[daveyjones978]

Originally Posted by guinnessjim

here is the latest in the "ranking" of cities:

In Pictures: America's Most Miserable Cities - Forbes.com

cities were ranked based on 6 criteria that were claimed to induce misery in residents including unemployment and personal tax rates, commute times, weather, crime and toxic waste issues.

Las Vegas wasn't on the list....but that isn't my reason for posting this. both LA and NYC made the list....really? i find it hard to believe that either of these cities ranks in the top 10 most miserable. just goes to show that w/ the right statistics, stories can be spun a variety of different ways.

so next time you come across a post w/ this city ranked this or that city ranked that...take it with a grain of salt

I gotta tell you. I believe there was a exchange between Julia and Olecapt a few threads back in regards to living in the NYC area, and it's pros and cons. I myself have lived in the NY/LI metro area for pretty much all my life. It doesnt' surprise me that NYC ranks on that list, or that it ranks so highly. Many people will say to me "Oh, I would love to live in New York" or "how could you hate it and want to leave?" I best sum it up as "NYC is not what its' like on TV, it's not an episode of Sex and The City." Yeah, there is plenty to do, museums, galleries, shopping, restaurants, etc. But pretty much everything is priced through the rough. Dinner for two? Expect to pay at least $50 (and thats just if you order a few apps, full on dinner would run you about 150 and up). Want to see a show? Another 100, minimum. My friend and I have the rule of thumb that if we decide to go out drinking in Manhattan, we're gonna spend at least 100 a person for the night. Mind you, this is at the dive bars in the Village. Forget the big clubs uptown. 14 dollars for a martini in a plastic solo cup, that's after you've paid about 25 or more just to walk in the door.

The subway system is completely unreliable. It's not like the DC metro people, it's old, it's dirty, it smells, it won't get you where you need to be on time, if in fact you need to be somewhere on time. Sure, walk it by foot. Through the almost 8 million people walking around a 7x4 mile (or 13x8?) island all the time. It's loud, it's polluted, it seems great at first, but after a few years it gets under your skin. And let's not even begin on housing. Unless your a self-made millionaire, you can basically forget about even renting a place in manhattan. Try your luck with Brooklyn, or Queens... but guess what? you just tacked a good hour onto your commute, if you work in Manhattan. That's if you haven't been laid off because your job has been outsourced to some third-world country.

But yes, I take it as a grain of salt, because as much as I have come to dislike NYC after all this time, there are plenty that love it and can't imagine being somewhere else. Just like there are plenty that will trash Las Vegas (sorry, I meant The Cesspool.), and there are plenty that love it. Point being, you can't take to heart everything that everyone says. You have to sometimes dive into it, and try it for yourself. Even after all I've heard, I'm still heading out there. Am I scared? Hell yeah! Do I expect that moving to Vegas is going to change my life, and make all my problems go away? Absolutely not. But I've decided that I didn't want to live with the "what ifs" and if it doesn't work, well, I can always go somewhere else.

*steps off soapbox*

[jfkIII]

Good post davey. For me...I LOVE to visit both LV & NYC...but would choose to reside in neither...JMO.

[LIS123]

The MTA maybe old and dirty, but it provides much better coverage than the DC metro. I've only been to DC a couple times, but I found the metro inconvenient with much less coverage and longer waits than the MTA.
The rest of the summary about NYC is accurate for the most part. It's tough to live there unless you're raking in the dough. You're right about dinner for two... it'll usually be a lot more than $50 at a decent spot.

[guinnessjim]

my point is not that there may be negatives to living in NYC or LA, but that to call them them among most miserable places to live is highly subjective. i lived in LA for 3 years...you learn to deal w/ traffic and smog and high $$ because of the good things you get by living there (weather, mts, beach, food, etc.). i assume the same can be said for NYC (substitute some different positives).

my whole point was that numbers can always be compiled and interpreted to show different things. but it is often meaningless to use them for subjective comparisons of places on the basis of miserable, worst, best, happiest, etc. as you cannot factor everything into the equation.

[dynimagelv]

and obviously whoever compiled the list has NEVER heard of Atlantic City NJ.

[daveyjones978]

Originally Posted by dynimagelv

and obviously whoever compiled the list has NEVER heard of Atlantic City NJ.

HAHAHA! Seriously. Talk about miserable. (and a few other words I could think of to describe that dump)

[LIS123]

Originally Posted by guinnessjim

my point is not that there may be negatives to living in NYC or LA, but that to call them them among most miserable places to live is highly subjective. i lived in LA for 3 years...you learn to deal w/ traffic and smog and high $$ because of the good things you get by living there (weather, mts, beach, food, etc.). i assume the same can be said for NYC (substitute some different positives).

my whole point was that numbers can always be compiled and interpreted to show different things. but it is often meaningless to use them for subjective comparisons of places on the basis of miserable, worst, best, happiest, etc. as you cannot factor everything into the equation.

This is an excellent point. Almost any city will be great for some and horrible for others. The problem is, it's very difficult for anyone to sample enough different cities to find the one that's right. We tend to follow the job, school, SO, etc and stay where those things line up (not that this is necessarily a bad thing).

[Tom Lennox 70]

Originally Posted by guinnessjim

here is the latest in the "ranking" of cities:

In Pictures: America's Most Miserable Cities - Forbes.com

cities were ranked based on 6 criteria that were claimed to induce misery in residents including unemployment and personal tax rates, commute times, weather, crime and toxic waste issues.

Las Vegas wasn't on the list....but that isn't my reason for posting this. both LA and NYC made the list....really? i find it hard to believe that either of these cities ranks in the top 10 most miserable. just goes to show that w/ the right statistics, stories can be spun a variety of different ways.

so next time you come across a post w/ this city ranked this or that city ranked that...take it with a grain of salt

Of course Las Vegas won't make that list, c'mon. I live on the East Coast adn would move to Nevada any day. After pharmacy school, its one of the places I'm considering relocating too.

My list of the 10 most miserable cities:

1. Detroit
2. Philadelphia (including neighboring Camden)
3. Baltimore
4. Pittsburgh
5. Buffalo
6. El Paso
7. Los Angeles
8. Newark
9. Cleveland
10. New Orleans

Runners up: New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Miami, Minneapolis

10 most pleasant (no particular order)

1. Phoenix
2. Las Vegas
3. Tampa
4. Charlotte
5. Raleigh
6. Atlanta
7. Palm Springs
8. San Diego
9. Honolulu
10. Orlando

Runners Up: Tucson, Albuqerque, Houston, Dallas

[Tom Lennox 70]

Seriously, I can't believe they did not put Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Buffalo on that list while Charlotte, Modesto, and Stockton are on it. Personally I have never been anywhere more depressing than Baltimore and Philadelphia.

Atlantic City is pretty ghetto but not THAT bad. Even in New Jersey, its better than Newark, Camden, Elizabeth, Union City, and Asbury Park.

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by Terrapin2212

Of course Las Vegas won't make that list, c'mon. I live on the East Coast adn would move to Nevada any day. After pharmacy school, its one of the places I'm considering relocating too.



10 most pleasant (no particular order)

1. Phoenix
2. Las Vegas
3. Tampa
4. Charlotte
5. Raleigh
6. Atlanta
7. Palm Springs
8. San Diego
9. Honolulu
10. Orlando

Runners Up: Tucson, Albuqerque, Houston, Dallas

My list probably wouldn't include anything on the east coast, but I did enjoy Charleston, SC, last Fall. I think that's because it was cool enough while we were there. The day we left it got hot again and the humidity was stifling.