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Same. Even when I lived in LA, if I could walk to something in my neighborhood, I did. And I took public transit as much as I could when my work started paying for my LAMTA extra monthly pass that included the SaMo BBB and Culver City Bus.
Yea, I always walked and took transit when it wasn't egregiously out of the way for me even when I owned a car. I like driving road trips sometimes when there's no train or other alternative, but to me, driving in traffic and ferreting around for parking is a non-starter on top of my dislike for how cars as the dominant mode for all trips and parking for such have eviscerated many downtowns and neighborhoods.
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Originally Posted by newgensandiego
But ultimately you are getting significantly "more for your money" by choosing to live a transit-dependent lifestyle in New York City than a transit-dependent lifestyle in Los Angeles. In terms of accessibility, time savings, reliability, convenience, span of service, etc. It's not even a comparison, frankly.
It depends on what you're looking for which changes from person to person. I agree that accessibility to a large number of things is greatly better because that built environment means that it allows for a lot more shops and other things to be located close by, but the fact of the matter is that some people like their commercial areas separated and driving to stuff to get things in larger bulk quantities and some people like larger living spaces for the price point (though there's another difference here where median incomes are higher in NYC so that adjustment changes on a person to person basis which is what I've been arguing for the most part). I am definitely not one of those people who value driving by itself or having larger apartments/homes than what I personally feel works for me, but I understand that some people are and my own personal dislike for that and the ecological impact of such is not universal.
Anyhow, this would be a much more cut and dry comparison for most people were the price per square foot of living space in comparable neighborhoods in NYC comparable to LA--and this is factoring in the idea that with a greater public sphere and more public or private meeting spaces people don't necessarily need more space at home. It is not though and the spiking of differences between the two in terms of my personal observation, and someone either disprove or back me up on this, has made NYC a harder answer whereas a decade ago my answer would have been much more strongly for NYC. I think a decade ago when I made the choice, the answer was extremely obvious to me for what I wanted. Today, it's just, for me and my preferences, pretty obvious though I haven't been in the LA housing market for a while and so maybe it's escalated just as badly though my occasional looks at it hasn't shown that to be the case. I, personally, am fine with the housing prices for NYC because we purchased when it was fairly affordable, but when I hear about the rent prices some of our friends pay, it seems exorbitant.
Real answer though for anyone looking today and thinking about urban living rather than in the suburbs and want more for their money? Probably Chicago or Philadelphia.
Last edited by OyCrumbler; 11-01-2019 at 05:43 PM..
Over the course of my adult life, I have known a number of individuals who have lived in New York City. Unfortunately, for most of these individuals, their experiences in New York are concentrated in the boroughs of New York City because, while living in the city, none of these folks owned cars. As someone who has spent a significant amount of time in Downstate New York (as a visitor), I always feel sorry for folks in the city who do not own cars because they are largely unable to experience some of the loveliest aspects of New York State, which are mostly accessible by car. In contrast, people who live in Los Angeles, whether they were born and raised in the city/metropolitan area or not, are much more familiar with the greater region and its offerings due to higher car ownership rates. At the end of the day, there are just some places that public transportation cannot and will not take you. As a result, owning a car can allow one to access many interesting and unique places within a greater region and, subsequently, provide you with a deeper understanding of place.
In contrast, people who live in Los Angeles, whether they were born and raised in the city/metropolitan area or not, are much more familiar with the greater region and its offerings due to higher car ownership rates. At the end of the day, there are just some places that public transportation cannot and will not take you. As a result, owning a car can allow one to access many interesting and unique places within a greater region and, subsequently, provide you with a deeper understanding of place.
One thing people forget is the cost of having things delivered when you live in NYC without a car. It adds up especially when you’re furnishing a new place, or moving from place to place. You either stop buying more than you can carry, or you request delivery.
Also, those with cars tend to be less restricted in just how far they’re willing to travel in a city to get to a place vs. those who take public transit, even when NYC’s rail is the most extensive. When I lived in NYC, there was a 3-5 mile vicinity/zone around me that I would not traverse by walking or rail. In California (with a car), I didn’t think twice about driving 10 cities over, or even leaving the state (to Vegas).
Over the course of my adult life, I have known a number of individuals who have lived in New York City. Unfortunately, for most of these individuals, their experiences in New York are concentrated in the boroughs of New York City because, while living in the city, none of these folks owned cars. As someone who has spent a significant amount of time in Downstate New York (as a visitor), I always feel sorry for folks in the city who do not own cars because they are largely unable to experience some of the loveliest aspects of New York State, which are mostly accessible by car. In contrast, people who live in Los Angeles, whether they were born and raised in the city/metropolitan area or not, are much more familiar with the greater region and its offerings due to higher car ownership rates. At the end of the day, there are just some places that public transportation cannot and will not take you. As a result, owning a car can allow one to access many interesting and unique places within a greater region and, subsequently, provide you with a deeper understanding of place.
What places are you referring to that you can't get to? I mean most of the cities have trains. Either Metro North or Amtrak. If you want beaches, LIRR and NJT go to beaches, and so does MTA to Coney and Rockaway. For someone like me who doesn't go into the mountains go hiking and stuff, that's not important. But, I can take trains to most of the Hudson Valley cities for weekend trips. When I recently went Upstate, I rented a car with the family so we could visit Woodstock. Technically there are still buses that go to a lot of other destinations. But we did rent a car. A few rental cars here and there shared between family/friends is still cheaper than owning a car year round.
The only things I can think of that you genuinely can't do without a car is skiing/snowboarding and hiking I guess?
One thing people forget is the cost of having things delivered when you live in NYC without a car. It adds up especially when you’re furnishing a new place, or moving from place to place. You either stop buying more than you can carry, or you request delivery.
Also, those with cars tend to be less restricted in just how far they’re willing to travel in a city to get to a place vs. those who take public transit, even when NYC’s rail is the most extensive. When I lived in NYC, there was a 3-5 mile vicinity/zone around me that I would not traverse by walking or rail. In California (with a car), I didn’t think twice about driving 10 cities over, or even leaving the state (to Vegas).
That honestly sounds like a "you" problem. My friends and I take trains Upstate, into NJ, to the shore, and all over the city. We regularly go together or to visit other friends on Amtrak to places like Boston, CT, Philly, Baltimore, and DC.
My friend just was making this decision - she was going between LA and NYC. She ended up in NYC for multiple reasons I think really it came down to driving. She used a service called Suburban Jungle which was free. She loved them and they helped her find her place in the city even though it's called Suburban. Could be worth exploring if you are considering the move. https://suburbanjunglegroup.com/?utm...tm_campaign=02
Strange coincidence that in your two posts, in completely unrelated threads, you are promoting/making up stories about the same real estate website?
Real answer though for anyone looking today and thinking about urban living rather than in the suburbs and want more for their money? Probably Chicago or Philadelphia.
Also you do not need to live near manhattan to live in a “cool” area.
But the "cool" areas are indeed close to Manhattan. I think part of the complaint about high rent is that it's too high in the Village, Greenpoint, etc, i.e. the "cool" places. That's not to downplay the fact that rent is high all over the city, but the person complaining about not being able to find a place at a "decent" price often overlooks a place like Washington Heights or Astoria where you can get a 99 walkscore and transit score for under 2 grand.
I decided to look up the median going rate on CL for 1-BR apartments in different cities. I tried to make this realistic for a young professional trying to stay around the $2,000 mark.
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