Thank you very much for taking the time to write such an elaborate response, comments like these are some of what makes the HN community great! >In my experien

Thank you very much for taking the time to write such an elaborate response, comments like these are some of what makes the HN community great! >In my experience, nobody (most) talked to anyone unless they knew someone ahead of time. It was a funny feeling at first, people would be sitting directly across from each other (6 feet/2 meters) - totally ignoring each others' existence. This is a norwegian city in a nutshell, so I'm really used to that. I don't really have a problem with it, until I travel to places where the locals are much more open and friendly than I am used to. >I enjoy snowboarding so that's one of my main reasons for not wanting to live there. I'm an avid skier as well, and this is probably the main reason holding me back so far. In this regard, another city which I like very much, Vancouver, BC, is obviously more suited for living. How is the tech industry there anyway? >The Bronx, Harlem, some parts of Brooklyn and Queens have bad reputations. The concierge at my hotel kept saying that we shouldn't go to some of these places unguided, but much of it seemed unfounded. Obviously I understand that there are neighborhoods that you shouldn't walk around in alone after nightfall, but to be honest Harlem, Bronx and Brooklyn where the places I felt most like home when I was there. Manhattan seems more foreign for someone coming from a city with the tallest building being 320 feet and that is a cathedral with a spire I guess. >I'm not sure how grocery stores in Norway work but NYC is nothing like I ever knew. It was tough getting to them and even then, it was often public market or corner store food. It is somewhat expensive. Wholesale stores typically have better deals, if you can find one (BJs, Costco, Sam's Club, etc). I LOVED the grocery stores in NYC to be totally honest; dirt cheap in comparison to Norway and fantastic food on the whole. I would love to see what you pass as great grocery stores :) >That's it for now; if you have any questions feel free to ask me. Good luck in your travels. Thank you again for taking the time, and good luck to you too!