New York vs. London

Canada J Soup

Monkey Man
Moving from London to New York - Thoughts? Experiences?

I wanted to see what some of the posters on here had to say about living in New York vs. living in London. To those with experience of both cities, were are the comparative pros and cons? What would you miss / anticipate the most about leaving one place for the other?

I've been living in NYC for 6 years, and while I still absolutely love it here I'm finding that I'm starting to get itchy feet. I also feel that I am in something of a rut socially, creatively, and professionally (and since my US visa is tied to my job the latter of those will be difficult to break out of for at least another two years if I remain here). I'm originally from Dublin, but lived in London for a while when I was in my early 20s and loved it too so I can't imagine there'll be too great a culture shock. My girfriend (a native New Yorker who is something of an Anglophile) was on the verge of moving to London around the time I met her, and has just recently suggested that she'd like to look into it again. We both have a lot of friends in both cities and she has a European as well as a US passport so there's not a lot preventing us both from picking up sticks and relocating from the Big Apple to the Big Smoke.

Soooo, what does Dissensus think? Anyone made the move one way or the other? How different is life in London now from how it was in the mid 90s (the last time I lived there)? Will I miss NYC too much or will I feel like I got out at the right time?
 
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They are both great places to live if you have a lot of money and pretty hellish otherwise.
So depending on that.... you will find it a lot more crowded and a lot more expensive than it used to be.
There's still a lot going on though.

I've never lived in NY because they don't like giving visas to the English. It seemed expensive too in terms of property/rental but a lot cheaper for everything else. I was unable to find good parties / music in NY that didn't involve super-hip fashion people of the kind I don't get on with... London there are more people that I perceive as "genuine". But I have only spent weeks there occassionally.

On the other hand your average "person in the street" is probably more polite and helpful in NY.

Is this info/opinion any use whatsoever?
Hope so.
 

Canada J Soup

Monkey Man
I was unable to find good parties / music in NY that didn't involve super-hip fashion people of the kind I don't get on with... London there are more people that I perceive as "genuine". But I have only spent weeks there occassionally.
Good to know. Far too often my experiences at parties in NYC (with the exception of a few events like PS1 or occasional once offs in quasi-legal spaces in places like Bushwick) is that a large number of people seem to be there just to be there more than to actually have fun. Being able to hear good music in the company of crowds that aren't afraid to get their hair messed up is a big draw...one of the reasons I love going home to Dublin from time to time.

Edit: Not that there aren't plenty of genuine (and genuinely fascinating) people to be met in NYC, it's just that you're more likely to find them in some beer 'n' shots Brooklyn dive bar than at a space that has music and crowds...and miss them though I surely will, I'm starting to wonder if maybe I spend just a little too much time in beer 'n' shots Brooklyn dive bars and not enough time actually seeing / doing anything new / interesting at the weekends.
 
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Milli

New member
Tough one...

Hiya
I'm from London and lived in New York for a few years... my advice would be get a Green Card sorted out before you leave, it's just so much easier if you do decide that you miss The Big Apple - which you most definitely will!
London is a great city and there's lots to do and it's cleaner that New York, but it's smaller and can feel too small sometimes. And it's really expensive to live here and use public transport (or drive for that matter).
I would say wait a while and give yourself options - maybe see if you can take an extended vacation and visit (the paid holidays from work is definitely much better in UK)!
I've found that I ofen think of going back to New York and have visited every year since I left... still thinking about it actually... it's a connundrum.

Good luck!

M
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
"and it's cleaner that New York"
That's the second time I've read that recently. New York must be pretty dirty.

From that "New York vs. London" thing:

"The police go unarmed: In fact, it’s now common to see cops carrying assault rifles."
Is it?
 

Guybrush

Dittohead
This quote illustrates one of the problems with the main article—how they unblushingly cherry-pick the examples to make London seem zingier:
In short, New York is cardiganed Woody Allen, and London is party-dressed Lily Allen.
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
They rather stupidly talk about 'who has the best sex'. Well the only people who can influence how good your sex life is are you and whoever you happen to be having sex with - seems a bit daft to rate one city higher than another on this basis (unless they're comparing the quality of hookers/ giggolos/one-night pick-ups for the discerning sex tourist).
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
I've had a friend over visiting from London for the last week and he picked up the edition of NY Magazine with those articles on Tuesday. Been waving it in my face ever since
I wouldn't believe too much of the hype. If someone came over from New York to go to Bar Music Hall (as mentioned in the article) I think that they would be pretty disappointed.
 

petergunn

plywood violin
This quote illustrates one of the problems with the main article—how they unblushingly cherry-pick the examples to make London seem zingier:


americans have fallen for that whole myth that london is more fun and less uptight than US big cities ever since the swingin' 60's...

i like london very very much, but really it's not that different from nyc... in terms of restaurants, yeah, england has gotten much better for high end stuff, but if you want a good meal for the price of a movie ticket, i'd pick NYC every single time... cheap eats in london means a sandwhich from Boots, a dodgey chip shop, some of the worst pizza i've ever put in my mouth, or mcdonalds... in nyc, i could make a laundery list of the number of places i could stuff my face for 6 dollars or less... in fact, i just had two amazing carnitas tacos from the mexican place around the corner from me (spanish spoken only) for 2 bucks each...

for bars, nightlife, "scenes", etc, both are big enough that is probably some sort of bar, lounge, or club that caters to your individual taste, so i'd call that a draw...

but for me, the bars open til 4am and 24 subway is a huge plus for NYC...

the one thing that i think is very similar about the two cities is the huge amount of self-important douchebags that have flooded both places... london and nyc are both unrecognizable in many ways as to how they were 20 years ago... they are both filled w/ alot of new money, new buildings, and chain stores...
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
If you want a good, filling and cheap takeaway in London you need to get your arse to a proper Turkish kebab shop. Not the elephant's-leg doner, oh no - a couple of skewers of nice, juicy, lean lamb char-grilled and served in soft fresh bread with some salad and painfully hot chili sauce. Oh yes. Or falafel, if that's more your bag.

Bugger, I'm really hungry now. :(
 

petergunn

plywood violin
If you want a good, filling and cheap takeaway in London you need to get your arse to a proper Turkish kebab shop. Not the elephant's-leg doner, oh no - a couple of skewers of nice, juicy, lean lamb char-grilled and served in soft fresh bread with some salad and painfully hot chili sauce. (

a bargain at 6 pounds!

i can get the same thing down the street for 5 bucks,,, living in Queens has spoiled me for food...

i think paris is all over nyc and london kabab-wise tho... best i ever had...
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
More like four quid. Where are you paying £6 for a kebab?

Anyway, it's well established that Everything Costs More In Britain Than In America.
 

petergunn

plywood violin
More like four quid. Where are you paying £6 for a kebab?

Anyway, it's well established that Everything Costs More In Britain Than In America.

multiple places in london...

actually at most pubs, a pint of beer is cheaper in london, specially when you consider that pints are bigger there...

i love london, but the cheap eats situation there is dire...
 

Lichen

Well-known member
When I lived in the south of France there was a Kebab house that did sheesh, in a baguette that they then stuffed with chips/fries


What a marriage of cultures that was...
 

petergunn

plywood violin
Can't bars/pubs stay open as late as they like with the new licensing laws though?

not really, that's how they sold it to people, but all in did was take the ability to grant extended hours and put it the hands of local councils, very few of whom are willing to grant extended hours. so, while you find the odd pub open late, the majority still close at 11...
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
"not really, that's how they sold it to people, but all in did was take the ability to grant extended hours and put it the hands of local councils, very few of whom are willing to grant extended hours. so, while you find the odd pub open late, the majority still close at 11..."
I think it is changing for the better slowly but surely. Pubs (as distinct from bars which are open later) now tend to open later than eleven especially at weekends, not all night but usually twelve or one (in fact we were drinking until midnight last night). Things are definitely moving in the right direction, it's just some people naievely believed that suddenly everything would be open twenty-four hours a day the minute that the law changed.
I pretty much agree with you on food though, especially in central London, I don't know how they make those pizzas so horrible, they must do it deliberately. On the other hand I just had a pretty generous and very nice sandwich with grilled chorizo, brie, tomatoes and rocket for £3.90 which isn't toooo bad - nothing to write home about though and couldn't afford it every day.
When I went to New York though I remember that we would buy breakfast and it would be so huge I couldn't eat anything else for the rest of the day - and I'm a pig.
 
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