it," there are the Carrie Bradshaws who simply feel there is no substitute for NYC. You can't argue with either because it's their opinion.
I guess one question that's probably never been asked on these forums is why people from the Midwest continue to move to NYC knowing how high the COL is. I'm sure Die Hipster would much prefer people from Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin to all move to Chicago. Why do they come here instead of staying in the Midwest? Especially when New Yorkers incessantly complain about Midwestern hipsters taking over.
You can just as easily be a hipster in Milwaukee, St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh, etc. Why skip over all those cities to move to NYC? Seems irrational.
I guess one question that's probably never been asked on these forums is why people from the Midwest continue to move to NYC knowing how high the COL is. I'm sure Die Hipster would much prefer people from Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin to all move to Chicago. Why do they come here instead of staying in the Midwest? Especially when New Yorkers incessantly complain about Midwestern hipsters taking over.
You can just as easily be a hipster in Milwaukee, St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh, etc. Why skip over all those cities to move to NYC?
Well there's no denying that NYC is the more hip place... There's clearly a bigger pull factor than anywhere else in the US for hipsters. I have to wonder though how many are still there after 5, 10 years?
If I was rich or poor I would pick NYC in a heartbeat. But I'm just middle class so it's not as good of a fit.
Well there's no denying that NYC is the more hip place... There's clearly a bigger pull factor than anywhere else in the US for hipsters. I have to wonder though how many are still there after 5, 10 years?
If I was rich or poor I would pick NYC in a heartbeat. But I'm just middle class so it's not as good of a fit.
So in other words, their behavior is irrational. They chose a more expensive city over a cheaper one.
What drives most professionals out of NYC is often the same thing that drives most young professionals out of Chicago, Atlanta, or Washington, DC: public education. A lot of New Yorkers adjust to the lack of space, and wouldn't mind raising a family in an apartment, but they do mind sending their children to subpar schools.
Implying that Chicago "lacks action" or that there's a general "lack of action outside of NYC" comes off more dated provincial than NYC elitist.
Compared to NYC, it's true, though. Call it elitist, it's the truth.
If you are a hard-core urbanist/big city person in the U.S., there is no substitute for NYC.
I, personally, could only live in NYC or LA in the U.S., at this point in my life. Everywhere else feels slow and provincial, including Chicago.
Now if you have other priorities, like lower housing costs, or a more all-American city, or a more centralized location, or proximity to family, Chicago is a much better choice. But if you want a global city with all the attributes, you can't do better than NYC. For those folks, Chicago would never be an option. Chicago feels like a big U.S. city, NYC and (to a lesser extent) LA feel like global cities.
Really, in the U.S., only LA would be an option. While not very urban, LA attracts many of the same types as NYC, and has similar opportunities in many industries, and a similar vibe among highly educated/affluent types.
I guess one question that's probably never been asked on these forums is why people from the Midwest continue to move to NYC knowing how high the COL is.
Because there are opportunities and a lifestyle in NYC that you can't get in the Midwest. Even in Chicago, you can't live the same as in NYC.
That's why many Big 10 schools in Chicago's backyard are huge sources of newcomers to NYC. Chicago is awesome, king of the American interior, but it lacks the global city vibe, the hard core urbanity, the cosmopolitan feel, the total pedestrian/transit orientation you have in NYC.
Compared to NYC, it's true, though. Call it elitist, it's the truth.
Don't even feed him. My point was that lots of New Yorkers don't see any point in leaving New York not because they are elitist, but because they wouldn't be as happy anywhere else. So a lower COL won't necessarily serve as a carrot that's going to lure them away. It's not like you can convince 80% of the people living in London, Paris, Tokyo, etc. to move somewhere else because it's cheaper. They acknowledge that other places are cheaper and consider the higher COL in these cities to be the tradeoff for what they consider a better life.
It's sort of like telling a guy he can date Fatty McFatster for way less money than what it would cost for him to date a Scarlett Johansson doppelganger. Some guys would readily acknowledge that a Scarlett lookalike is totally worth the extra effort.
So in other words, their behavior is irrational. They chose a more expensive city over a cheaper one.
What drives most professionals out of NYC is often the same thing that drives most young professionals out of Chicago, Atlanta, or Washington, DC: public education. A lot of New Yorkers adjust to the lack of space, and wouldn't mind raising a family in an apartment, but they do mind sending their children to subpar schools.
I think the NY Public schools are far better than any of the other cities listed. I would definitely put my kids in the NY Public schools. COL is the big issue for me. I think what a lot of people don't realize, is that while NYC has always had one of the country's most expensive housing markets, the city only very recently became unaffordable to middle-class families. As recently as the early '00s, a two-income household with a teacher and a cop could afford to buy a condo or co-op in a safe, not-too-distant Brooklyn or Queens neighborhood. As recently as FIVE years ago, you could find a 3BR in Woodside for under 400k. This may still exist in the nicer BX neighborhoods, but I admittedly know nothing about the Bronx.
I think the NY Public schools are far better than any of the other cities listed.
They are not "far" better than the schools in these other cities. And most of them certainly do not live up to the standards of upper middle class professionals who consider anything less than blue ribbon-awarded school to be inferior. There are lots and lots of forums for NYC parents who fret over what to do once their kids reach middle school age. As in lots of other cities, elementary schools in the city tend to be fine, but things get dicey once you start looking at middle schools. A lot of people leave out of frustration with the schools.
You keep trying to impose your value system on everyone else. Okay, you don't think it's worth it, but so what? People often like to play the COL card against NYC, but it's sort of pointless because there's a failure to recognize why there's fever pitch competition to live in NYC in the first place.
Really, in the U.S., only LA would be an option. While not very urban, LA attracts many of the same types as NYC, and has similar opportunities in many industries, and a similar vibe among highly educated/affluent types.
While it doesn't have as many industries, I feel like the Bay Area would be another option. That is, if you're looking for a global, cosmopolitan feel.
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