| Back to Home > Bulletin Board > O/T Off Topic > Topic: LA vs. NY |
Topic: LA vs. NY
| Author | Message |
| mad fingers | Posted – 5/1/2008 2:42:42 PM | show profile Aw, just go to Dublin If it doesn't work out, you can always come home. |
| reporterwriter | Posted – 5/2/2008 3:19:16 AM | show profile Visiting SF is one thing; living there is a whole 'nother proposition. |
| Nikongirl | Posted – 5/2/2008 11:06:14 AM | show profile Sue Ellen What would you do with the husband if Bleak were to decide to move to Chicago? Just wonderin' |
| astrahook | Posted – 5/2/2008 11:07:44 AM | show profile ny is really past its prime..there are still pockets of the individuality and character that made it what it is, but its really generica for the most part. That or the playground of the ultrarich...may as well goto la and get a decent apartment and some breathing room. |
| chucho | Posted – 5/2/2008 1:21:31 PM | show profile NY vs SF Who was it that said one should not live in NYC long enough to become too hard or SF long enough to become too soft? I find the "usual suspect cities" to be great cities for different and similar reasons, all worthy places to live, but people I have met who have devoted their lives to these places become "bubble" people. They often gravitate toward a kind of super-annoying provincialism compounded with a kind of cultural "keeping up with the Joneses" neuroticism. Eventually one must get out and be among less pretentious people just to keep it real. I think this is why young people tend to gravitate to cities like this but when they become "uncool" (usually because they've acquired a spouse and have children on the way and want more living space) they decide to move out and become the next generation of fly-over families that the new generation of young, shiny/happy people make fun of. But at least the food and movies are better in cities like NYC/LA/SF than in Overland Park, Kansas. |
| chucho | Posted – 5/2/2008 1:26:42 PM | show profile PS: I exempt native-born people in these cities from my characterizations. If you're native NYer or native SFer or native LAer, you get leeway because that is your culture and you aren't moving there to emulate what you know about what it means to live in those places. |
| Louisewasnothalfbad | Posted – 5/2/2008 2:32:00 PM | show profile I think it's interesting you'd dismiss DC so quickly--as well as other smaller cities. Both LA and NYC are great, but you've got to earn better than decent money to have a good life and to take part in all the things that make either city so attractive. What about Seattle or Austin or Boston or Baltimore or Atlanta? |
| sue ellen mischke | Posted – 5/2/2008 3:02:19 PM | show profile I would hang out and be bleak with Bleak on late Sunday nights. That's all. Husband wouldn't mind. |
| Bleak Spouse | Posted – 5/2/2008 3:43:27 PM | show profile I've lived just outside DC in Takoma Park and can't stand DC or the outskirts. I mean really can't stand it to the point that I've got friends and family in the area that I won't visit because I don't want to be near that area. And by family I mean mother, sister, neices, nephews. They're all dead to me until they move to a better city. |
| Homer | Posted – 5/2/2008 5:15:37 PM | show profile What line of work are you in? Would that make a difference, i.e., job prospects? |
| Bleak Spouse | Posted – 5/2/2008 7:15:29 PM | show profile i'm a news editor. |
| voracious reader | Posted – 5/2/2008 7:31:37 PM | show profile Bleak - I'm a little late to the party here, but what do you mean when you say you want your family to move because the area is terrible? Do you not want to travel through the area to get to your family or is there an issue regarding being with your family? Believe me, my mother and my sister and her family all live in Florida and I'm happy for them. I don't think the state is big enough for my mother and me to both live there. My sister, a former New Yorker, lives there for more than thirty-five years and has become the most laid back person. New York frightens her because of the fast pace. Quite frankly, I don't know why you would be interested in moving to the west coast since you enjoy taking trips to Europe. Wouldn't that really crimp you and leave you jet lagged and make you think twice before taking a sojourn to Europe? I've had family move to LA and presently have a nephew and his family moving permanently to Portland, Oregon. I think most of my family that have uprooted themselves have been quite happy with their lives where ever they settled. I agree with the other posters who said it isn't necessary to know people being a criterion for moving to a place, that is unless you're moving for love. Other than that, I think you should be asking yourself are you moving to find happiness or opportunities. If you're looking to move to find happiness, I'd say, "Stay put" or "Head to Dublin!" If you're looking for opportunites, then interview on both coasts, and then decide which offer is better. My guess, New York and it's closer proximity to Europe will offer you the more opportunites. And as far as real estate prices are concerned, my son bought a closet in Manhattan two years ago and is the happiest camper on the island. You'd be surprised, but if you keep an open mind, there are places to live that are affordable. And remember, no matter how small your apartment is, you're still a short drive to JFK Airport. :) |
| voracious reader | Posted – 5/2/2008 7:46:39 PM | show profile Bleak - I forgot to mention one more thing, I'm partial to New York because I am a native New Yorker. Likewise, my children all chose universities in the Mid West because they wanted to get a feel for living outside of New York. So far, the oldest two have committed themselves, at least for now, to staying here. I'm not sure my youngest will have opportunites here when he graduates and I'll be happy for him if he choses to relocate. I also have to say that you don't have to pay $3k to live in New York. I know people, including my son, who pay alot less. Good Luck Bleak. And if you decide to settle in New York, I'd love to have your company to tour the great architecture of the city, visit a museum or head to a book store to meet an author with you. |
| Bleak Spouse | Posted – 5/2/2008 8:26:00 PM | show profile thanks voracious. |
| pamelabeth | Posted – 5/2/2008 9:25:18 PM | show profile of course, bleak! we in nyc will be glad to have you. but my feeling from some of your past posts is that you didn't want to be here; and since i've been having so many doubts lately myself, i was hesitant to push it. if you are here even to visit, you must say hi. i go out to hear authors read all the time. you and v. and i can go together. |
| sue ellen mischke | Posted – 5/2/2008 9:30:39 PM | show profile Bleak needs to go to Dublin for his woman. I would like to see him shack up, actually. |
| Bleak Spouse | Posted – 5/3/2008 12:13:40 AM | show profile sue: i agree that i need to get back to ireland. it's by far where i feel most at home. and it used to be my home. i just got to figure out how to get back. |
| voracious reader | Posted – 5/3/2008 9:32:12 AM | show profile HEY PB... Wouldn't it be hilarious if we already met at a author reading...and didn't know it?? :) |
| Homer | Posted – 5/4/2008 12:01:44 AM | show profile I didn't realize you used to live in Ireland. By any chance, are your parents or grandparents from there? If so, apparently you can easily get a living and working visa. That, at least, should lift some of the barriers about moving there. And hell, if you're a news editor, why can't you easily get a job over there doing that? One thing, though, that has not been mentioned: would your lass welcome you? I imagine you've thought long and hard about that. Hence the hesitancy... |
| Bleak Spouse | Posted – 5/4/2008 8:46:47 AM | show profile homer: even though i am irish neither of my parents or grandparents were born in ireland so i wouldn't be legal. and i wouldn't be moving there for a girl, but because i like living there. any hesitancy i have is because of how difficult it is to get a good job there, not being legal (applying from the states, etc.) |
| Printingman | Posted – 5/4/2008 10:06:47 AM | show profile | email poster In LA when they say have a nice day, they mean go fuck yourself. In NYC when they say go fuck yourself they mean have a nice day. |
| wineaux | Posted – 5/4/2008 2:35:00 PM | show profile That is so funny and true, P man. My cyber picture of your persona (if it is a true picture of who you really are) is that of an SF man, Bleak. My brother in law is from Ireland, and he lived there for years and had a huge network of Irish friends and was extremely happy there. And, I notice there are a great deal of Irish transplants there. There's a decent amount of print work in the city and it's outskirts, too, despite it's small size. I didn't have much of an issue getting work, and meaningful work that I enjoyed at that. If you have to stay in the states, I think SF would be a good fit for you. I can't even picture you in L.A. I think your head may explode the first time you inquire about where a bookstore is and some dizzy blond gives you a quizzical look and rolls her eyes, saying, "Ugh...people don't really read here. Really." Or, she points you to a magazine rack full of Us and People magazines. Sorry, I know that was a horrible cliched view of LA, but I'm entitled. I grew up there and escaped fairly recently. In truth, there are lots of great people and things to do in LA, but I'm guessing you'd find a great deal of the people that dwell there to be tiresome, at best. NYC would be my second choice for you. You'll certainly have more than enough choices in great neighborhoods, cool stuff to do, people with similiar interests and people with a biting sense of humor that you would appreciate. |
| Bleak Spouse | Posted – 5/4/2008 11:59:30 PM | show profile Thanks wine. It sounds like you know these places well, and you're likely right. I'm going to visit LA for the first time in July so I'll find out if it's right for me (certainly doesn't sound like it). |
| reporterwriter | Posted – 5/5/2008 2:16:44 AM | show profile Oh, yes. We're all empty airheads here, utterly shallow nitwits. The entire freakin' goddamn metro area is all botoxed and lipo'd for 60 miles in all directions, so your kids may not come out as perfect as you expect. But you can always make them perfect afterward. Nobody here holds an ordinary job, because we're all in entertainment, writing screenplays and perfecting air kisses in front of a mirror. Sure, we built libraries, theaters, galleries, museums, universities, think tanks and laboratories, but only as movie sets. Yes! That's because, in this wonderful place, we don't need brains! If you want a brain, you can rent one or order it online in a color to match your spring wardrobe. Don't take the tag off, and keep it clean, so you can return it when you're done. Read? You mean, like, books or what? C'mon, can't we discuss something cultural, like what's No. 1 at the box or whether it's really OK to wear Uggs at the beach? |
| wineaux | Posted – 5/5/2008 2:38:44 AM | show profile Lighten up, Frances. No one is saying LA is a wasteland devoid of culture, brains and substance. There's too much money for the whole city to be a neon emblazoned strip mall. And, the scenario I wrote about the girl saying people don't read in So Cal actually happened in front of me last time I was over there. Which I found hilarious. No matter where the location, when someone says something like that with conviction, it's funny. |
