Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have actually personally heard it. A few years ago here in NYC, I overheard a conversation of some lady visiting from SF talking to a cop about how "SF is like a mini Manhattan" trying to get him to move there. Also I have a friend who is originally from SF who had moved away, only to move back to SF a handful of years later. When I saw him in SF, he was complaining to me about how everyone there thought they were NYC all of a sudden and that he longed for the "old days" of his city.
Different experiences I guess. Most of the people I knew had strong ties to NYC whether it was work or personal and praised both NYC and SF as separates. The only time I've heard of it in this context is when someone said, SF is the closest thing to NYC you'll find on the west coast..
Different experiences I guess. Most of the people I knew had strong ties to NYC whether it was work or personal and praised both NYC and SF as separates. The only time I've heard of it in this context is when someone said, SF is the closest thing to NYC you'll find on the west coast..
I'm sure it's not rampant. I mean there are people who do the same thing with downtown Chicago, but the reality is that people think of the places as separate and unique entities. Yes, SF is the closest thing you'll find on the west coast to it, but still not too similar. And that's a good thing. Being unique can be a good thing.. Not sure why anybody would want their city to be a perfect clone of another.
I have been back to my home in Orange County, CA twice from my current home in Arlington, VA. I got the distinct impression from the moment I stepped off in LAX to the moment I got back to LAX a week later that I was living in a sun soaked open air hospice. I cannot agree with every opinion here, but that's how it felt to me. The East Coast just has an energy, movement, and ambition that CA doesn't seem to have. My personal opinion is the beautiful weather and proximity to Pacific Ocean has a lot to do with that, but I don't have anything scientific.
I can generally agree about the energy level aspect, but not about the ambition (and I'm not sure what you mean by movement). Places like Silicon Valley and Hollywood have some of the most ambitious people in the world. Orange County and San Diego - perhaps not so much but CA is a huge state with so many different areas. The West Coast vibe is generally more chill and individualistic (at least on the surface) but on the whole I've found the people in the major cities there to be more educated, creative, and intellectual than East Coast cities. At the same time they are also more snooty and subdued.
Since when was Boston high energy? Boston is pretty low energy too compared to places like NYC and Chicago. DC on the other hand though I don't find low energy in some places - depends on where you go.
Yeah, for North America NYC is on another level from everyone else. For the world though for places I've been to - Hong Kong, Istanbul, and Chengdu (China) all are even above NYC in energy level which is pretty crazy to think about. I also experience Beijing during a high travel time - pretty crazy too. I haven't been to Tokyo but I have friends from NYC or who spend a lot of time in NYC who have and some felt overwhelmed there.
There are a lot of people jogging in LA along some areas near the ocean, but to diminish this for Chicago basically shows me that you don't know how the summers are in Chicago especially. The entire mentality of the city is that each and every single person got screwed over by every winter, so they maximize the time outside during the summer months. That is why you hear about how great the summers in Chicago are and how much there is to do. When I lived there, the summers were absolutely amazing and I would spend all day outside eating, drinking, walking, etc (when not at work of course). It's just an incredible vibe and everyone comes outside. As a result, there's outdoor patios, rooftops, etc open all over the entire city and extremely common. The lakeshore is constantly full of people jogging, biking, walking, etc especially in the summer. I think anybody who has spent at least one full summer in Chicago, especially in the last 10 or 15 years would understand this.
I have to agree. After being in Tokyo now 5 times, it's just got a much more intense energy. That work hard party harder mentality you can really see, and those who enjoy their jobs, like my friends whom DJ in Dogenzaka, go until they pass out at a 24/7 bar (past experience!). It truly made NYC feel tame in comparison; I haven't felt like NYC was overcrowded at all since 2015 even though the population is at an all time high. My apartment also feels big compared to all the places I have ever stayed except for a house in Hakodate. NYC has much better bars though, though Tokyo bars were better than London's. Knowing enough Japanese helped with that though, language barrier can be a pain. The Japanese are not very good with English, so it makes it a tad bit harder to get into the really wild nightlife.
It's the New Yorkers that move here and visit here that I hear say SF reminds them of Manhattan the most.
NY transplants in SF were the ones who invented the term 'anti-manhattanization' to oppose tall buildings back in the 1970s and 1980s.
I also hear this from visitors from other areas of the country, I think part of it is because such a vibrant and amenity rich downtown area is so rare in the US.
It's the New Yorkers that move here and visit here that I hear say SF reminds them of Manhattan the most.
NY transplants in SF were the ones who invented the term 'anti-manhattanization' to oppose tall buildings back in the 1970s and 1980s.
I also hear this from visitors from other areas of the country, I think part of it is because such a vibrant and amenity rich downtown area is so rare in the US.
That could be. Also, people love comparing things to one another to describe to people what a place is like. There are people at my office here that when someone asks me about visiting Chicago for the first time, another person who's been to Chicago once or twice will be like "Oh yeah - it's like a mini Manhattan." Even though there's a small amount in common, it's really not. But they bring it up all the damn time. There's also this envy of people to want to be like NYC. Of course, once you live in NYC you might understand why some cities try and not do some of the same things that NYC does (Like Chicago a long time ago actually used to be a lot more like NYC in certain areas and they got away from that with all the new development that's taken place in the last 20 years)
It's actually weird to me that some of the coldest places in this country have the most energy you'll find on the street. And some of the places with the best weather sometimes are very car centric. It's actually kind of sad. I'm glad LA is investing so much in public transit. They were actually good until the 50s or 60s on this stuff (big street car system).
I have to agree. After being in Tokyo now 5 times, it's just got a much more intense energy. That work hard party harder mentality you can really see, and those who enjoy their jobs, like my friends whom DJ in Dogenzaka, go until they pass out at a 24/7 bar (past experience!). It truly made NYC feel tame in comparison; I haven't felt like NYC was overcrowded at all since 2015 even though the population is at an all time high. My apartment also feels big compared to all the places I have ever stayed except for a house in Hakodate. NYC has much better bars though, though Tokyo bars were better than London's. Knowing enough Japanese helped with that though, language barrier can be a pain. The Japanese are not very good with English, so it makes it a tad bit harder to get into the really wild nightlife.
Yeah, I've had similar experiences. The energy in NYC is awesome, and I used to think that it was super intense. However, after visiting some places like Istanbul, Chengdu (China), Hong Kong, etc I do not feel this way anymore. And there's nothing wrong with that - but NYC is definitely not the most energetic place on earth city-wise. It's up there, but there's some crazier places out there. People find it hard to believe until they experience it first hand. I have a friend who loves NYC - been here at least 75 times. Visits multiple times per year. He went to Tokyo and actually had a panic attack due to the level of activity.
Yeah, I've had similar experiences. The energy in NYC is awesome, and I used to think that it was super intense. However, after visiting some places like Istanbul, Chengdu (China), Hong Kong, etc I do not feel this way anymore. And there's nothing wrong with that - but NYC is definitely not the most energetic place on earth city-wise. It's up there, but there's some crazier places out there. People find it hard to believe until they experience it first hand. I have a friend who loves NYC - been here at least 75 times. Visits multiple times per year. He went to Tokyo and actually had a panic attack due to the level of activity.
US wise though, NYC is unparalleled with this.
I haven't been to Istanbul or East Asia. And my one time in Tel Aviv I managed to be there during one of the rocketfests. But in my travels through Europe, yes NYC is tame. Even in small cities like Bologna Italy, the 24/7 vibe is pretty apparent. Madrid is the closest I've experienced to a 24/7 city. It makes NYC look relatively sleepy.
I haven't been to Istanbul or East Asia. And my one time in Tel Aviv I managed to be there during one of the rocketfests. But in my travels through Europe, yes NYC is tame. Even in small cities like Bologna Italy, the 24/7 vibe is pretty apparent. Madrid is the closest I've experienced to a 24/7 city. It makes NYC look relatively sleepy.
East for Italy and Spain to be hopping all night none of them work during the day
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
(Like Chicago a long time ago actually used to be a lot more like NYC in certain areas and they got away from that with all the new development that's taken place in the last 20 years)
