SF vs NYC - please help

[getshorty]

I don't understand why all this NYC lovefest is on a San Francisco/Bay Area board. Don't they have their own chest-thumping threads for that? 1.) NYC isn't the only Alpha city in America 2.) They aren't the only metro in America that tops 15 million people 3.) They are not the only world-recognized city in America 4.) They are not the only gateway to America.........however, they are not one of America's 3 Olympic cities. So keep this NYC lovefest crap off here please.

[JustinPacificaCA]

New York City is in short, a really really really intense place to live. That's not necessarily a good or a bad thing. It's exactly what it is, intense. You are basically living in the heart of a metropolitan region of 22,000,000 + people... and not just regular old people, people from all different walks of life. Every street you walk down in New York has a corner store... You are never going to be put in that awkward situation of walking down the street and passing somebody and say "hi" to them. It is very crowded. Even in areas like Brooklyn and Queens which are strictly residential, down the streets where there are only residences and no businesses, you will see lots of people walking past. I did a comparison to when I was living in St. Louis, MO and I counted 11 people in the course of 8 hours walking down my street. and in NY I stopped counting because I lost count. The subway can be so jam packed with so many people that you have never met before in your life brushing up against you in so many ways. But the crazy thing about it is, I loved it. I loved it's unfriendliness. You shouldn't be forced to be friendly with people. And thats just a fallacy. People in New York have helped me when I was lost. I once stubbed my toe with a piece of glass and there were sooo many people who were like OMG I HAVE KLEENEX!!! I just think as a New Yorker, I believe the longer you live there, the more your patience gets tested. Before you know it, you become so fast paced and directive and hut,2,3,4,hut,2,3,4 that it can be quite entertaining to your family that comes and visits. Or even more funny, is when you try and make deals and bargains with people in other places and they don't understand the concept of haggling is what makes things cheaper. That's why it seems to me like people either love it or hate it. I have yet to meet someone who was in between about their thoughts of living there. You become very committed to New York whether you like it or not. Before you know it, it brings all of you out of you. So if your the type of person who likes things simple and relaxed... NYC IS NOT FOR YOU!!!! I have yet to meet somebody in NYC that wanted a simple and relaxed life and was able to find that type of atmosphere in NYC. A lot of sacrifice is required to live in a city like NY. Everything that you thought was just the way things were, isn't in NY. To me... I think NY is basically a planet within a larger planet. I love the place, but it drove me crazy sometimes. I don't know how many times I wanted to scream at some crazy f**k for going 100 mph down my street at 3am in a Harley Davidson, setting off all the obnoxious car alarms, or how I wanted to strangle somebody because the subway was moving slower on the express track than the local train was on the local track. or when that guy would play the violin so TERRIBLY at 34th street that people were paying him to STOP! Such an interesting, thriving, switched on kind of place.

[Joe Bama!]

I just came back from vacation in SF and what struck me most is the ability to be physically active in nature is more possible in and around San Francisco's amazing landscape. The forests and beaches are amazing compared to the surrounding areas of NY.
If I was kid I would rather been raised in the Bay Area than in NYC. But who knows, I might of hated it?

[JustinPacificaCA]

What I love about San Francisco though is that... some things that are so unacceptable in
other parts of the country are not only tolerated but unnoticed in San Francisco... I mean in New York... gay people will hold hands with each other and nobody will say anything... but it will definately be noticed. In San Francisco, you are way too fixated when you walk down the street when you see a straight guy wearing tight rainbow pants and a leather vest holding hands with his girlfriend who is wearing overalls and hiking boots, that when a couple of gay guys holding hands walk by, it goes completely unnoticed. THAT is what I love about San Francisco. It doesn't even phase people, because trust me, there are many interesting phenomenas that occur in SF other than gay people and their community. They are just another category in SF. Ironically, the Castro St. Fair (which is the gay neighborhood in SF) is probably the most well-behaved out of all the crazy street fairs of San Francisco.... and yet these people have their rights being put at stake this Nov. Election. Not only that... but I see some crazy stuff happen in San Francisco... I saw a guy drunk driving side swipe a vehicle shattering that persons front side window and mirror, I saw him drive off going like 70 mph in a 35 zone, and a cop car was driving past in the opposite direction with its siren... heading somewhere else... I mean... I have found myself saying "well... that's San Francisco for ya..." so much that I sound like a broken record.

[Kid Golden]

Unlike most current San Francisco residents, I was born in SF. As someone born and raised in that city, it is very different from being a rich yuppie transplant or a tourist. However, I have lived in Maryland and NY for 17 years now. Most New Yorkers say San Francisco is "dead" when they visit. That's because people from NY are used to an ultra-fast pace of life that seems very rush-rush to anybody from outside of NYC. SF is the exact opposite, its super laid-back, not "dead". I think alot of native NYers can't comprehend the relaxed vibe of a city like San Francisco. From my experience NYers are not necessarily unfriendly, but extremely impatient and impersonal. SF people are also very impersonal, but much more relaxed in their daily lives. In terms of culture, excitement and diversity New York takes the cake. New York has a substantial representation of people of all races and backgrounds. Many naive San Franciscans pride their city on diversity, but there are hardly any black people in SF. All the black people in the Bay Area mostly live in Oakland, Richmond or in the hood in Fillmore. Both cities have negative and positive traits. NYC is so industrialized and cold, there isn't much to look at but buildings. On the other hand, SF has rolling hills as well as interesting foliage and architecture. SF is also kinda funky because its even cold during the summer on certain days.

Ultimately, it all depends on the type person you are. If you are an open-minded laid back person that likes to smoke some of the best reefer in the country, San Francisco would be the best choice. If you are a big city type of cat that loves constant excitement and lots of people, New York City would be a better choice.