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I think NYC and LA are global & cosmopolitan cities (in addition to being the largest US cities), while the others are only very large US cities. I am interested in cosmopolitan cities only, so I considered only NYC and LA, and ultimately voted for LA mostly because I am a retiree, ie, I recognize that NYC still might be the best choice for working people who seek cosmopolitan life in the US... may or may not, as I think NYC has lost a lot of its uniqueness, since in the 21st century every city on the planet is doing its best to impersonate the formerly unique mega-city character of NYC. And NYC architecture has deteriorated colossaly, with destruction of so much that was monumentally aesthetically pleasing, and expansion of glass garbage scrapers devoid of any aesthetic value or individuality.
I voted for LA because I think it is also (gasp!) culturally superior to NYC, in that it has done a fantastic job of preservation of the 20th century living history (which may have something to do with the fact that its movie industry is a natural medium for preservation of walking, talking historic atmosphere, plus LA cemeteries are housing the greatest concentration of the 20th century American celebrities/public figures).
Are you freaking kidding me? A few cemetaries with dead celebrities is your criteria for excellent preservation. Hilarious. There are few things in LA that were preserved from it's early 20th century. Not only has modern day LA destroyed the fabric of it's city and architecture, but it's downright hideous and filthy in comparison to it's former glory. And culturally superior to NYC? In what universe?
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While some people need four distinct seasons, I think, in my progressively older age, I will trade the winter for a swimming pool (available in LA in ordinary housing situations, and in NYC only in super-luxurious ones. And you can actually swim in it in February in LA).
But I have not completely settled it with myself re my final retirement abode, so please folks, talk some more about NYC vs. LA! That topic interests me greatly.
And where, pray tell, is this retirement locale that you currently reside in?
Are you freaking kidding me? A few cemetaries with dead celebrities is your criteria for excellent preservation. Hilarious. There are few things in LA that were preserved from it's early 20th century. Not only has modern day LA destroyed the fabric of it's city and architecture, but it's downright hideous and filthy in comparison to it's former glory. And culturally superior to NYC? In what universe?
And where, pray tell, is this retirement locale that you currently reside in?
Before you start talking about culture, pray learn how to write in your own language (which is not even my native language), ie, consider learning the correct usage of "it's" vs. "its". LA has taken care of preserving continuity of ITS history; IT'S a pity that some people have no clue what the definition of culture is.
Before you start talking about culture, pray learn how to write in your own language (which is not even my native language), ie, consider learning the correct usage of "it's" vs. "its". LA has taken care of preserving continuity of ITS history; IT'S a pity that some people have no clue what the definition of culture is.
In other words, you didn't have an actual rebuttal to any of her points.
In other words, you didn't have an actual rebuttal to any of her points.
My rebuttal is what I wrote to start with, no reason to repeat it. Los Angeles to me has the same feel as what I see in the old movies (yes, they did pave pave the paradise of the Garden of Allah and put up a parking lot (if anyone here even knows what I am referring to), but a lot of LA architectural history still stands the same as the hotel on the sleeve of the Eagles' 1970s album (and in fact the same as 110 years ago when that hotel was built) - along with a lot of other old LA architecture. The newly built modern Frank Lloyd Wright-ey buildings preserve historic continuity of what LA has been throughout the entire 20th century - the time meaningful to me because I grew up in the middle of that century, and can easily recognize where that time has been lost, and where preserved (unfortunately not preserved in many places, but fortunately LA is one of such few places)). To me that is culture; new garbage glass buildings in NYC are not. The Union Station in LA was beautifully preserved, while the beautiful old Penn Station in NYC was replaced by something that would look faceless and awful in Detroit, let alone in NYC.
The fact that LA has a spectacularly renovated and tremendously well stocked main public library, plus many good neighborhood branches, is also culture to me. The fact that I can never find what I want in NYC libraries (because the two copies that they acquired for the reading needs of a 8+ million city are typically both stolen - likely by those sole two people among those 8+ million who actually read books) does not reflect any kind of culture to me, certainly not in the city that used to be the global center of publishing but has not maintained any kind of continuity with that crucial aspect of its history.
I could go on and on - too many painful examples of cultural comparisons that almost always end up in favor of LA.
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I’ve lived in NYC and LA, now in Houston. Been to Chicago for 5 days (in early November but it was already very windy and cold therefore not a city for me.) & Dallas about 7 times (each time a weekend trip.)
Compare...
- Cost of living: Chicago, shockingly affordable
- Job market: Have no idea. All the cities here are quite booming no?
- Weather: LA then Houston. Do not like cold weather, do not like the prairie brownish Dallas topography.
- Recreation: All the cities here are fun and interesting enough. (Time and money permitted.)
- People's friendliness: I always found New Yorkers almost irritatingly chatty and friendly. Houston is very friendly and chill. Didn’t have much to say about Dallas and Chicago whereas LA can be very bi-polar, either they are bubbly nice or self-absorbingly neurotic (but still not cold and aloof.)
- Public transportation: mmmm, NY?
- Crime: hard to say, big cities like them are crapshoot in terms of safety and crime because it depends on where you go in the city.
- Cultural attitudes: I love NYC/LA/Houston for their respective cultural richness, and how easy it is to access to the amenities.
- Scenery: LA, no contest. (PCH, San Gabriel mountains, the Pacific,…..etc.)
- Outdoor activities: not an outdoor person at all but I’ll pick LA.
I voted NYC, even though I live here. I made the move from another city on the list (Dallas), so obviously have already picked it over Dallas (though in general thought Dallas was a decent place to live).
I won't bother going through each metric, but NYC takes job market, and it's not close. It's great that Dallas and Houston are growing at a much faster pace, but there are so many companies here you get hit up by different recruiters every week.
Climate I'd give to LA, and Houston would be my absolute no-fly zone here as the heat/humidity combo is borderline unlivable to me (Dallas was bad enough there). The others would be 'fine'.
The deciding factor was access to easy city-break weekend trips, which would tip NYC for me as we have (and regularly take advantage of) many cool areas 1-3 hours by car away, from beach to mountains. This was one of our deciding factors for leaving Dallas, not much else interesting around it outside of Austin.
I voted NYC, even though I live here. I made the move from another city on the list (Dallas), so obviously have already picked it over Dallas (though in general thought Dallas was a decent place to live).
I won't bother going through each metric, but NYC takes job market, and it's not close. It's great that Dallas and Houston are growing at a much faster pace, but there are so many companies here you get hit up by different recruiters every week.
Climate I'd give to LA, and Houston would be my absolute no-fly zone here as the heat/humidity combo is borderline unlivable to me (Dallas was bad enough there). The others would be 'fine'.
The deciding factor was access to easy city-break weekend trips, which would tip NYC for me as we have (and regularly take advantage of) many cool areas 1-3 hours by car away, from beach to mountains. This was one of our deciding factors for leaving Dallas, not much else interesting around it outside of Austin.
On the contrary, I find the great difficulty of getting out of NYC (for a short trip or any other purpose) a major downside of NYC. It might be the only large city on the planet that (now after the final demise of the privately owned Airporter) does not have a direct bus or train between the center of the city/main train stations, and the airport (any NYC airport). It is very cumbersome to get to the airport by anything other than an expensive cab. Amtrak hardly ever runs on time, and it takes literally hours to get out of NYC when driving.
Despite the famous traffic snarls and road rage, it is far easier to get out of LA by any transportation method.
For local transportation, NYC has a much larger public transportation network, but out of all that I use only one express bus (and city buses function about the same in NYC and LA). The subway is nearly non-existent in LA, but nowadays too potentially deadly in NYC, so I can't say I have any use for it in either city.
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