Thursday, January 3, 2013

London vs New York


I've loved living with Jon in London for the past few years, but it's beyond exciting that Jon will be moving to Washington, DC after our wedding - well, eventually, considering how long the visa process will take.  However, Jon's allowed me to share a secret with you: although he's really excited to live in the States, DC wasn't his first choice of city.  He looks forward making our life there, he assures me, but, above anywhere else in America, Jon dreams of moving to NYC.  (San Francisco actually ties NYC for first place in Jon's mind, but we agreed to stay on the East Coast for now, so let's just focus on that, shall we?)

If either of us had found an amazing job offer in New York, we definitely would have considered it.  But I have a lot of history there: my parents both grew up in Manhattan, my maternal grandparents still live on the Upper East Side after 30+ years on the Upper West side and my father's mother lived in Chelsea from 1960 until her death last year, and I went to Columbia for my undergraduate degree.  I love New York and always have considered myself an honorary New Yorker - but it would take a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to convince me to live there again.  Basically, I don't think that we can afford the quality or style of life we would want in Manhattan. (Plus, although this is still quite a while away, I don't want to raise a family in the city.)

Jon's trying to understand what I mean when I explain all this to him.  He really is, and he's a hero for appreciating that Washington is my home and, after three years of living across an ocean, I want to be near my family.  (Also, I'm just starting a great new job there!)  But I'm not entirely sure anyone who fantasizes about being a New Yorker will ever understand its challenges until s/he lives there.  I've shown Jon this infographic from One Fine Stay to try to help clear things up a bit...


I'd love to find (or create) something like this that incorporates info about DC so we can throw those details into the mix.  But what do you think, pond-hoppers?  Which would be your dream city - and why?

15 comments:

  1. Ooh love this infographic - I always find them really interesting and well designed. Am surprised that London has a higher place to live than NYC!

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  2. That's a tough question for me because I have always dreamed of living SO MANY different places. Especially before I met Thomas! So for now I'll just have to say that I'm not sure yet. So happy that you're going to be living in DC for awhile! xo, eliza

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  3. La Chapstick FanatiqueJanuary 3, 2013 at 8:20 AM

    i really really love DC! but bordeaux has a special place in my heart for obvious reasons.


    http://lachapstickfanatique.blogspot.com

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  4. I love both London and NY and could see myself living in either. My family are from near London and I spent a summer in NY.



    But I also love Philly and Glasgow and the cost of living in those two is slightly cheaper. Who knows where we will all end up? I'm sure Jon will fall in love with DC.

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  5. I completely understand what you mean. I spent 5 (glorious!) years in New York when I was younger and absolutely loved it. But now that I am in my late twenties, I wouldn't live there again. Too expensive, too polluted, too noisy. I want other things from life that I simply would not be able to afford in NYC. In some ways, I feel the same way about London (where I also spent another 5 years), but much less so because of the plethora of greenery, easy access to the countryside and travel in general, etc. If I had to move back to either NYC or London, I'd choose London. As for my dream city... not sure where that is! I think it might be a tie between Paris and Buenos Aires for now. So I guess I am lucky for living in both! :-D But who knows, New York was my dream city when I was 16; maybe this will change again in a few years' time.

    x Milsters

    (http://www.littlepiecesoflight.com/)

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  6. What a great info graph. I'm actually considering a move to DC ( I would love NYC but too spendy), Seattle, SF or Portland. I'm a west coast girl but exploring the east would be fun for me.

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  7. BLUE DOOR! I'm obsessed. I've always wanted a colorful door.


    Love all the detail here!! It's all so interesting to see the differences and also to see they aren't that different after all. I'd love to see one of these with Scotland and how it compares to the states.

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  8. Ah - this is very interesting! I can't say I blame Jon for not picking DC as his first choice to live in the US, but I think he'll grow to like it quite a bit!

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  9. I always said that if I had to live in the USA, I'd live in San Fran!

    I wouldn't move to NYC. But I would probably never move to London, either. My favorite part of the city is probably leaving it. I think both are amazing to visit though!!

    (I haven't been to DC since I was 10 on a school trip...... I definitely need to go back now that I'm older!!)

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  10. I love NYC, but I definitely couldn't live there. I need my space! haha

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  11. How cool! I've only been to NYC once but I loved it. I want to go back! I can't believe that I didn't know that you went to Columbia. I had no idea!

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  12. I LOVE big cities--but only to visit. The cost and the transportation typically do me in. I did live in Chicago for a few years so I do have a little bit of experience with it. If I had my choice (I am a midwestern girl after all), I would live in Indianapolis. I lived there for two years and LOVED every minute of it. Unfortunately it doesn't have a career opportunity for my husband (professor of forestry) so we won't be moving back any time soon. I think I could live in DC though!

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  13. I've never been to New York, but I am dying to go! I love the thrill of being in a big city, although I'm not sure how I would react if I were to actually live in one for an extended period of time. that's something to find out in the future, hopefully. :)

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  14. I would love to live in either NYC, London, or Paris!! DC is so much tho!

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  15. NYC is where I really, really want to live too. I think since I was born there, it will always have a little piece of my heart. But DC is not too shabby at all, definitely not :)

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