New York v London (Leicester, Washington Heights: low income, sublet, apartments)

[ohno]

Whats the best place to live?

Whats city has got less trouble and crime?
What city has got better weather... just if anyone knows about London

[Viralmd]

I've lived in both places. New York is the winner, hands down. There might be less crime overall in London, BUT it's not got the vibrance, 24/7 activity, variety or feel of Nyew York. AND it's just as expensive. You know those little half-refrigerators? Those are the NORM in UK homes. And services aren't nearly as ubiquitous as in the US on the whole. When I sublet an apartment, it didn't have a phone (this is a few years ago before mobile phones were standard). I asked my landlord if I could have a phone installed and he asked why I would want such a thing. I'm a New York native, but have travelled extensively for years. If you can't find it in New York, it either doesn't exist or it's not worth having.

And, yes, there is snow in the winter in London. The difference is that they don't plow. Our emergency unit was filled up overnight with people falling on the accumulated ice because shoveling and plowing is not the norm.

[ohno]

Originally Posted by Viralmd

I've lived in both places. New York is the winner, hands down. There might be less crime overall in London, BUT it's not got the vibrance, 24/7 activity, variety or feel of Nyew York. AND it's just as expensive. You know those little half-refrigerators? Those are the NORM in UK homes. And services aren't nearly as ubiquitous as in the US on the whole. When I sublet an apartment, it didn't have a phone (this is a few years ago before mobile phones were standard). I asked my landlord if I could have a phone installed and he asked why I would want such a thing. I'm a New York native, but have travelled extensively for years. If you can't find it in New York, it either doesn't exist or it's not worth having.

And, yes, there is snow in the winter in London. The difference is that they don't plow. Our emergency unit was filled up overnight with people falling on the accumulated ice because shoveling and plowing is not the norm.

Bull*****... For a start there is more crime in London.. New York safest city in US, there is 24/7 activity in London (Leicester Square). What little half refrigerators? All apartments have phones i dont know what your talkin about. London has everything New York has just that London is more expensive. There has not been snow in London for years and they put grit down before the snow falls so as soon as the snow falls it melts simple as.

Also in the summer London is hotter than NYC.. London reaches 35 C in summer.. i dont know what London you have been to

[Hustla718]

Originally Posted by ohno

Bull*****... For a start there is more crime in London.. New York safest city in US, there is 24/7 activity in London (Leicester Square). What little half refrigerators? All apartments have phones i dont know what your talkin about. London has everything New York has just that London is more expensive. There has not been snow in London for years and they put grit down before the snow falls so as soon as the snow falls it melts simple as.

Also in the summer London is hotter than NYC.. London reaches 35 C in summer.. i dont know what London you have been to

London has more crime then NYC? NYC has more crime and a higher crime rate then London. The the murder rate in New York City has been more than five times that of London for two centuries now. NYC had more murders then all of western Europe combined during the crack epidemic. NYC also has WAY more drug activity. Washington Heights is the drug hub of the western world. NYC also downgrades crime statistics to keep the safest city title, when in reality that is not true. If you have been keeping up with the latest events in NYC, you will see the city still has a serious problem with crime.

This has to do with culture, segregation, poverty, history, and many other factors. Guns are also easy to come by in the USA. They are cheap and even in NYC, they are everywhere.

In all cities though, crime is concentrated. The crime in NYC tends to stick to the low income neighborhoods. Stay out of these areas, and your chances of being the victim of a crime deminish. If you live in Forest Hills Queens, the only thing you have to worry about is probably getting your car stolen. If you live in Bushwick Brooklyn, you will have to worry about shootouts and robberies. It's all about where you live in these cities.

NYC also gets very hot and humid during the summer. I don't know about London. I do know they have had heat waves recently. Doesn't seem to be the norm the way people were reacting

[daaver]

Originally Posted by Hustla718

London has more crime then NYC? You do realize the USA is the most violent industrialized western nation. NYC has more crime and a higher crime rate then London.

"Londoners are now six times as likely to be robbed or assaulted as New Yorkers,"
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/polit...647991,00.html

[Hustla718]

Originally Posted by daaver

"Londoners are now six times as likely to be robbed or assaulted as New Yorkers,"
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/polit...647991,00.html

NYC plays a stats game. Stats are compiled differently in London and NYC. What is a misd in NYC is often a felony in London. Differences between cultures is why this is done.

NYC also downgrades crimes extensively. Remember, the title "safest city" is very valuable. I'll tell you one thing I see all the time. Cell phone snatches (robbery) are ALWAYS reclassified to Grand Larc to lower our violent crime numbers. In return, Grand Larc is downgraded to petit larc or lost property when possible. It is done all the time. Another tactic involving homicides is to leave the case open as an investigate DOA. That way you can hide a few homicides until the year is over. Another tactic is if you are the victim of a crime multiple times, from the same criminal, it goes down as one. No matter how many times it happened. If you are burglarized 5 times by the same guy, it goes down as one burg. Sometimes, your report will just be refused to be taken. Or You will be interogated as though you commited a crime, that is a tactic used to stop people from reporting crimes. It's used much more in low income areas. Those are just examples.

Don't believe me:

http://www.nycpba.org/publications/m.../compstat.html

The latest events in NYC if you have been keeping up is a clear indicator that crime is still a problem in many of NYC's low income communities.

The cultures of London and NYC are very different. NYC had 10 years of a crack epidemic which destroyed the communities of the inner city until today. Drug activity is also heavier in NYC. Washington Heights is known as the busiest drug corridor in the world. More drug transactions go down each day in WH then in most cities.

I have to throw in though, much of both cities are very safe. However the lower income areas in NYC have much bigger problems with crime. Low income areas are always the problem areas when it comes to crime. The culture in low income USA is a culture of violence.

Also crime is less likely reported in USA among those who are low income Black/Latino. These are the people, MOST likely to be the victims of crimes as well. It's the "stop snitching" attitude. The "do not help the police" way of thinking. In many low income neighborhoods in NYC, you will be seen as a snitch if you ask the police for help. The locals will make your life a living hell.

[big happy]

Hustler 718, in lght of the information that you have provided would you say that the crack epidemic is truly over? If so could you give me an idea of the main differences in lower income areas of NYC now compared to the height of the epidemic. As someone that will be travelling to NYC soon I read this thread with some concern as most media opinion is of how safe NYC is these days. Im not the sort of person that likes to avoid areas and would like to see areas that are multicultural as I believe that they are rich in both history and culture however if there are areas that are a definate no go could you pre warn me where they are and what common sense measures that I could take to help my personal safety. Thanks very much in advance

[daaver]

Where are you coming from and what are you planning to do? Manhattan is really pretty safe, which is where most tourists stay anyhow. Here are a couple articles about keeping safe:

http://www.theinsider.com/nyc/survive/012crim2.htm (broken link)
http://gonyc.about.com/od/planyourtr...s_nyc_safe.htm

And a general one about crime in NYC:
http://www.theinsider.com/nyc/survive/011crime.htm (broken link)

If you want to go out and wander do so in Manhattan below the 90s and you should generally be fine. There are definitely parts of the Bronx I would avoid at any time, there are parts of Harlem in Manhattan, and parts of the other boroughs I would avoid at night.

[big happy]

Thanks for the links daaver, I will be coming to the east coast to coach soccer for 2 or 3 months and my plans are to spend as much time as possible in NYC. I am planning to do a photo collection of all 5 boroughs and hopefully catch some good hip hop (see hip hop in New York thread). Would you say that it could be a good idea to catch buses around areas such as the bronx during the day?

[big happy]

Thanks for link daaver couldnt get the link as it was incomplete could you post it again? Thanks mate