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Something to consider: SF is not quite as easy to live in without a car as is sometimes assumed. Natives there have seemingly endless complaints about Muni (the in-city bus and trolley system) because it is so often delayed, under construction, or just not running late at night on many lines. The subway, BART, has only one line in the city. And most of its stops are downtown (where you probably wouldn't live), in the East Bay, or south of the city. And taxis in SF are pretty expensive -- although Uber/Lyft are more reasonable alternatives. You'd also definitely need a car to explore the outdoor recreation opportunities in the Bay Area. If you have a car there though, the biggest drawback is parking, which can be hellish. You might have to forego street parking and pay for a garage.
I am in a fortunate position to be able to relocate anywhere in the US, and would like some input. For the sake of simplicity, I chose 4 cities that are high on my list.
I am a early/mid-thirties single female physician. I am relocating for further training. I would like to relocate somewhere where there are eligible options, and guys are a little more serious about dating. Here are my impressions of the cities:
1. Boston - lovely in the summer (only time I've visited), great program, small city feel, lots of young professionals
- cons: winters, public transportation not so great?
2. NYC - great program, one of the world's best cities
- cons: I hear dating here is a nightmare, I might be too old for this city
3. SF - good program, but not as great as the other two, beautiful city, close to lots of great outdoorsy things
- cons: very expensive (I know all the cities are, but I won't be paid as well here), may be difficult without a car?
4. Philadelphia - Program here is probably the weakest, but the pay is quite good; seems like a grungy NYC, but people seem to love living here. I was only here for a weekend, but really enjoyed it.
So, overall, though dating is a priority, I am also looking for a city that I can enjoy in my own right. Any opinions or feedback appreciated! Or if another city seems better than all of the above. Thanks!!
Dating in SF is worse than dating in NYC. Just throwing that out there.
I second adding Chicago to the list. Probably one of the most livable world-class cities out there. Not cheap by any means but for a top 3 city it's pretty affordable compared to New York, LA, SF, etc.
If you have to chose from those cities listed though, I'd say either NY or Philly. SF to me is EXTREMELY overrated, unrealistic COL unless youre making at LEAST 100k+ (don't forget CA income tax is very high too) and you probably would need a car.
Here in NY you definitely don't need a car. It definitely is nice if you do have one especially if you want to go outside the tri-state area to do things but it definitely isn't a necessity.
Areas of Queens such as Sunnyside and Astoria have a decent amount of young people and aren't that expensive (by NY standards), while both being an easy ride into Manhattan.
I know Chicago is not on the list, but since other people mentioned it, I'll add my two cents since I live there. I've visited Philly, Boston, and NYC. The last time I visited SF was so long as I don't remember much anyway. Anyway, I agree with the others. Chicago is significantly cheaper than the other cities. After living here for 6 years, here are my pros and cons list:
Pros:
- Much cheaper
- There's a saying that goes something like "Chicago has 90% of NY at half the price". I don't know if those numbers are accurate though.
- Transit system here (CTA) can get you just about anywhere in the city. Like many other cities, it's outdated and needs renovation, but they're slowly doing that in different areas. There's also the Metra, which has trains that go all the way out to the suburbs.
- You can afford a car here if you want it.
- I live near the lake and it's very beautiful walking around the area. Lots of great parks. And once you're bored of the touristy stuff (which there is a lot of great stuff for that), it is still easy to find something fun to do.
- I've had more success dating here than any other city I've lived in ... but of course I've only lived in 2 smaller cities before this ... St. Louis and Charlotte.
- Great food.
Cons:
- The suburbs are incredibly boring (in my opinion).
- Chicago is a big city in the middle of some of the most boring parts of the entire midwest. Outside of the city, there is pretty much NOTHING for several miles. If you're looking to do something different outside of the city, you'll have to travel quite a bit.
- Chicago politics, as you probably already know, are super corrupted. Ever since I've lived here, they've only been raising taxes and still don't have a handle on their budget. They are massively in debt. I believe it's the worse situation in the country, if not close. It's quite a dire situation.
- I get the feeling a lot of the time that this city is not really a world class city. I know a lot of people will say it is. But to me, a lot of the time it feels more like being a typical midwestern city that happens to be much larger. That being said, it's definitely a higher tier city than all of the other midwestern cities. It doesn't have anywhere near the culture and glamour that NYC has.
- If you're an outdoorsy person that likes mountains, hiking trails, etc ... then Chicago is probably not a good place to live. It's very flat and not much of anything outside of the city.
Don't dismiss NYC. It's a huge city, you aren't "too old" for it. Maybe the dating scene is skewed in favor of males but you seem like a good catch as a physician (don't worry, I'm gay so I'm not trying to hit on you lol). NYC attracts people from literally all walks of life. I think you would do just fine there.
You only live once. You seem to have the world at your fingertips. NYC will offer you the opportunities for experiences I guarantee you won't have anywhere else in the world. And if it doesn't suit you, so what? You're a physician. Your skills are desirable everywhere.
Thanks you all for the comments! Very helpful. Actually, SF is may be my most favorite as well, however I would be paid about 15K less, which is why I am a bit wary. But, with the gorgeous weather and endless things to do, it may be that it doesn't matter in the end. It's good to hear that you wouldn't need a car there. I feel like most of my friends who have lived there had cars.
Honestly, I liked Boston, but the weather scares me a bit. I've heard that the T sometimes stops running during snow storms, so that could be an issue. I have lived in the west coast before (Portland), and love it. However, I do feel as though there is something a little isolating about the West Coast (you are basically kind of confined to your city, in some ways, since it is so spread out). Whereas, on the East Coast, traveling from Boston to NYC to DC to Philly is easy and cheap. I think I ultimately want to end up in the West Coast, just having major FOMO for other parts of the country. I liked my time in PDX, but looking for something a little bigger and more metropolitan for now. So tough to decide! Thanks again and any more thoughts always appreciated
Re Boston - it was the suburban commuter rail trains that were out of service for a few days back a couple of years ago. It was a very atypical situation due to unusually heavy snows and accumulated poor maintenance of the train fleet. Much has been done to improve the trains. The subway system, in the inner city core, for the most part continued to run that winter with far fewer issues than the trains.
Don't dismiss NYC. It's a huge city, you aren't "too old" for it. Maybe the dating scene is skewed in favor of males but you seem like a good catch as a physician (don't worry, I'm gay so I'm not trying to hit on you lol). NYC attracts people from literally all walks of life. I think you would do just fine there.
You only live once. You seem to have the world at your fingertips. NYC will offer you the opportunities for experiences I guarantee you won't have anywhere else in the world. And if it doesn't suit you, so what? You're a physician. Your skills are desirable everywhere.
Haha, thank you! This made me smile
Thanks again, everyone, for your input! Good to hear about the public transit in Boston. Also, I see there is a lot of love for Chicago. I will definitely consider it! though I do agree that it is kind of isolated in its own way.
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