NYC

Is New York an overrated location for post grad? Disregarding career growth and opportunities, what makes NYC a more desirable place than Austin or Nashville? Why do people love NYC so much?

18 Comments
 

Based on the highest ranked content on WSO, here's what you need to know about why people love NYC and what makes it desirable beyond career growth and opportunities:

Desirability of NYC:

  1. Vibrant Lifestyle:

    • Endless Activities: There's always something to do, whether it's a new restaurant, lounge, bar, or sports event. The city has an unparalleled energy.
    • Cultural Hub: NYC is a melting pot of cultures, offering diverse experiences in food, art, and entertainment.
  2. Prestige and Ambition:

    • Intellectual Capital: The city attracts a pool of intellectual and ambitious individuals, making it a hub for high achievers.
    • Cultural Significance: NYC is often romanticized in movies and media, adding to its allure.
  3. Social Scene:

    • Better Social Opportunities: More people, better-looking individuals, and a more vibrant social scene compared to smaller cities.
    • Networking: The city offers better exposure to high finance and other prestigious industries.

Comparison with Austin and Nashville:

  1. Variety and Quality:

    • More Things Going On: NYC offers a wider variety of high-quality restaurants, bars, and cultural activities compared to Austin or Nashville.
    • Better Shopping: The shopping experience in NYC is often considered superior.
  2. Energy and Ambition:

    • Unique Energy: The city's energy is unique and unmatched by smaller cities like Austin or Nashville.
    • Ambitious Environment: NYC is seen as a place where ambitious people thrive, wanting to jump into an ocean rather than lounge in a pond.

Criticisms and Challenges:

  1. Cost of Living:

    • High Expenses: The cost of living, including rent and taxes, is significantly higher in NYC.
    • Financial Strain: Many people feel financially strained due to the high cost of living, which can wear off the novelty of the city over time.
  2. Quality of Life:

    • Space and Comfort: Finding a decent place to live with good schools can be challenging and expensive.
    • Weather: The harsh winters can be a downside for many residents.

In summary, while NYC offers a vibrant lifestyle, cultural richness, and unparalleled social and professional opportunities, it comes with high costs and challenges that can make it less appealing over time.

Sources: Why would anyone willingly choose to live in NYC / SF / CHI?, Why would anyone willingly choose to live in NYC / SF / CHI?, Why You Should Leave NYC After Your Analyst Stint, Why You Should Leave NYC After Your Analyst Stint, NEW YORK is OVERRATED

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 
Most Helpful

I have a basketball analogy: If you’re a pro basketball player, there are a ton of great leagues to play in. The Euroleague is great, Chinese pro ball is prosperous, and countless other leagues exist. At the end of the day, however, everyone knows that the NBA is the biggest, brightest pro basketball league out there.

 

My theory is its walkability and it being more similar to European/Asian cities in terms of urban layout. For 95% of Americans the idea to walk a few minutes to a coffee shop or restaurant is completely novel until they visit NYC or take a trip to a major European city. There are some other US cities with walkable elements like Boston, Chicago, but they become very suburban, car-centric outside the core. While a lot of European cities do urban planning better than NYC, many Americans don't have the opportunity to work there either due to visa or language barrier, so they stick to NYC.

 

Not comparing them per se, more so trying to understand why NYC is held in so much higher regard.

 

Job availability also factors in here. If you want to do IB, majority of the seats are in New York and you are going to struggle to do it in Austin or Nashville - there are jobs but they are much smaller firms, and they usually don't recruit people who don't have some sort of personal ties to the area. The big BBs/EBs do not run IB out of those cities. There's IB/PE in Houston, but it's oil and gas and not the most desirable city to live in.

Even PE, you can work at pretty much any MF in New York. In those cities you are again limited to a handful of firms and they are likely to be smaller. Nothing wrong with that, but someone aiming at top-tier IB/PE jobs just has the most options in NY.

 

Food scene is unmatched. Social scene is great if you’re into going out (most other US cities will not have bars/clubs popping on a weekday). Dating scene is a whole other beast, but I would say I still think it’s better than other cities due to how diversity/sheer number of individuals. Also it’s just a cultural hub with a lot going on and still houses most of the biggest finance jobs/companies.

Obviously it’s expensive as fuck, crowded, sometimes dirty/dangerous, but overall I’d take it over any T2/T3 city.

 

I've lived in Miami, San Francisco, and now New York. Nothing compares to living in NYC. Anything you can imagine doing, you can do here. I've met incredible people, too. I imagine staying here for at least another 10 years. 

That being said, I do yearn for some peace and quiet sometimes. I do think about uprooting my banking career and moving to Savannah or Hilton Head or something. 

 

Can you elaborate on the “anything you can imagine, you can do here”? I’d imagine in terms of activities or restaurants Miami and New York don’t vary immensely.

 

Any type of food from anywhere in the world you can get in NYC ranging from casual to fine dining.
Wine bars, cocktail bars, rooftop bars, dive bars, breweries, wineries nearby.
Run clubs, ping pong clubs, pool clubs, boxing clubs, axe throwing, etc.
Picnics in the park, museums, night clubs, day clubs, historic buildings and architecture, modern architecture.
Professional sports, amateur sports, sport leagues for any sport you can think of.
Broadway, theater, musicals, concerts, huge festivals, small jazz clubs.
Comedy clubs, magic shows, haunted houses, golf, mini golf, golf simulators.
The beach (Jersey, Hamptons, Connecticut, Rhode Island even).
Boating, sailing, painting, art, hiking, cycling, shopping, cooking., 
Finance, law, healthcare, public servitude, tech.,

Literally anything else - you can find in NYC or close by

 

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