i feel bad for anyone who doesnt live in LA (Los Angeles: big house, college)

[NOLA101]

Originally Posted by mbell75

Thats because driving in NY is near impossible, everyone takes the subway. So you just admitted LA is better for pretty much everything that matters to most people lol.

Because NYC has good transit, and LA doesn't, this means, that I "admitted LA is better for pretty much everything that matters to most people lol"

I had no idea that "most people" were committed to having ****-poor transit used only by poors, and that this was a mark of a progressive city. I had no idea that people actively avoided cities with functioning transit. I guess this is why no one visits places like Paris and NYC, and why people flock to Oklahoma City and Bakersfield. The things one learns on C-D!

[radiolibre99]

Originally Posted by Taajsgpm

Far from it ,the USA in total is overrated, try to travel and open your mind

What other countries would you recommend that make the US look overrated? I'm always shocked when I meet Europeans or Aussies and they say they prefer the US. My French and Italian friends say there's no work and crime is pretty high in Paris. A Norwegian girl told me Norway is a perfect county but utterly boring by comparison. One Aussie told me US universities were better than back home.

I haven't met any Canadians yet and all the Brits on tv rave about America and the opportunities here.

[PDF]

Originally Posted by Taajsgpm

Far from it ,the USA in total is overrated, try to travel and open your mind

I have spent time living abroad! I love traveling.

[PDF]

Originally Posted by radiolibre99

PDF, why was LA not for you? What didn't you like about it?

I can't think of a specific reason. I think it had more to do with myself and what my personal situation was at the time. So I ended up leaving LA to go travel and live in other countries.

I lived a 15-minute walk from work in LA, can't beat that. That's probably what most people in LA dream of. I was actually back in LA for a week in early-January, and really liked it after being away for quite a bit.

I could probably go move back to LA and be happier there than I was last time, but I know I won't be doing that at least for now. I have appreciated some things about LA since I left. Like anyone else, there were things to hate about LA as well as love.

I know I'll definitely be spending some time in LA in the future, just most likely not living there. But you never know.

[seain dublin]

Originally Posted by TheDouxLife

I'm from Miami and can't say that I envy anyone living in LA! This sounds like its coming from someone who just moved to LA from a really dull place.

And who envies someone living in Miami or Florida in general? About 8 months of the year it is too miserable to be outside. You're a prisoner of air conditioning most of the time.

[pwright1]

Originally Posted by mapmd

I feel bad for anyone who is living in LA, but to each their own I guess.

I'm glad you're there and not anywhere else cluttering up space around us salt-of-the-earth type "folks". We have enough ex-Californians, though I'll admit that people I've met from NorCal in my lifetime tend to be fairly well adjusted. Can't say the same about SoCalites, there's something mentally wrong with the majority of yas!

So you enjoy paying 13.3% state income tax on top of your 33% Federal?
I'll bet you also enjoy paying people to not work for a living.

'Sides whatever are you going to do when the flow of the Colorado can no longer support your "needs" down in southern Califstan?

I'm sorry but if I had the choice between Los Angeles and Anne Arundel County Maryland, I would not have to even think about it for a second. Besides Annapolis I can't think of one place that is interesting to visit, let alone live.

[MordinSolus]

Originally Posted by TheDouxLife

I'm from Miami and can't say that I envy anyone living in LA! This sounds like its coming from someone who just moved to LA from a really dull place.

Miami is a gross city. Not only because it's in Florida, it's just generally dingy, smelly, feels lawless at night, and you can't go 10 minutes without being bothered by scam artists and random low lives. I would never live in Florida but after the panhandle Miami would be my last choice of Florida locales.

[dustin183]

Originally Posted by Mr. Zero

The wealthy and the poor will always lead different lives, but I have no idea why you're singling out NYC. I don't know how much time you've spent there, or in what context, but I grew up lower-middle class in NYC and never felt like a second-class citizen. I still had access to the best education, world-class culture and some incredible opportunities.

If anything, NYC is probably the city where the worlds of the wealthy and the poor overlap the most. Tom Hanks rides the subway alongside social workers, janitors and teachers . At schools like Hunter High School and Suyvesant, the children of bank VPs sit in class next to the children of immigrant restaurant workers. Instead of pockets of wealth isolated in their own cities, you have subsidized housing sitting a couple of blocks away from buildings with million-dollar apartments.

Now, I live in a pretty affluent part of LA, where the only minorities on my block are my family and the neighbor across the street (who's in the NBA). Our schools are great, but the median home price is $1.9 million. The only time someone might interact with the working-class, or lower-middle class might be the checkout guy at Ralph's, the landscaper, the nanny, etc. If NYC is a place where two different worlds exist, then you have to say the same about LA.

Fair points man. It is tough to live in any big city on a low wage.
But in LA, one can get a one-bedroom apt for say $1200/mo, while a similar place in NYC would be $3000/m. My friend in NYC pays $2.5k/mo and has a tiny studio apt, of not great quality. So I think NYC is just way overpriced... probably more so today than ever.
Obviously the subway system is much better there. Great point.
Also - the food and drinks seem much higher in NYC. To keep a fairly low cost of living one has to really go to the outskirts of the burroughs it seems. Whereas in LA there seem to be more pockets of affordable housing.
The nightlife/club scene here (LA) obviously has a big amount of "it's who you know"... so perhaps I am being biased since I live in LA and know more people here! lol

[dustin183]

Originally Posted by NOLA101

That's absurd. NYC an easy place to live with little money, much easier than LA. You don't need a car, everything besides real estate is cheaper than in LA, and there are tons of cheap living options. You can get a share situation close to a subway stop for just a few hundred dollars monthly. If you're flat out poor you aren't paying market rents anyways, because NYC is quasi-socialist when it comes to programs for the poor, and is basically like Europe, with subsidized everything for poor.

I lived in Manhattan making 50k and lived much better than when I lived in Orange County making 150k. I didn't need two cars, I didn't need a mortgage, didn't need home maintenance costs, etc. NYC is actually great for low income earners, because pretty much all you need is money for rent, food and a metrocard.

And the rich and poor mix MUCH easier there. I had seen Katie Holmes and Spike Lee on the subway; saw Bjork at a house party in Bushwick; good luck seeing an LA celebrity riding the bus down Pico or hanging out in Boyle Heights.

LA is much better for weather, scenery, and living a suburban lifestyle. But NYC is better for almost everything else, IMO.

Hmm.... but when did you live there? Tons of cheap living options? not today. it's sooo overpriced.
You can get a new condo in downtown LA for $750/sf, in NYC it would be $1500/sf. And NYC is just all about being a shark. In LA you can walk outside your door and it puts a smile on your face. Am I right?

I agree there is much more mixing there. LA is quite segregated (across many demographics).

[Mr. Zero]

Originally Posted by dustin183

Fair points man. It is tough to live in any big city on a low wage.
But in LA, one can get a one-bedroom apt for say $1200/mo, while a similar place in NYC would be $3000/m. My friend in NYC pays $2.5k/mo and has a tiny studio apt, of not great quality. So I think NYC is just way overpriced... probably more so today than ever.
Obviously the subway system is much better there. Great point.
Also - the food and drinks seem much higher in NYC. To keep a fairly low cost of living one has to really go to the outskirts of the burroughs it seems. Whereas in LA there seem to be more pockets of affordable housing.
The nightlife/club scene here (LA) obviously has a big amount of "it's who you know"... so perhaps I am being biased since I live in LA and know more people here! lol

Did you spend any time in the outer boroughs? Your posts seem pretty Manhattan-centric, which is the most expensive part of NY.