Is London or New York a more attractive place to live?

Guest   Thu Sep 04, 2008 1:28 pm GMT
Equally being English-speaking and diverse, is London or New York a more attractive place to live?
Guest   Thu Sep 04, 2008 2:02 pm GMT
Depends on what kind of accent you want. I would recommend London--British accents are so cute and upper class sounding. Most people aren't all that fond of the New York accent. London is very historical--lots of old buildings and things to see, New York is less so. Another consideration is the weather. London wins hands down on the weather: it has a nice, cool, mild climate almost exactly like Seattle (although it's an Oceanic, rather than a sub-Mediterranean climate), however it has no summer drought like Seattle (which makes the summers slightly muggy occasionally--but nothing like NY), but it makes up for it by not having as rainy a winter. New York on the other hand has extremely hot, muggy, humid summers, and bitterly cold, snowy winters. However Spring and Fall can be a little nicer. They also get a lot more rain and snow than London, however they rain much, much harder--but less frequently.
Super Korean   Thu Sep 04, 2008 3:32 pm GMT
Both are amazing cities! I personally think New Yorkers are more easygoing and open-minded than Londoners though. Londoners tend to be more gentle and reserved from my personal experience. By the way, the two cities are not equally diverse; London does not have that many East Asians(besides Chinese), Central Asians(like Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Armenians), Hispanic/Latinos. New York literally has people from all over the world!

I have to say London does NOT have better weather. Of course, London does not have extreme weathers but it can be even more brutal and unpredicable than NYC sometimes. High winds, sudden shower, bitter cold in the summer etc. At least, in New York, you have a pretty good idea when it's coming.

Besides, I prefer having four distinctive seasons just like NYC or Seoul(where I am from). I love the changing weather because I can enjoy water sports in the summer and skiing or snowboarding in the winter. I can't imagine living in the place that rarely snows even in the winter.

I'm not a big fan of a typical New York accent though. I love the Seattle accent!!
Guest   Thu Sep 04, 2008 3:41 pm GMT
>> I love the Seattle accent!! <<

Seattle doesn`t have an accent.
Guest   Thu Sep 04, 2008 4:29 pm GMT
<<and bitterly cold, snowy winters.>>

Most years, snow isn't all that common in NYC and some years it hardly gets below 15-20F. 0F in NYC is rare these days. Factor in global warming, and winters will pretty much disappear in New York City in a few years. Even where I am (well North of NYC), snow is not excessive -- only twice in 20+ years did I see it reach eye level in my front yard.

<<I can't imagine living in the place that rarely snows even in the winter.>>

If you're looking for snow in New York [state], you'd probably find the Tug Hill plateau, or even the western Adirondacks more to your liking. You might find some of the Lake Ontario snowbelt areas (like Redfield NY) appealing, too. I don't know how cosmopolitan and multicultural these areas are, though.
Guest   Thu Sep 04, 2008 5:14 pm GMT
<<Seattle doesn`t have an accent.>>

Yes it does! Everyone has an American accent there.

<<If you're looking for snow in New York [state]>>

There's a New York State?!? I think we are talking about the city.
Guest   Thu Sep 04, 2008 5:20 pm GMT
>> Most years, snow isn't all that common in NYC and some years it hardly gets below 15-20F. <<

Compared to a place like London or Seattle, that is bitterly cold and snowy.

Here are the averages:

London:
July: 73 high; 57 low; 1.49in rain
Dec: 48 high; 37 low; 2.13in rain
London has 23 inches of rain year round, and very little snowfall, although I can't find the average amount.

Seattle:
July: 77 high; 55 low; 0.80in rain
Dec: 46 high; 35 low; 5.50in rain
Seattle has 37 inches of rain year round, and 13 inches of snow.

New York:
July: 84 high; 69 low; 4.63in rain
Dec: 43 high; 32 low; 3.95in rain
NY has 46 inches of rain year round and 25 inches of snow.
Guest   Thu Sep 04, 2008 6:03 pm GMT
Wow Seattle only gets 0.8 inches of rain in July? That's trippy. No wonder it's not humid in the summer.
Guest   Thu Sep 04, 2008 7:17 pm GMT
West Coast of USA has pseudo mediterranean climate.
Guest   Thu Sep 04, 2008 7:44 pm GMT
Seattle is one the rainiest US cities.
Unless you're an umbrella maniac, I would avoid it.
Also, it has the US city with the highest prevalence of depression and suicide.
And the accent is flat and boring, even SoCal accent is better.
Guest   Thu Sep 04, 2008 7:58 pm GMT
>> And the accent is flat and boring <<

Wouldn't that make it the ideal place to learn a neutral sounding accent?

>> Seattle is one the rainiest US cities. Unless you're an umbrella maniac, I would avoid it. <<

Cloudiest, perhaps. But I doubt it's one of the rainiest. Almost all of the East coast and Southern cities are rainier.
Guest   Fri Sep 05, 2008 3:25 am GMT
Besides weather condition, what about other things?
Guest   Fri Sep 05, 2008 5:13 am GMT
New York wins hands down for culture.
Guest   Fri Sep 05, 2008 6:48 am GMT
<<New York wins hands down for culture. >>
Would the above guest elaborate on that point a little bit?
Uriel   Fri Sep 05, 2008 7:02 am GMT
<<West Coast of USA has pseudo mediterranean climate.>>

Only up to Northern California. Once you hit the Cascades, it turns into temperate rainforest, from coastal Oregon all the way up to southern Alaska. Much wetter, with very lush vegetation, heavy forest, etc. Much of California, by contrast, is dominated by chaparral -- arid grassland. Totally different climate and landscape.

I've never been to NYC (although I spent five years in upstate NY as a kid); I can't really say that I've ever wanted to visit, either. I've been to London, though -- very pretty. Very white, though, as Super Korean points out -- "cosmopolitan" mainly seems to mean "people from all over Europe". I saw a few blacks and Middle Easterners and Asians (and as an American, when I say "Asian" I mean East Asian).

For a European city I have to admit it was very racially diverse (as was Paris), but had it been an American city, it would not have been. Granted, the same could be said for Seoul and Tokyo....especially if you discounted all the American military people living in (or near) both.