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Living in New York

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  1. #11

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    You'd have to consider crime as well which is significantly higher in NYC though likely mitigated by the area you choose to live in and general lifestyle choices.


  2. #12

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    Quote Originally Posted by tf19:
    American attitude can of course get a bit of getting used to but I would argue that New Yorkers are far more polite when it comes to social interactions with strangers such as holding the door open, orderly queuing, helping out strangers, giving directions, making small talk, etc.

    Some of the downsides that I can think of - people walk very fast but are also more spatially aware of their surroundings. The culture, while very international, is much more homogeneous so tolerance for outside cultures is probably less. Americans in general are much more confrontational and likely to speak out if you've somehow crossed them.
    I was initially thinking that the only problem with New York are all the Americans! But thinking about it, I'd rather deal with honest confrontation than the passive aggressive bullshit that is pervasive here. And yeah, the spacial awareness thing. Such a huge difference.
    Mrs. Jones and huja like this.

  3. #13

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    Space, clean air, excellent free schools, quality and size of housing, much cheaper living costs, extensive nature, superior shopping & restaurants, much friendlier genuine people in general and democracy......hell ya I’d grab the opportunity with both hands and feet.


  4. #14

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    I'd say to move to New York - would be a nice opportunity. Only negatives about the US are guns, confrontational people, you also have the passive aggressive people who aim to stab you in the back, the nosy neighbors and colleagues always in your business - not really a problem if you like to gossip. You have to be careful what you say - they will turn it around and cause trouble. Then there are taxes and crappy expensive healthcare - make sure you have a solid health plan or forget about it. There's also the entitlement and tipping culture which I don't like - but Americans like it so again might not be a problem for you.

    marshy104 likes this.

  5. #15
    Quote Originally Posted by Mrs. Jones:
    Space, clean air, excellent free schools, quality and size of housing, much cheaper living costs, extensive nature, superior shopping & restaurants, much friendlier genuine people in general and democracy......hell ya I’d grab the opportunity with both hands and feet.
    Excellent free schools? Really?
    MABinPengChau likes this.

  6. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by MandM!:
    I'd say to move to New York - would be a nice opportunity. Only negatives about the US are guns, confrontational people, you also have the passive aggressive people who aim to stab you in the back, the nosy neighbors and colleagues always in your business - not really a problem if you like to gossip. You have to be careful what you say - they will turn it around and cause trouble. Then there are taxes and crappy expensive healthcare - make sure you have a solid health plan or forget about it. There's also the entitlement and tipping culture which I don't like - but Americans like it so again might not be a problem for you.
    #1 reason for leaving the US for us: health care costs.
    MABinPengChau likes this.

  7. #17

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    Born on Long Island and worked there for a bit after law school...pretty much everywhere else I have lived has seemed less confrontational ("what are YOU looking at?!) than NY. Schools, well, I went to a crap high school but still went to a very good college so I guess it was good enough.

    I don't think things like grocery shopping are that easy in Manhattan, here in HK there are lots of full-sized grocery stores, those are fewer and far-between in NYC. Food is great but eating out is more expensive than in Hong Kong where there are many more low-budget options (nothing like the cooked-food section of the wet market in NYC).

    Having to drive (far) to get to places can be quite annoying and all three airports that serve NYC suck in their own idiosyncratic and special ways.

    So, like any place, good and bad points...I think work hours in NYC are also quite crazy with less time off than in HK (fewer public holidays, generally fewer vacation days with an expectation that you aren't really going to use all the days you have been given...). Eating at your desk because no time for lunch...I rather like going out to lunch with my coworkers in HK.

    And, yes, the health care- I was a contractor for a law firm and in my 50's so...yeah, expensive for crap coverage (about 1000 US per month, single person, no coverage until I hit 5000 or 6000 of expenses, no coverage for many expensive prescriptions that are nowhere near as expensive anywhere else on the planet- I had a drug that cost 1200 US per month- not covered- bought it from Canada for around 200 per month).

    For me, HK is the better deal but then I am older, with no kids left at home so no need to worry about school and other kid-related issues. My overall quality of life and happiness with work is off the charts compared to work life in the US. Could be the nature of legal work but I am much happier in Asia, even though I am still dealing mainly with the US Patent Office.

    YMMV.

    Also, I don't find child care to be "reasonable." Even on Long Island, back in the 90's, I paid about 600 per month for daycare- now it's well over 1000 maybe even 2000 for under 1 year old. If your partner stays at home, sure, it's fine but if you need quality daycare for two children it's a big chunk of money. Again, if the salary is worth it, not a problem...always a tradeoff between locations.

    Kowloon Goon, jgl, shri and 3 others like this.

  8. #18

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    Quote Originally Posted by Kowloon Goon:
    Excellent free schools? Really?
    Absolutely. Depends on the district, so choose wisely where you want to set up house. Harrison NY for example has some of the best schools in the country.
    Kowloon Goon likes this.

  9. #19

    Childcare in LA and Orange Co is currently 2,000 USD for decent facilities. Hard to imagine NYC being cheaper than that.

    MABinPengChau likes this.

  10. #20

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    OP, if you have not been to NY ask your company to pay for a trip to get your own impression,
    lots of nature in upstate New York.