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*In the end, I decided it wasn't worth it to me to put up with the stresses and shortcomings of Manhattan relative to California at this point in my life. I was already dreading/fearing winter. I didn't need to put up with everything else on top of it. So, I'm back to living in Hermosa Beach and am happy. I do wish there was more within reach without needing a car. But I feel as if California is where I fit best. I wish you all the best and am sorry for being a prick with some of my posts. I can assure you I had an objective mindset throughout the process.
Yes, but comparing Hermosa Beach to NYC? The South Bay would compare with the Sound Shore in Westchester or North Shore on LI, in terms of demographics and proximity to water, but not the beaches. Just as Hermosa <> DTLA, the Sound Shore communities <> NYC, so it would be a huge lifestyle adjustment to jump from a suburban area like Hermosa Beach to Manhattan, such that I might not recommend it to someone who liked the lifestyle offered by Hermosa Beach, unless it was due to a forced occupation-related relocation.
Valid points. A few more anecdotes: Hermosa and Manhattan beaches are quite densely developed and are for all intents and purposes "L.A.". Certainly it's an entirely different vibe from NYC. But in my one trip to Long Island (went from Manhattan to Southampton) , it had a very, very quiet feel to it and one of being quite isolated from any city. And that feel started to take hold not long after the train passed out of Queens, which itself can feel very isolated from Manhattan. If one avoided the exact spots where subway cars passed overhead (sounds weird not sure how else to describe it) Queens itself could even be mistaken somewhat for my hometown of Lakeland, Florida By the time you're out of the city proper and in the rest of LI, you get a distinct suburban and isolated feel that doesn't exist in Hermosa Beach.
Also, I would chose San Francisco over NYC as well. Obviously they are two plenty different places and others will have different opinions. But SF is obviously not suburban, either.
That said, you are correct in saying that anyone who would chose Hermosa Beach over NYC is clearly interested in something different than living the Manhattan lifestyle. Although I'd guess that had I never spent any appreciable time in Hermosa Beach and thus was not aware of places like it, I might have stayed with NYC.
I don't necessarily disagree. My situation was such that I had to make a decision to stay or leave at about the time I did. I squeezed as much out of those seven weeks as I could. Not having to spend most of my time working 8-5 helped. But, most said one full year is the minimum to really speak with a lot of authority on a place. One thing I missed out on that I'm happy about is winter!
I never understand why people are surprised about the whole garbage bags on the street thing. There isn't a "Garbage Fairy" that whisks away your trash once the bag is full into invisible land.
With a city this large the trash has to be accessible to waste management and not locked in a building. I was out around 4am seeing garbage men do their rounds..Imagine them having to wake up the building manager to get access to the garbage room, the infestation problem within buildings would be much worse.
Look at it this way at least its not like 1800s London where you would toss your trash and human waste out the window and then into the population's water supply causing all types of disease.
How about the job situation comparison between Manhattan and Hermosa Beach. Is the OP independently wealthy because there was scant mention of work besides "job hunt which I gave up after a month?"
I'm confused becasue most people find NYC impossible without work (or money,) and trashbags on the street come a FAR, FAR second to NO JOB as a major problem.
But then most people would have the same problem with Hermosa Beach I presume.
People with unlimited amounts of money and free time typically find NYC the most enchanting place in the United States, bar none.
I certainly don't have unlimited amounts of money. My career takes a couple months of break time over summer; income is annualized salary. And I saved up about $20K for an adventure like this. One might surmise that people who actually do have a lot of money might value a place with far superior whether and more naturally scenic places than what NYC offers. If I did have that kind of money and time, I'd surely jet on over to NYC a few times a year and pop some bottles in da club
New York is better for working class people as you don't need a car. Cars are black holes where all the money goes.
Oh I am completely in agreement with this. NYC you spend $105 for a monthly metro card and throw in a few cab fares a month and that's it. Damn near anywhere else you have to have a car and deal with all kinds of other expenses. It sucks. And I no longer value the car culture lifestyle. It's even weird at times to consider the fact that everybody is going to hop in their box of a car to go every single place. I wanted DESPERATELY for NYC to work for exactly these reasons. Instead, I ended up blowing $13k of my savings to buy a new car. Not to mention all of the other monthly expenses I incur. I would LOVE it if L.A. was more accessible via public transport. There are only a very limited number of places where one could rely a lot on public transport and Hermosa most certainly ain't one of them
I never understand why people are surprised about the whole garbage bags on the street thing. There isn't a "Garbage Fairy" that whisks away your trash once the bag is full into invisible land.
With a city this large the trash has to be accessible to waste management and not locked in a building. I was out around 4am seeing garbage men do their rounds..Imagine them having to wake up the building manager to get access to the garbage room, the infestation problem within buildings would be much worse.
Look at it this way at least its not like 1800s London where you would toss your trash and human waste out the window and then into the population's water supply causing all types of disease.
If one were to sit down and analyze the situation in advance, sure, they could see why the situation is what it is. But after 34 years of living in a bunch of different places and never seeing anything like it, it is an eye-opening experience. And not a pleasant one. I'm not sure whether there is a better way to deal with it or not. I'm just glad I don't have to worry about tripping over trash bags or looking at gigantic mounds of trash bags anymore. Your choices in where to live are plenty more than A) live in a suburban sh*thole or B) deal with the Manhattan trash bag blight. There are other choices lol
If one were to sit down and analyze the situation in advance, sure, they could see why the situation is what it is. But after 34 years of living in a bunch of different places and never seeing anything like it, it is an eye-opening experience. And not a pleasant one. I'm not sure whether there is a better way to deal with it or not. I'm just glad I don't have to worry about tripping over trash bags or looking at gigantic mounds of trash bags anymore. Your choices in where to live are plenty more than A) live in a suburban sh*thole or B) deal with the Manhattan trash bag blight. There are other choices lol
Yeah, but you're failing to realize that you've never lived in a city with more than 8 million people...and one as dense....of course other places are going to look cleaner by comparison....I just dont think an urban lifestyle is for you...and that's ok.
Trust me I have friends that work for DSNY and they bust their hump to keep the city clean
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"The man who sleeps on the floor, can never fall out of bed." -Martin Lawrence
Yeah, but you're failing to realize that you've never lived in a city with more than 8 million people...and one as dense....of course other places are going to look cleaner by comparison....I just dont think an urban lifestyle is for you...and that's ok.
Well, if neither L.A. nor San Francisco qualify as urban lifetsyles, I agree. But then I think we're pretty well left with NYC and, what, Chicago? Maybe Philadelphia? Boston is too small if the 8 million number is relevant. Houston and Dallas are too spread out and suburban in feel. Personally I feel that living a few blocks away from the financial district in San Francisco qualifies as "urban". But obviously not on NYC's level.
Yeah, but you're failing to realize that you've never lived in a city with more than 8 million people...and one as dense....of course other places are going to look cleaner by comparison....I just dont think an urban lifestyle is for you...and that's ok.
Trust me I have friends that work for DSNY and they bust their hump to keep the city clean
The population density in NYC is no dense or excuse to its filthy look.
Singapore or Tokyo is similarly crowded, if not more. How come they can maintain a city look that impresses visitors from small towns? Do not simply blame the size of the population for it. More people living in a square inch generates more tax dollars for the government in the meanwhile. In other words, it would cost less per capita for cleaning up the same area size for crowded cities. I like NYC but not its dirty streets and frequent encountering of completely uncivilized attitudes.
Just like the weather, I am hoping for changes in these aspects for better.
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By the time you're out of the city proper and in the rest of LI, you get a distinct suburban and isolated feel that doesn't exist in Hermosa Beach.
