NYC Vs. London: Where Would You Rather Live?

FTA69 · 02-09-2013 02:53PM

Seaneh wrote: »

That's the higher end of the price range though, there are much cheaper options and commuting in London is a lot less hassle than in NY.

It is and it isn't like. Granted I live in Zone 2 but my colleague just told me she pays £1200 a month for her house in Stoke Newington Green. If you want to live further out you can get cheaper properties, and places in areas that are "rough" will also cost you less but you're making a big trade off with accessibility depending in how far you go out. I was paying £75 a week for a box room and I was living in Zone 5 on the very outskirts of London in a boring sh*thole.

In contrast. My cousin pays $900 for a room in a 3 bed 1 bath flat in Manhattan and still commutes for 40 minutes.

**** that.

That's £120 a week odd, which to be honest isn't too bad to be living in the centre of New York like. Also a 30-minute commute in a city like London or New York is standard and wouldn't put out most people who live there.

MonaPizza · 02-09-2013 03:46PM

Seaneh wrote: »

London.
I have friends living in NYC in well paying jobs and they either pay through the ****ing nose for rent in ****ty apartments down town or commute for about 90 minutes from Staten Island/Queens/Jersey/Upstate and either complain about the city being to expensive of their commute being too long.
New York is a great place, but **** living their.

I used to see these people and said to myself "what a life of drudgery"
My commute to Manhattan was easy enough. I walked from my house in the morning to the Long Island Railroad station. Train to Penn station was 40 minutes, then a 10 minute walk to the office in midtown. If I left work in the evening at 5:20, I could catch the 5:33 and be at the pub around the corner from my house at around 6:15 waiting for my housemates.

But I would see these poor feckers at Charlie O's in Penn Station having taken the subway up from god knows where, now they're waiting for the train out to fcuking Ronkonkoma or some kip. That'll take 90 minutes. Then the wife will collect their sorry ass from the station and drive another 10 minutes to the house. So they're home by about 9/9:30 pm just in time to have a bite to eat and go to bed because they're up again at 5am to repeat the process.

old hippy · 02-09-2013 04:29PM

tosspot15 wrote: »

I love both NYC and London.
However, after those 2011 riots, my opinion about London has changed greatly.

It was a shock to the system but London's no stranger to rioting over its long and colourful history. In a way, it brought people together. At least in my borough, where some of it took place.

02-09-2013 04:31PM

I'd have said NY for most of my life but now, I'd choose London. It's close to mainland Europe and I have a dislike for American humor and most people I meet from there whereas it's the opposite with the UK.

carlmango11 · 02-09-2013 10:35PM

MonaPizza wrote: »

It all depends. If you have some awesome job paying you 6 figures and providing you with accommodation, etc. then New York would be good. If you're going there to work in a bar then it's not so easy. I lived in New York for a few years and enjoyed it but got sick of the place. Yeah there are great restaurants, etc but how often do you really dine out? I worked in Manhattan and lived on Long Island. After a while it all becomes the same. And the amount of homelessness and poverty in New York is absolutely appalling. You witness some people that would resemble Tom Hanks in Castaway. It's expensive too if you like drinking and / or smoking. And they have retarded laws where you can't sit outside and have a beer and a smoke.
New York women are difficult too. Sure you'll get the leg over once in a while but half the time it will be with some neurotic nutcase. London women are much more down to earth. If you like British TV/Sports then be prepared to see a lot less of it and have to suffer those infernal American chat shows and their fake "news" broadcasts. If you want to want a football match you'll have to get yourself to the pub at 10 am for a 3pm GMT kickoff.
Winters in New York can be bitterly cold and Summers can be stifling.

Couldn't agree more with this. Especially re: homelessness and TV. Literally any time I leave my apartment after 9pm I get asked for money for McDonalds, food, really desperate stuff not just change for a can of cider like back home. You see them looking through bins for food its really f*cked up. And I live in a decent part of Manhattan.

And don't even get me started with the television. Ads and fake smiles.

starlit · 02-09-2013 10:50PM

Tough choice but I go with New York over London if I had to choose but I'd could go for either!

Both great cities and great for job opportunities. I've visited both for holidays but enjoyed New York more!

smurgen · 02-09-2013 11:00PM

I was in NYC for a week last year and it was my idea of hell on earth.Place is filthy & chaotic.I even stayed with some locals who showed me what are apparently the best places to eat and drink in and I still wasn't impressed.I have no idea what people see in the place,I think it's just cool to be able to say you lived or visited there.
Loved in London for six months too and found the place too big.After spending hours each week travelling the undergroundyou begin to feel like a hamster running through tubes in it's cage. Sure you could spend more money living closer to the city centre but do you really want your life to be for rent?

starlit · 02-09-2013 11:09PM

I would visit both again especially New York would love to go back! Great tourist spot and see all the sights!

Rosy Posy · 02-09-2013 11:20PM

I loved living in New York. One thing to bear in mind is that its less 'American' than other places in America, in that people tend to be less cheesy and have a more smart/slagging based sense of humour that has more in common with the Irish craic. There are loads of free things to do- gigs in the park, great museums, central park in general is a brilliant resource. I had fcuk all money when I was there and still managed to live decently. There's a lot of music and dancing and sports going on in the street which I found really vibrant.

Also for me the weather would be a draw. In the summer you're a train ride away from gorgeous beaches. In the winter you're two hours from skiing and snowboarding. It does get very hot and very cold/snowy but they're so used to it they've got it down- there can be a few feet of snow on the ground but the trains are running and the pavements are gritted. Ditto the heat can be overbearing but everywhere has a/c and there are a few community pools about if you don't mind roughing it, or private clubs if you do.

I also agree with the poster who says that you can go to London anytime under your own steam but if you're offered a job legally in NY take it!

Rosy Posy · 02-09-2013 11:20PM

smurgen wrote: »

I was in NYC for a week last year and it was my idea of hell on earth.Place is filthy & chaotic.I even stayed with some locals who showed me what are apparently the best places to eat and drink in and I still wasn't impressed.I have no idea what people see in the place,I think it's just cool to be able to say you lived or visited there.
Loved in London for six months too and found the place too big.After spending hours each week travelling the undergroundyou begin to feel like a hamster running through tubes in it's cage. Sure you could spend more money living closer to the city centre but do you really want your life to be for rent?

So you don't like cities then...

ONeill2013 · 02-09-2013 11:22PM

It it was for a long period of time i would choose London, if it wasn't permanent I would choose New York but i'd prefer the old sod over them both.

Seaneh · 02-09-2013 11:44PM

FTA69 wrote: »

That's £120 a week odd, which to be honest isn't too bad to be living in the centre of New York like. Also a 30-minute commute in a city like London or New York is standard and wouldn't put out most people who live there.

Have you ever tried to do grocery shopping in Manhattan?
If you think Ireland is expensive, try buy a box of cheerios downtown.

Frank Lee Midere · 03-09-2013 08:19AM

Rosy Posy wrote: »

So you don't like cities then...

Or he doesn't like overly big cities. Lots of people loving New York and London from a distance, people who had live in both long term often have different views.

Both of these cities are for the super rich these days. The rest are struggling.

old hippy · 03-09-2013 11:33AM

Frank Lee Midere wrote: »

Or he doesn't like overly big cities. Lots of people loving New York and London from a distance, people who had live in both long term often have different views.

Both of these cities are for the super rich these days. The rest are struggling.

I like to think I'm doing reasonably ok.

It's an odd thing, living in London. Sometimes you love it, sometimes you hate it. Like Dublin, I suppose. There's lots of things I miss about it and lots I don't

jaja321 · 03-09-2013 11:38AM

New York in a heartbeat.

iDave · 03-09-2013 11:39AM

Better sports to watch in London

General General · 03-09-2013 11:42AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMdwFkO8xA0

& let's not forget:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lqtki6I-VTY

old hippy · 03-09-2013 11:52AM

iDave wrote: »

Better sports to watch in London

Yeah, man! We had the Olympics. Ended up watching stuff I'd never be bothered with and got to attend a few events

iDave · 03-09-2013 11:53AM

old hippy wrote: »

Yeah, man! We had the Olympics. Ended up watching stuff I'd never be bothered with and got to attend a few events

Well what a meant was football/rugby > gridiron/baseball but yeah good point.

WoollyRedHat · 03-09-2013 12:31PM

In terms of limited opportunity, i.e you might not get the chance again in terms of work.. NYC seems a compelling arguement. But be tough, you got to be tough. Also the housing market over there is shambolic.

rainbow kirby · 03-09-2013 12:38PM

iDave wrote: »

Better sports to watch in London

Being able to walk home from the Emirates Stadium after the Arsenal-Fenerbahce game last week was pretty sweet

cena · 03-09-2013 12:42PM

iDave wrote: »

Better sports to watch in London

As in soccer/ rugby

Spring Onion · 03-09-2013 12:44PM

NYC is great for a holiday or a short work assignment (<3 months).
But London is a better place to live.
London is a fabulous city that never stops giving no matter how long you spend there.

Ray Palmer · 03-09-2013 01:08PM

I have never been racially abused in NY but have many times in London. I find Londoners extremely rude, aggressive, racist and generally not pleasant.

Lived and travelled to London regularly over the years but never stayed longer than 2 weeks in NY so maybe I don't know the place well enough. Although I know you can walk around at night in NY and be safe with lots of shops open.

London is by no where near as safe and things close down at night.

NY I find extremely friendly and many people have gone out of their way to help me. That included a guy I met at a concert insisting me and 4 friends went to his bar the next night where he fed and got us drunk for no other reason than he liked us.

FTA69 · 03-09-2013 01:11PM

I have never been racially abused in NY but have many times in London.

For being Irish? In fairness you're unlikely to encounter anti-Irish racism in America these days. They're far too busy hating the blacks and Mexicans.

I find Londoners extremely rude, aggressive, racist and generally not pleasant.

In fairness that exact same stereotype is commonly levelled at New Yorkers as well.

London is by no where near as safe and things close down at night.

I've never been to New York so I can't really comment but London is a reasonably safe city considering its size.

Ray Palmer · 03-09-2013 02:05PM

FTA69 wrote: »

For being Irish? In fairness you're unlikely to encounter anti-Irish racism in America these days. They're far too busy hating the blacks and Mexicans.

For being Irish, yes. Seeing them abuse each other too. Generally racist conversation in London are very common. Racial slurs are amazingly common in the UK. Never saw anything like it NY or here. If you haven't been to NY how do you know what they are saying about Mexicans or black people??

FTA69 wrote: »

In fairness that exact same stereotype is commonly levelled at New Yorkers as well. .

The difference is I have experience of it in London but never saw it in NY and found the people much friendlier. People say people in Paris are rude but I rate London way above that.

FTA69 wrote: »

I've never been to New York so I can't really comment but London is a reasonably safe city considering its size.

There is a huge difference. You can walk around late at night in NY no problem. Walk around London at the same time at night and you will have to deal with masses of drunk aggressive people. You don't get that in NY. London closes at around 3am and it is difficult to get a bottle of water after that. Dublin has much more places that stay open at night than London.

paddy147 · 03-09-2013 02:08PM

London...at least they dont harp on about their 7/7 bombings every bleeding hour of the day and day of the week.

All the 9/11 shows back on the TV this week.

uch · 03-09-2013 02:30PM

Neither, they're both shítholes

keithclancy · 03-09-2013 02:33PM

New York is awesome to visit but wouldn't live there.

Everyone calling me SIIRRRRR would drive me nuts.

cena · 03-09-2013 02:35PM

I would love to live in new york to be nearer to family

NYC Vs. London: Where Would You Rather Live?

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