Is living in NYC worth the cost for somebody who doesn't like nightlife?
So I have just finished school and have been offered a few jobs. Most are in NYC, some in Boston, and a couple in Chicago. I know a lot of people on this forum recommend living in NYC for the first few years of one's career, but then advise moving out so one can save money. The issue for me is that I don't care for nightlife in general, so perhaps it would be best for me to just live in Chicago as that is less expensive than NYC. I don't enjoy clubbing and only have about two to four drinks a week. On the other hand, I don't have ambitions to own a house so it is not as if I need to save up a lot of money.
Are there any advantages to living in NYC that I ought to consider? My highest priority in living in a city is public transport, as I do not have a car. My worry with Chicago is that it is apparently very crime-ridden relative to NYC, and I am unsure if the transport is as convenient.
Thank you for the reply.
My main interests are museums, cinemas, restaurants, cafes, symphonies, and libraries. I usually hang out at these places during the day on weekends. On weeknights, I usually go to bed at around 9pm.
I know Chicago has a great art museum and a symphony orchestra. I wouldn't know much about cinemas or restaurants. I am not surprised to hear that Chicago is not as diverse as NYC; hardly anywhere besides London is.
Lived in Chicago for a few years, some thoughts below on the City and some of the points that you brought up. I've not lived in NYC so not trying to compare it but rather give you my perspective on Chicago as an option for you.
- Culturally there are a ton of neighborhoods, fantastic food and plenty of culture to go around. You can look around at various areas - there's a lot of influence in Chicago from the many immigrants who've been migrated there in the last 150 years. It also, equally, has that 'midwestern' vibe in many places - where it's basically a lot of people from fly over states or corporate workers who come in and out constantly. Comedy clubs, tons of really cool Jazz and music spots, various museums, etc. Many of the 'traveling' events also make a stop in Chicago - it's certainly not Broadway, but you won't lack for things to do.
- Since you brought up clubbing, not as much of a club culture here. That said, it is a pretty 'hard' drinking city - as it gets cold as hell, even compared to NYC or the northeast. Again there are plenty of things to do that don't involve clubbing, drinking or going but just an observation. Food is delicious and there is no shortage of amazing restaurants to spend your hard earned money. There's world class food here - it's not Eleven Madison or Le Bernardin but if that's your barometer, well, you aren't in my stratosphere!
- Crime in Chicago is exactly as you'd find in any major city. The difference is that there are really, really bad parts like the south and west sides that have been absurdly violent for decades. That crime, unfortunately, is filtering further into the city - the West Loop, Wicker Park, West Town are all seeing 'more' of it and it roughly stops towards the loop. Prices have adjusted accordingly, IMO, to that where you are seeing rents and prices come down - plenty of other factors, but it's just the reality. The leadership of the city and state are atrocious. Candidly though as someone who lives here, the perception of crime is worse than reality - don't put yourself in bad situations. Be mindful of what is going on and importantly choose where you live appropriately.
- Networking in Chicago is not going to match that of NYC for finance. There isn't much that does. That said there is still an investment community and despite Kenny G. leaving still plenty of jobs out here. Plenty of ways to get involved to build a network. Another observation here is that the 'networks' tend to be biased to the Midwest and less east coast centric - so it can be challenging, speaking honestly here, to really ingratiate yourself in the city. It's not impossible but can take a bit of time to do so.
- On transportation - the 'L' as we call it get's a lot of crap, but it does a good job of connecting the City. You have access from all the various neighborhoods and depending on where you live both airports with reasonable lead times. Everything leads into the Loop which is the primary business district. Multiple different lines - blue goes to O'hare, orange to Midway - so both airports covered. Traffic is a nightmare so don't bother at rush hour to not take the train.
+1 .... came here to say this exactly
I can't speak for recent events post-COVID - I've only been back to NYC 2-3 times after it all opened back up. These were short trips and I never really made it out of FiDi so I'm sure I'm not getting an accurate picture.
HOWEVER, I've just never gotten the 'dirty' aspect of NYC that many of my friends say. None of these friends have ever lived there, they may go every once in a while. I grew up in Queens in the 1990s, then transplanted out to Scarsdale. The demographic of people at my high school was largely made up of cushy bubble kids, so if they called the city 'dirty' then I could kind of see it. But, I have a lot of friends currently who still think that it's up there in terms of grime and crime rates.
Can I be honest? I think NYC is one of the cleanest and safest places to be. I shit you not - I took a trip in mid-2021 and I saw one homeless person. ONE. The whole fucking trip. I didn't stay in the little 5x5 block radius as I would for business trips either. I only left Manhattan once, but I was up and down the island the whole time. As a whole, homeless population in NY seemed to be very passive compared to other places I've been. I've had some people yell at me, I've seen people jerking off on corners, you know - ordinarily homeless person shit. But compare that to some other places that I've been to out West and it just isn't the same world. When I was in college I went to San Fran with some friends and had a dude punch the fuck out of me in my back, completely unprompted. I was confused as hell and it hurt like shit.
Now, as I mentioned, I'm not sure how accurately this comment would be depicted today. I know that homeless have gotten a lot worse recently, non-violent crime has ticked up, all that stuff. But as a kid who went to the city >500 times (not an exaggeration) growing up, I'm half-local enough to have just never felt unsafe there. Obviously, any city will be dangerous if you're out doing stupid shit at 3 am, but NY just felt different. I'm probably biased, so there's that. Go Yanks
Great answer
The idea that "nightlife" begins and ends with clubbing (or drinking) is not particularly accurate. I'm sure you have tons of interests; as a rule, NYC is going to be the best place in the world to find something to do. I think you mention downthread you like museums and symphonies - well, NYC has world class museums, world class orchestras, it has Broadway... not that Chicago doesn't have those things, but with some exceptions they'll be a half step below what you find in NYC.
I'm sure you enjoy eating - better and more diverse restaurants in NYC. While the beaches and skiing aren't world class, you're no more than 2 to 2.5 hours away from beaches and mountains. Yes, it is more expensive, but if you don't want to live in a hip neighborhood you'll easily find a living situation that isn't much more expensive than Chicago.
house music was popularized in Chicago, fyi...
All 3 cities are great and have so much culture that you can find other stuff to do every single day that doesn't involve clubbing
I hate nightlife, go out "clubbing" maybe twice a year and have nowhere near four drinks a week, and I love NYC. There is soooo much to do beyond just going out. The going out scene really starts to fade once you're a year or two out of college and people find actual hobbies. NYC has just about everything, so pretty easy to find hobbies. Also, NYC public transit is the best of those three cities - no one has cars here.
Chicago the crime isn't really a problem unless you are going into very out-of-the-way areas looking for trouble. However, the winters are brutal.
Any way you could visit each friend for a weekend and get a feel for each city?
I don't think you can go wrong with any of these, and I'd probably weight which job I liked best if I was indifferent to the city.
If your hobbies are TikTok and Netflix then yeah the city doesn't matter, but NYC has a lot to offer aside from nightlife.
I've traveled to Chicago for work and it seems safer than NYC - the crazies are contained in a part of the city that's away from the "nice parts". In NYC you can get harassed by a meth head right outside your office lol.
I want to give a warning about NYC, and that crime has gotten much worse in the city (statistics reflect this), and the number of unhinged people has grown. If the current political regime remains the same, it will only get worse.
NYC is a lot more than just a nightlife. I actually prefer cluibs/lounges in Brooklyn much much more than clubs in nyc.
Brooklyn is in NYC.
Yes, and that little slip up should tell you a lot about trusting this idiot's opinion on crime or anything else. If you don't even know that Brooklyn is part of NYC, your opinion on anything else related to the city is basically immediately invalid.
Manhattan, no. If you work in the city, get an apartment in the boroughs instead.
For example: Brooklyn/Queens, LIC if you work midtown or Williamsburg if you work in FiDi. So many other things to do than just nightlife. Amazing food (I truly believe majority of Manhattan restaurants are very overrated and you can get better options in neighboring boroughs), fun social clubs to join (adult sports leagues and unique fitness gyms out there in the boroughs), and just hanging out at the quieter lounges/bars (vs. Manhattan, all the 'great spots' are too well known at this point and get very crowded on weekends). Places near Manhattan like Williamsburg, BK are foodie heaven and there are underrated towns in Queens that also have amazing food (Bayside although this is not an easy trip from Manhattan, more of a popular spot with Queen/LI locals).
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