I need help deciding where to relocate for college: NYC or LA?? (transplants, sales) - City-Data Forum

jcx456 · 02-13-2010, 12:57 PM

Here's the thing right off the bat before i get a ton of responses about how expensive these two places are etc. My expenses will already be accounted for, i'll be using my post 9/11 gi bill since i just got out of the military and this will cover my tuition and rent, i also have savings as well and will pursue a part time job, so i'm covered money wise. Now that aside i'm just trying to figure out which city i would have a better time in for college? I've briefly visited both and i have a general understanding of both cities from reading on here and talking to people. If i went to LA i'd be looking at one of the CSU's in the area and if i went to NYC i'd be looking at one of the CUNY's. I'm wanting to get a degree in either business or economics. My point in saying all of this is that i don't really care what particular school i go to in the area i'm just trying to get my bachelor's degree since it will be free and just enjoy myself for four years in one of these two cities. I'll start narrowing down schools and all of that once i've decided which city, and i already have some credits so i would be considered a transfer student which is going to make it easier on me getting accepted at schools since i'm a little older than the traditional college student. I'm from the midwest so the thought of living in either the biggest or second biggest city in the country is quite exciting. The reason i'm deciding between these two cities is i just want there to be a ton of things to do all of the time and i'm also a big time sports fan and these two cities both have a lot of pro teams. So that's pretty much all the details i'm a early twenties male, single and just got out of the military with honorable service. Here's the part where i need help which city should i move to? Any advice/help/recommendations/experience would be much appreciated, as i'm torn between the two cities and can't really decide on my own thanks.

RussianIvanov · 02-13-2010, 01:02 PM

Nightlife wise, New York. Outdoorsy beach type stuff, LA. If you are a big sports fan, New York is hard to beat. I do not know what you are into other than sports. Are you more urban or do you need more space? Are you out late at night? NY bars are open until 4 AM, LA is closed at 2 AM. Do you want warm weather year round or do you not care?

These two cities cater to two completely different types of people.

uptown_urbanist · 02-13-2010, 01:22 PM

I actually don't think that the cities cater to "completely different types of people;" in the grand scheme of things, they're both similar in that they're both huge cities, very diverse, busy, filled with people (in other words, neither is good if you need a lot of space). I would agree that NYC is better on the sports-front, and that NYC has more late night nightlife. But both places will give you a huge range of options, and plenty of things to do. There will also be huge differences (in both cities) depending on what school you decide to attend, and what neighborhood you decide to live in. Not all NYC is like Manhattan, and many people in LA rarely see the beach.

Coolhand68 · 02-13-2010, 01:51 PM

All depends on you. Do you mind the long cold winters? For many people weather is the big selling point for L.A. NYC beaches (Queens, Brooklyn, Long Island) are just as good, maybe better during summer. Nightlife is great in either city, even though clubs stay open longer in NYC, how long do you really want to hang around a nightclub anyway? I think NYC bars will all be forced to cut off sales of alcohol by 2:00 AM anyway. I read that within the next five years all bars and clubs in NYC will have a liquor license good until 2:00AM, doesn't mean the bar will close, you just won't be able to drink. Nothing good ever happens in clubs after 2:00 AM anyway.

L.A. is a driving city, while NY has better mass transit and taxi's everywhere. There are tons of beautiful single women in both cities, so neither has the edge there. Both cities offer plenty to do year round, but they are different in so many ways.

tpk-nyc · 02-13-2010, 04:16 PM

In the New York job market, what college you attended is really, really important. Especially if you want to go into business. There is no other city in the country that has a fetish for elite degrees like New York.

This is something that most people don't realize until they move to the city and find out that half the people around them have an Ivy or near-Ivy degree. I went to an elite private collage, but didn't even think of applying to an ultra elite school because I didn't think it made much of a difference in the end.

When I worked in an investment bank in Minneapolis, bankers with Ivy degrees were a rare exception; in New York they're the rule.

If you really want a career, "i don't really care what particular school i go to" is the wrong attitude. I would strongly recommend going to the best school you can get into and afford. It doesn't have to be Yale. Having a degree from a school like the University of Michigan or Texas is far better than one from CUNY.

jcx456 · 02-13-2010, 11:57 PM

Thanks for the replies, i've realized that maybe i didn't include enough info in my original post, lol because i get the feeling that maybe i was a little misunderstood. Without trying to sound arrogant because believe me i'm not, the reason i don't really care what school i go to is because i won't be competing for jobs most likely. My father owns and runs a business and we plan on having myself take it over in the near future because he is getting older and i already know the ropes. The thing is i did my due time in the military and because of that i have this unique oppourtunity to get a bachelor's degree essentially for free, so i want to take advantage of this. The reason i went into the military was for the life experience and that is the same reason i want to go to either NYC or LA for 3 or 4 years and get this degree, for the experience. I grew up in the midwest so something bigger and more exciting is appealing to me. I will not, at least off the bat be expecting to stay in either of these two cities after i'm done with school. I intend to move back to my hometown and run the family business. I just feel like i'm young and have a tremendous oppourtunity here to basically at least in my mind, get away for a few years anywhere i want in the U.S, with expenses paid and while i'm at it get my bachelor's done as well. So i guess a better question could be which of these two cities would give me the most life experience? I'm all about a good time but that dosen't completely revolve around clubbing, getting f'd up and hooking up with random chicks. Honestly i've kind of grown out of that phase of my life and now i'm more interested in things like reading a book at the beach, checking out a free or cheap museum, having random conversations with random people on street corners, going to a mlb game, golfing, going on dates with intelligent and good looking women, things like that. Just taking in anything and everything a place has to offer. That's why i can't decide between NYC or LA because i know i would have a good time in either place, i just don't want to regret not choosing to go to one of these places down the road. I wouldn't really consider myself a beach person or an urban person i would say i'm somewhere down the middle. Weather dosen't really bother me much as long as it's between 0 and 100 degrees F. Amount of space dosen't bother me either. The more i try and decide between NYC and LA the more confused i get, lol. Ahh..maybe i should scrap the two all together and just go to hawaii for a couple of years if i can't decide.

RussianIvanov · 02-14-2010, 08:17 AM

Since you said you should just scrap the two together, I think the perfect mix of NYC and LA is San Francisco. Have you looked into that?

uptown_urbanist · 02-14-2010, 09:56 AM

Or how about DC? It is, after all, the epicenter of free and cheap museums... (plus has lots of colleges, lots of smart young people, and all the rest of it)

jcx456 · 02-14-2010, 10:38 AM

I was really just kidding about scrapping the two. I had considered SF, although i've never been there. I've been to D.C a few times before and honestly that wasn't included in my original choices, i wouldn't want to be there for 3 or 4 years. I started off with a handful of cities i was interested in, in the beginning and started narrowing them down until i was down to just LA and NYC. Now i'm just completely stuck and can't give my preference to one or the other. Maybe i should just flip a coin, lol. I guess i'm going to have to get really decisive here and figure out what's ultimately more important to me. Obviously LA will have better weather and seemingly a more variety of activities available due to that. However it seems to me that NYC would have more things to do all around for a stay of a few years. The only other major difference that i can think of is i could scrap my car in NYC whereas in LA i'd use it. Honestly the more i think about it, it seems to me like the LA move would be an easier one to transition into but NYC would be more worth it in the long run. Does LA have enough stuff to do where people that live there don't get bored after a while? I know vacationing in a place and living there for a few years are different. Is LA a 24/7 city like NYC with a wide variety of activities to do and places to go at all hours of the day?

RussianIvanov · 02-14-2010, 08:26 PM

Talking to people on the street: New York. New Yorkers love to talk. Many people think NYers are tough and gritty, but they are actually very down to Earth and nice. Construction workers and firefighters in NYC are the nicest guys I have ever met. Do not let their accent intimidate you. Now the transplants living in Manhattan or some of the gentrified areas in the outerboroughs are the real rude ones that tourists run into in Manhattan.

Sports: New York. 2 brand new baseball stadiums and a brand new NFL stadium that will see its first game this upcoming football season. And Madison Square Garden needs no introduction.

Museums: New York.

Reading a book on the beach: Well on the beach it would be LA. But in NYC there are many people who read on the rooftops or fire escapes of their buildings.

Dating intelligent good looking women: New York. New York is like a magnet for intelligent good looking women. It is the corporate capital of the world that also is a world fashion leader. So there is a good selection. There are many casual clubs and bars and many classy clubs and bars.

The impression that I get is that New York is a city people come to for the experience whereas LA is more of a city they are in for a longer term.