SF vs NYC - please help (San Francisco, Sunnyvale: fit in, car insurance, neighborhood)

[dac2007]

I have a dilemma. I have to decide between two offers: one in NYC and one in the Bay Area (Sunnyvale). The compensation offered iin both cases is quite good ($200K package). Aside from work-related considerations, I am trying to understand what makes more sense for me, my wife and 7 year old kid. On the one side, NYC is very attractive because of the arts, culture, restaurants. We would consider living in the West Village for ONE year and then move perhaps to Westchester or New Jersey. We like the city environment and living in NYC for 1 year would be an incredible experience. However, living in San Francisco is also extremely attractive option. Similarly, we probably would live one year in SF and then move to Palo Alto or Menlo Park. I would love to hear your feedback about SF vs NYC. What do you think makes more sense? SF or NYC? Part of my decision is determined by what area makes more sense to me in the long term. So far, it has been really hard to decide. Both are similar in cost and both offer great alternatives for our life today and in the future. What do you think? Your feedback is appreciated

[K-Luv]

This is only something that you can answer. Everyone on here has there opinion, and that is all they are-opinions; regardless of what 'facts' are used to try and back them up.

The cost of living in both cities is about the same. They both offer tons of restaurants, theater, "activities", etc. NYC, though, literally offers everything that you can think of 24-7. SF can go on all night, but generally the 24-7 scene in SF is a little bit more....seedy. Not always the case, though.

In SF you can quickly disapear from the city and take a country drive up the coast or to the mountains. In NYC, you'd have to drive a considerable distance to get 'away' from it-the entire Eastern Seaboard is essentially one large Megalopolus-even though it spans through a few states.

I dunno, both are culturally rich cities. SF has tons of people living in it, but NYC has tons more. Plus NYC is swamped with tourists-which I personally find annoying.

[AviTech]

If you can live with the posibility of earthquakes. Drizzle rain. Cool breezy sea winds. And lots of hills. Move to Frisco.

If you don't mind winter coldsnaps. Snowfall. Terrible traffic. Riding subways everywhere. And people who are rought around the edges. Then NYC is the place for you.

[jscore]

It's a black and white comparison. Totally different cities.

[TwinMom06]

regarding living in the city (for both SF and NYC).... I have lived in both cities. Undeniably, the 2 most unique and beautiful cities in the US. Good luck with your choice.

There are great places to live in both places. Sunnyvale is a long drive from San Francisco, just so you know, so you might want to live in the 'burbs if you decide on that one. The top school district in that area is Saratoga-Cupertino, if that helps you.

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by jscore

It's a black and white comparison. Totally different cities.

SF is probably the only city in California-or even the entire West Coast-that can even compare to NYC. Aside from the weather, amount of tourism and the size of the city-they are rather alike.

[cvanripe10]

I live in the NYC vicinity. They are right about how populated it is here.

The bad side about NYC - It is one giant metropolis. Manhatten is just the beginning. Manhatten is literally surrounded by smaller urban cities. Some of these smaller cities(like hoboken) would be the largest city in another state. These are surrounded by greater suburbs which are surrounded by normal suburbs then smaller suburbs then finally country. You have to drive quite a distance to get away from it all. Some of the richest towns...and some of the poorest. In 10 minutes of driving you'll see the cleanest places and the dirtiest. High taxes. High car insurance. High stress. Very cold winters and very hot summers. Pollution. Love of money. It's close to impossible to fit into a decent neighborhood unless you have millions, seriously.

The good - everything you want is in reach. Mountains, public beaches, city life. Everything is in a days drive. This past summer i went kayaking in the scenic mountains on a saturday and layed on the beach on sunday. Spend another weekend eating great food in the upper east side of manhatten. Took a bus to Boston to see the sox play. Autumn in the northeast is The Best. Last autumn my friends and i took a scenic motorcyce cruise through the country. We drove through scenic fields, mountains, lakes, ect. Crisp cool nights and colorful. The economy is great and you can make a lot of money that you cant make anywhere else. Manhatten has all there is to offer as far as art. Most people you meet(socially not business) are very honest. The schools are outstanding too.

HOWEVER- I'm sure you can find all of these things in San Fran without all the conjestion. There are really way. too. many. people. in. NYC.

As far as scenery goes, NYC might have less hills but better folliage. I've never been to san fran but california in general seems very yellow and arid. NYC area is very green and lush in spring and summer and filled with trees. Although i could be wrong about san fran...ive never been there..

[krudmonk]

It doesn't really make sense to compare the two beyond mere "street scene" aesthetics. NYC is huge. It's a capital of media and finance. Manhattan alone has twice as many people as San Francisco, a city whose biggest industry is tourism. NYC dwarfs SF in transit ridership, something which SF actually prides itself upon. Subways run all night and so do bars. That's not really the case in SF. I get the feeling that NYC is more a functioning city that brings the show while SF is more of a showy city that attempts the functionality.

[rah]

SF is a small, very densely packed city in the middle of a continuous urban area of almost 8 million people. That's bigger than Houston, and almost as big as Chicago.

The Bay Area includes the 3rd, 4th and 8th largest cities in the State, within the second largest metro area in the state, and one of the largest metros in the country.

[Alexus]

Trust the intuition of a woman. Go with your wife's gut feeling. You can't go wrong there.