6 ms·

Lived in NYC (Manhattan and Brooklyn) five years, experienced highs and lows, started a business, closed one, took a traditional job and contract jobs, so I saw

Lived in NYC (Manhattan and Brooklyn) five years, experienced highs and lows, started a business, closed one, took a traditional job and contract jobs, so I saw a lot. it's extremely overrated and overhyped. Lots of good, interesting people, but also lots of pretty awful ones (usually from somewhere else). Ultimately, the quality of life is poor and even London is far more livable than New York. Edit: the rapid downvotes show how fragile the egos of New Yorkers are, this was always something I knew... really can't handle being told New York isn't the greatest place in the world!

o_____________o 7y ago
> pretty awful [people] (usually from somewhere else). This is a strange assertion. What do you mean by this? Are you regurgitating the standard complaint about (white, midwest) transplants? From what I've seen over the years, most of the hyper-aggressive ding dongs are braying and bleating with thick, native NY/NJ accents.
- cylinder 7y ago
  No, I'm not. I'm more referring to the money-chaser Type As who come from around the world to hustle there, and yes I'd count NJ as somewhere else, as well as Long Island.
  - moogleii 7y ago
    One of the things I love about NYC is how diverse it is both in people and industry. I don’t really know many finance types (at least assuming they are how they’re stereotyped); my social cross section seems to be tech, education, art, and law, so I guess I managed to miss that part of your experience. Otherwise, my experience has largely been the opposite. I’ve worked with expats from Japan and Europe, and most of them love it here. Most of the Japanese folks actually chose to bypass the West coast entirely, having never been there, and came straight to NYC. One described it as “the future” in terms of diversity. But yeah, it’s a big city, and I see shitty behavior all the time, so I’m not surprised by your experience.
- kevml 7y ago
  You reinforce an unconstructive comment with another?
jhatemyjob 7y ago
Would you recommend someone live there for a year or two? Kinda tired of the bay area
- cylinder 7y ago
  Personally I'd rather experience living somewhere in Europe for a year or two. See if you can pull that off. Certainly no harm done living in NYC for two years especially if you come with a job lined up. It will definitely make you a bit more street smart and more adaptable, I think. As far as settling down permanently and raising a family, nope. One good thing is that living in NYC, for the first time I didn't feel like a minority. It's so different to most of the rest of the US. There is no majority "in charge" of the place. I think that was an important experience for me. I don't regret living there, but I wish I left sooner. Edit: if your career is, and always will be, extremely important to you, and you have a good position with lots of potential to move up, and you are workaholic type, you will probably love it.
  - jhatemyjob 7y ago
    I lived in Oakland (and commuted into SF for work) for a year and a half so I feel like I'm pretty street smart as it is What's the draw of Europe? Personally I don't think I'd like being a foreigner and not having any friends there. Might be cool to visit for a month or two but 2 years is kinda.... stretching it? At least in NYC its still in the states
eatonphil 7y ago
I've lived/worked here for two years now. I moved (and stayed) for three reasons: 1) Top-tier companies to work for (second only to SF) 2) Top-tier arts/culture/park systems (second to none) 3) Wife is Korean and this is the place she's felt most safe walking alone on the street in the US (having previously lived in the Philly suburbs, Philly, and LA). 3b) Extremely multi-cultural and accepting. "Accepting" as in no one cares about anyone, which can be paradoxically nice. (second to none) We couldn't find a city that improved on these trade-offs elsewhere in the US. Actually we've had a hard time finding places with better trade-offs anywhere else in the world (Toronto is a good candidate). But I want to work outside North America sometime. We pay for it in the insane rents.

o_____________o 7y ago

> pretty awful [people] (usually from somewhere else). This is a strange assertion. What do you mean by this? Are you regurgitating the standard complaint about (white, midwest) transplants? From what I've seen over the years, most of the hyper-aggressive ding dongs are braying and bleating with thick, native NY/NJ accents.

cylinder 7y ago
No, I'm not. I'm more referring to the money-chaser Type As who come from around the world to hustle there, and yes I'd count NJ as somewhere else, as well as Long Island.
- moogleii 7y ago
  One of the things I love about NYC is how diverse it is both in people and industry. I don’t really know many finance types (at least assuming they are how they’re stereotyped); my social cross section seems to be tech, education, art, and law, so I guess I managed to miss that part of your experience. Otherwise, my experience has largely been the opposite. I’ve worked with expats from Japan and Europe, and most of them love it here. Most of the Japanese folks actually chose to bypass the West coast entirely, having never been there, and came straight to NYC. One described it as “the future” in terms of diversity. But yeah, it’s a big city, and I see shitty behavior all the time, so I’m not surprised by your experience.
kevml 7y ago
You reinforce an unconstructive comment with another?

jhatemyjob 7y ago

Would you recommend someone live there for a year or two? Kinda tired of the bay area

cylinder 7y ago
Personally I'd rather experience living somewhere in Europe for a year or two. See if you can pull that off. Certainly no harm done living in NYC for two years especially if you come with a job lined up. It will definitely make you a bit more street smart and more adaptable, I think. As far as settling down permanently and raising a family, nope. One good thing is that living in NYC, for the first time I didn't feel like a minority. It's so different to most of the rest of the US. There is no majority "in charge" of the place. I think that was an important experience for me. I don't regret living there, but I wish I left sooner. Edit: if your career is, and always will be, extremely important to you, and you have a good position with lots of potential to move up, and you are workaholic type, you will probably love it.
- jhatemyjob 7y ago
  I lived in Oakland (and commuted into SF for work) for a year and a half so I feel like I'm pretty street smart as it is What's the draw of Europe? Personally I don't think I'd like being a foreigner and not having any friends there. Might be cool to visit for a month or two but 2 years is kinda.... stretching it? At least in NYC its still in the states

eatonphil 7y ago

I've lived/worked here for two years now. I moved (and stayed) for three reasons: 1) Top-tier companies to work for (second only to SF) 2) Top-tier arts/culture/park systems (second to none) 3) Wife is Korean and this is the place she's felt most safe walking alone on the street in the US (having previously lived in the Philly suburbs, Philly, and LA). 3b) Extremely multi-cultural and accepting. "Accepting" as in no one cares about anyone, which can be paradoxically nice. (second to none) We couldn't find a city that improved on these trade-offs elsewhere in the US. Actually we've had a hard time finding places with better trade-offs anywhere else in the world (Toronto is a good candidate). But I want to work outside North America sometime. We pay for it in the insane rents.