Living in San Diego or New York?? (Los Angeles: job market, theatre)

[Emma81]

Hello Folks,
I come from France and have decided to move to the US for a couple of years to work in research. I found two amazing jobs, one in la Jolla and the other in NY. It is really hard for me to come up with a decision as a foreigner.
I was impressed by San Diego but I have the feeling it is highly possible to be bored after a while if you loose interest in the outdoor and ocean-based activities. I wonder if the cultural life is good. What about concerts, happenings, night life? The proximity of the ocean attracts me a lot but I heard the water is rather cold. Is this true?
Regarding NYC, the city offers lots of possibilities in term of cultural events and things to do such as cool nightlife. It seems very exciting. But I come from a small village and I am used to a continuous contact with nature, going hiking from time to time. I don't know if I can take this urban environment 7 days a week. Are there possibilities to be quickly in the wildlife with public transportation?
Also, does NYC gets really cold in winter? SD really attracts me because of the weather. But I like NYC also because it is closer to go back to Europe, thing that I will have to do pretty often. I wonder if the jetlag and the long trip makes a big difference from SD to NY when you need to go to Europe.
And in NYC I don't need a car whereas it seems absolutely necessary in SD. This is my conflict, how to make my american dream the best experience ever? Sunny california versus Big Apple? thank you for giving me some advice!!
Emma

[sandiegogolfer]

Originally Posted by Emma81

Hello Folks,
I come from France and have decided to move to the US for a couple of years to work in research. I found two amazing jobs, one in la Jolla and the other in NY. It is really hard for me to come up with a decision as a foreigner.
I was impressed by San Diego but I have the feeling it is highly possible to be bored after a while if you loose interest in the outdoor and ocean-based activities. I wonder if the cultural life is good. What about concerts, happenings, night life? The proximity of the ocean attracts me a lot but I heard the water is rather cold. Is this true?
Regarding NYC, the city offers lots of possibilities in term of cultural events and things to do such as cool nightlife. It seems very exciting. But I come from a small village and I am used to a continuous contact with nature, going hiking from time to time. I don't know if I can take this urban environment 7 days a week. Are there possibilities to be quickly in the wildlife with public transportation?
Also, does NYC gets really cold in winter? SD really attracts me because of the weather. But I like NYC also because it is closer to go back to Europe, thing that I will have to do pretty often. I wonder if the jetlag and the long trip makes a big difference from SD to NY when you need to go to Europe.
And in NYC I don't need a car whereas it seems absolutely necessary in SD. This is my conflict, how to make my american dream the best experience ever? Sunny california versus Big Apple? thank you for giving me some advice!!
Emma

Well that is a decision isn't it?

I think if you lived in San Diego you would find enough culture for you and there is always LA if you need a bigger fix. There is theatre, opera, museums, etc. in San Diego and the weather is FAR better than NYC.

I lived in NY for over 20 years and it has a lot of things going for it but for every day living I would choose San Diego.

You can always take a vacation to NYC to get your big city fix.

There is not much hiking at all in NYC unless you go to central park, to get to the mountains you would need a car.

So San Diego and LA will offer you enough culture, excellent weather, hiking areas, and a more relaxed attitude and culture. Only drawback is you need a car but with a car you can travel easily and explore a lot of great areas.

NYC has culture, horrible weather in the winter and summer, no need for a car but you are still stuck in a big city to get out you need a car there also but it will be extremely expensive to have.

Live in San Diego and go to LA occasionally for the culture.

Take a vacation to NYC.

Best of both worlds.

[SEAandATL]

^ I agree. Being close to Los Angeles gives San Diego an advantage, plus the better weather. San Diego is a good size city and has some culture, but you can always go to L.A. Plus you can go hiking in the mountains just 45 minutes away, and of course you have the beaches. The ocean can be cold most of the year, but in the summer you can swim without a wetsuit, and it feels good on a hot day.

[PHItoLAX]

Having lived in an east coast big city for most of my life, and having been to NYC several times, I think going from a small village in France to NYC will be extremely overwhelming. Not to say that San Diego isn't a big city without the issues of one, of course, but I think you will be much happier in SD over NYC, especially if it is just for a few years.

[limaman]

What kind of research? This would make big difference in your future job prospects.
What are the salaries? Use a calculator to compare true cost of living.
I would suggest to make a list with the pros and cons.
You are comparing apples to oranges.
Good luck with your decision.

[bond1978]

Originally Posted by Emma81

Hello Folks,
I come from France and have decided to move to the US for a couple of years to work in research. I found two amazing jobs, one in la Jolla and the other in NY. It is really hard for me to come up with a decision as a foreigner.
I was impressed by San Diego but I have the feeling it is highly possible to be bored after a while if you loose interest in the outdoor and ocean-based activities. I wonder if the cultural life is good. What about concerts, happenings, night life? The proximity of the ocean attracts me a lot but I heard the water is rather cold. Is this true?
Regarding NYC, the city offers lots of possibilities in term of cultural events and things to do such as cool nightlife. It seems very exciting. But I come from a small village and I am used to a continuous contact with nature, going hiking from time to time. I don't know if I can take this urban environment 7 days a week. Are there possibilities to be quickly in the wildlife with public transportation?
Also, does NYC gets really cold in winter? SD really attracts me because of the weather. But I like NYC also because it is closer to go back to Europe, thing that I will have to do pretty often. I wonder if the jetlag and the long trip makes a big difference from SD to NY when you need to go to Europe.
And in NYC I don't need a car whereas it seems absolutely necessary in SD. This is my conflict, how to make my american dream the best experience ever? Sunny california versus Big Apple? thank you for giving me some advice!!
Emma

NYC is so much more exciting and I would try NYC first because must be lived to be experienced. San Diego's job market is not great and the housing costs their has risen dramatically over the years. The winters in New York are not nearly as cold as New England.

[mlarsen23]

San Diego is a nice place to live. NYC is one if the world's great cities. The cultural life in San Diego is not even a pale shadow of New York's. New York is hot in the summer, cold in the winter, dirty, smelly, stressful, expensive, but is also the cultural capital of the US, and has more than any place else in the US in terms of concerts, museums, theatre, food, nightlife and generally just about any aspect of urban living. The city is chock full of smart, ambitious, striving people. There is no easy access to the outdoors without a car from NYC, but Central Park is huge and beautiful and a great place to go for a walk. There is public transportation out to Long Island where there are decent beaches.

In comparison, San Diego is a pleasant, slightly sleepy city that feels smaller than it is. You can indeed make the drive to LA, but even though LA is close it is still 2-3 hours away by car. As often as not you will experience soul crushing traffic for at least part of the time on your way to or driving around LA.

Some of it depends on your stage of life. For someone who is young, no family and not really really really into the outdoors and ocean sports, and is only planning on being in the US for a couple years, I would say definitely go to NYC. If you are older, maybe with a young family or something, then I'd recommend San Diego. Both cities are fairly expensive, although San Diego is cheaper overall than NYC. If you are really not going to be making much money, than you might be better off in SD. NYC is not a great place to be poor.

i guess I think of it like this: New York = Paris, San Diego = Cannes (maybe). If I was going to live in France for just a couple years, I'd probably pick Paris over Cannes.

[Chava61]

Originally Posted by Emma81

Regarding NYC, the city offers lots of possibilities in term of cultural events and things to do such as cool nightlife. It seems very exciting. But I come from a small village and I am used to a continuous contact with nature, going hiking from time to time. I don't know if I can take this urban environment 7 days a week. Are there possibilities to be quickly in the wildlife with public transportation?
Emma

You can be in contact with nature as much as you like in NYC. In Manhattan you have Central Park, in the Bronx you have the Bronx Botanical Gardens & the large Bronx Zoo and in Brooklyn the slightly smaller Brooklyn Botanical Gardens. You have smaller villages just a short train ride away on the local commuter trains such as the LIRR (Long Island Railroad), Metro North & NJ Transit. The public transportation in the Northeast region of the USA is very good.

[thepinksquid]

Originally Posted by bond1978

NYC is so much more exciting and I would try NYC first because must be lived to be experienced. San Diego's job market is not great and the housing costs their has risen dramatically over the years. The winters in New York are not nearly as cold as New England.

Considering it's been over a year since the OP created this thread... I'm thinking they've decided by now.

[user8159]

Emma81, let us know which way you went!