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In my opinion I think New York City is the greatest city in the U.S but i also dislike cold weather, ice, snowstorms, overcast days etc. So what i am trying to find out is, in your opinion is NYC with all that it offers worth the bad weather from late fall to spring, considering there are other big cities which offer alot like LA, San Francisco, Miami, and Houston that all have what i would consider to be nice weather year round?
For me, it would be totally worth it. My main complaints about snow and ice are mostly related to driving in the stuff, ie, running out in the freezing cold morning to warm up the car, scraping the ice off the windshield, constantly worrying about losing traction. Obviously, none of that would be an issue in NYC and I would be able to just enjoy the beauty of snow, rather than worrying about the hazards of it.
I think it's worth it, but then again, I don't mind a little snow now and then. (by the way, if you don't like overcast weather then SF is not for you; temperature-wise it's great -- not too hot, not too cold -- but many neighborhoods don't see a lot of the sun.) For me the bigger issue would be cost of living, not weather. And I agree that NYC in the winter, especially with fresh snow falling, can be amazingly beautiful, although trekking through dirty slush can be a drag.
In my opinion I think New York City is the greatest city in the U.S but i also dislike cold weather, ice, snowstorms, overcast days etc. So what i am trying to find out is, in your opinion is NYC with all that it offers worth the bad weather from late fall to spring, considering there are other big cities which offer alot like LA, San Francisco, Miami, and Houston that all have what i would consider to be nice weather year round?
…and I would just add to the above by saying… that snow/cold/freeze in NYC is really fleeting when you look at the hard numbers. Yes it’s colder than subtropical Atlanta or LA …but there are far worse cities to spend a winter in the USA like Chicago, Boston, Minneapolis, Cleveland…etc. NYC gets less than 25-inches of snow on average each winter (some years more, some years more)…about "half" as much as cities like Chicago, Boston, Minneapolis, Cleveland, or Denver. NYC also has fewer days below 32 F than any of the above cities.
The same thing goes for the cloudiness in NYC in winter. People will always tell you that it is so much sunnier in a place like Phoenix or LA (the desert/dry climate) or in Miami (the tropics)…but look what they are comparing it to (lol). The reality is - NYC is far less cloudy than vast areas of the USA in winter. Below is a map of hours of average sunshine in December, the cloudiest month of the year in the USA (look for Long Island in yellow near CT/NJ)…as you can see most of the big cities in the Northeast south of Boston get “MORE” sun in winter than areas of the upper south, northern California, and the Midwest,….and “Far more” than the gloomy Pacific Northwest and Great Lakes. NYC averages 144 hours of sunshine in December, although becasue of the tall buildings you might have to go outside the city to really see it (lol).
Until I studied climate….. I never knew how much hype surrounds NYC in winter. I think they tend to hype the weather in NYC because; well it’s NYC (lol).
It's not that bad; there are other cities that are much worse: Chicago, Minneapolis, Boston, etc.
It's great if you don't drive. The real downside of winter, in my opinion, is shoveling and driving. Two things that many New Yorkers don't have to deal with.
I agree with those who say that NYC has a relatively "mild" winter. In all the times I've been there in the winter throughout the years, I have never once seen snow. Which kind of disappoints me to tell the truth, because pictures of Central Park in the snow are always gorgeous! Plus with all the walking you do, the urban energy/excitment, and all the other people around you, you kind of forget about the cold after a while.
I don't think it's as bad as people say. I hate the cold, but I didn't find it that unbearable. I never saw the need for a huge bubble coat or any of that, although a lot of people own them up there. Just stock up on some nice coats and winter boots and you'll be fine!
My only contention, being from Atlanta, is how long the cold weather lasts. But that wouldn't stop me from moving there if I were in your position.
I hate cold weather but I wouldn't hesitate to live in NYC b/c of it. All of the things that city offers more than makes up for it imo and at least they have a warm, humid summer.
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