Thanks for the thoughtful response.

Having read it, I will only add that friendships are generally superficial in virtually every large city – be it New York, London, Dubai or anywhere else in the world.

Most people (and hence the use of the world general) come to major cities to make money, so virtually everything they do is motivated by that – friendship included.

1. Filth/Garbage – I don’t agree with you here, have you been to the Bronx and Brooklyn, even Queens, heck even Chinatown in Manhattan? In my view, it is just as dirty (and smellier) as some parts of London, and in fact the best parts of London (Mayfair, Belgravia, Knightsbridge and South Ken) is a lot cleaner than the best parts of NYC (Upper East Side, West Village).

2. Customer Service – I kind of agree with you and I kind of not… lol. I notice that in New York, either you will find really really nice waitresses/bartenders/shop assistants or you can also find the really really rude, “don’t waste my time” variety. It’s a city of extremes. In London, I find that most people are just apathetic and polite at best, they are neither rude or super friendly, though I have to say I can complain a lot more in London if the customer service sucks, and they will not argue with me, whereas in NYC, they will.

3. People friendliness – I believe that the people in New York are, in the beginning, really really friendly, and the people in London are a lot more reserved in that sense, yes, however friendships in New York are very superficial, it’s more like a meet and greet situation, whereas in London, if you do manage to strike up a conversation or friendship, you end up keeping in touch more than the friends you supposedly made in New York. Of course there are exceptions to the rules, and this is only my personal experience. I think it is a lot easier to make small talks in New York than in London.

4. Rowdy Kids – I agree with you about the rowdy kids in London, but if you have ever been to the other boroughs, you will notice more rowdy kids there too, though not on the level of the ones in London. In a more sinister dark twist however, a lot of the kids in ghetto New York areas engage in crime, especially in the South Bronx or deeper in Brooklyn. I suppose it is the same in London in the more ghetto areas, but with that said, I don’t think alcohol is as much of a problem in New York than it is in London. I have seen a lot more drunk youth in London walking outside a pub than I have in New York, but then again I mostly hang out in Manhattan!

5. Fascination Factor – I’ve always found the London architecture a lot more beautiful than the New York architecture. I was not so impressed with New York per se, but that is largely because of my taste. I love gothic revival architecture, and most of the other Victorian ones. I like the rows of terrace or townhouses in London. I love the fact that there seems to be a garden square in a lot of the places too, I think it is beautiful. In New York, there is no such thing. There are public parks alright, an of course there is Central Park, but it is nowhere near the greenery that London offers. I do agree with you however how imposing the skyscrapers are in New York, especially if you cross the street and stand in the middle of the road, looking down. It’s just like in the movies… but then again you also have to remember that New York has been featured in the movies and in TV series far more than London has, so any fascination for me largely stems from the thought of “It’s like being in a movie”. I always thought London looked a lot better in real life than in the movies, and New York is the other way around, but again that is just me! I think it is just a matter of taste.

6. Food – Hmmm, this is a tough one I find. I personally am not so fond of the Chinese food they have here in New York, and not so impressed with the east asian cuisine here either, but I guess I have already acquired a very British taste and got used to how they do things back in London, having moved to England when I was 15. However, I do disagree about the diversity. London has as much food diversity as New York has, but the problem is, it’s a lot more spread out than in NYC. The major food streets and areas in New York are in a more concentrated area (East Village, West Village, 9th Avenue on Midtown West, Williamsburg, etc), giving me the illusion sometimes that I have a lot more options. In London, the good restaurants from every country (and yes you do find them) are more spread out, some even outside of zone 1. I think more than anything, in London, you have to travel further to find gems of food diversity, but I would not say it is lot less diverse.

7. Mayor (Now Bloomberg vs Johnson)

I love them both, Bloomberg is a humble billionaire and Johnson is what I would consider is a progressive. I think they are both pretty cool , but I do really like Boris Johnson with his messy hair and all, having met him in person briefly during a street opening. Having said that, I did not care much for Livingstone back then though.

8. Corporate Experience – I can’t speak much for this but, as I have just had a the University experience (and not so much on the New York end) and if this is true, I would definitely move to NYC permanently and for other reasons I will explain later . I think though it is a lot easier here to get to speak to the higher ups than it is in London, where there seems to be more a divide? I am not sure, to be honest.

9. Price – Considering this article was written 3 years ago, sadly this isn’t true anymore. With the weakening of the £, you will find that you would need to spend as much here as you would in London. The transport is still a tad cheaper in New York though. I find that a typical decent dinner out for two here would cost you $55 on average cause of the tips as well, whereas it costs about £35 in London, so I say it’s about the same nowadays. I sometimes even find New York to be more expensive on occasion. The grocery also seems a bit more expensive here (if you compare Whole Foods to Waitrose).

10. I’d like to add another criteria, and that is “Sense of Belonging”. I think New York wins here by far, and that is also one of the reasons why I would prefer to stay here permanently than to move back to London. In London, people always assume you can’t possibly be British if you aren’t white, or if you don’t have a British sounding name. In New York, people tend to assume you are American no matter what skin colour or name you have, and sometimes even get surprised that you aren’t one when you tell them you’ve just moved from London! I like to be able to walk on the street without being branded as a “filthy immigrant taking our jobs”. There are still traces of racism in both cities, but in London, there is the added “immigrantism” which makes me very very uncomfortable and it makes me feel like I can never ever belong. I would understand the issue with illegal immigrants, but British people like to complain a lot more even about the legal migrants. I personally would like to feel like I belong somewhere, and London just does not seem to have the heart to truly embrace anyone who is not of the English persuasion. Until this idea that only people of certain colour or ancestry may be truly be British is eliminated out of the British psyche, then yes, London can never be New York.

But I am with you. I guess even if I view New York as smellier, dirtier, more dangerous, sometimes more rude, superficial friendships, and the food is not as amazing as I would like it to be, I would still choose it over London simply because of the last reason I’ve just stated.

Cheers =D

Perhaps. The argument has never been about the philosophy behind comparing new york with london. Truth is, all citizens have their egos, and without a doubt, london is a dump compared to new york.

Now, as for whether you should compare NY to Tokyo or Hong Kong. Perhaps, but I haven’t lived there to engage in such a debate.

The London vs New York thread has provided some surprises, peoples perceptions of the cities change, but is it really the debate to be having? Shouldn’t we be comparing NY to HK, or Tokyo?

http://sleepny.lefora.com/2009/07/08/london-v-new-york/