# Do people ever decide to leave New York? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 5, 2003, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-ever-decide-to-leave-new-york/159162 "2003-03-05T03:07:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![SlowMindThinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@SlowMindThinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlowMindThinking)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-ever-decide-to-leave-new-york/159162/61 "2003-03-06T22:21:29Z")
> [@](#): > > I think one other thing many people aren’t aware of is that a mere 30 mins outside of NYC will find you in spectacular countryside, or if you head the other direction, the beach. If the best that can be said for a city is that you can leave quickly, then … > [@](#): > > Best of both worlds? You’ve got it backwards. The best of both worlds is to live rural/small town and visit cities! 🙂 Actually, I believe one should live where you enjoy the most, and visit what you enjoy somewhat less. For example, I have a 10 minute commute by car. I pay $1100 a month for a 2700 sq ft home with .37 acres. I am a two mile run, scenic run from park with spectacular rock formations, a similar distance from a similar sized park through which I can mountain bike, or run, for a commute and it is right outside my office building, a short drive from Pikes Peak, etc. You get the picture. I can probably afford to attend more Broadway plays than most NYC, because it is so much cheaper to live here, I could just fly and stay in a nice hotel for less than the cost of living difference, and I’ve got way more time. > [@](#): > > 40 miles on Saturdays I would love see how well they will do in the NYC Marathon. Look up the US marathon trials, CO placed more people than any state other than CA. Some of my friends did quite well. But, not the guys that do a 40 mile run. They run on trails, because it is fun. Running on pavement/sidewalks is not as fun, safe, or healthy. (Trail runners rarely get sore knees. Running down Pikes Peak during the Pikes Peak, an 8000 foot drop over 12.7 miles, does not bother my knees. 1 mile on concrete does. > [@](#): > > When you are done with your exercise can you go to a major sporting event? :dubious: I can catch the Broncos and the Aves. Outside of the Eagles and Flyers what other world class sporting events are there? What do you do for world class sports? 😕 Museums - DC has my vote, although I fondly remember the NY Natural History Museum. Countryside? Upper NY is gorgeous. PA is pretty. CO is spectacular. What would I look at near NYC? I do miss the beach - even the Jersey shore has nice beaches. But a few other cities have them too. I understand there are cities in CA, HI, and FA. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2003, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-ever-decide-to-leave-new-york/159162/62 "2003-03-06T23:28:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NYR407 \* > \*\* > When you are done with your exercise can you go to a major sporting event? Broadway show? countless museums? Fine dining from all over the world? the Beach? The country side? etc etc etc? Most within a short 30 min walk or subway/car ride away. \*\* I live in a No. Calif suburb, and my answers are yes, yes, yes, yes, yes and yes, etc (and our countryside is prettier than yours. Don’t recall ever seeing any Ansel Adams collections of NY photos…). The downside though is that all Broadway shows and museum tours begin in the East and move West–but we get them eventually. And how many Broadway shows did you see last year, anyway? And we have no snow in the winter, and 30% humidity in the summer. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SlowMindThinking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@SlowMindThinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlowMindThinking)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-ever-decide-to-leave-new-york/159162/63 "2003-03-07T00:13:00Z")
> [@](#): > > 30% humidity in the summer How do you stand it? Do towels still work in such high humidity? 🙂 Unlike you, we don’t have the shore, but we get snow in winter! (Of course, we have someplace to put it, and it melts off the roads very quickly, we mostly drive to play in it, and it doesn’t turn various colors of dirt, like the heavy NYC stuff.) ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-ever-decide-to-leave-new-york/159162/64 "2003-03-07T00:45:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Balduran \* > \*\*Happily I can say it wears off. Next time you’re there **Crafter** , try and do something fun, I’ll bet NYC won’t seem so terrible after that. \*\* I admit I was overwhelmed by everything… i.e. the traffic, the people, the congestion. But I’m not sure if I could ever get used to it. I hate going to _Cincinnati_ fer cryingoutloud! And NYC was 10 times worse. And I’ll have to go back in a month. Grrr… Um, perhaps an NYC doper could attempt to reform me by showing me around next time I’m there? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-ever-decide-to-leave-new-york/159162/65 "2003-03-07T00:47:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LolaCocaCola \* > \*\*Soooo…what do people do in St. Paris, Ohio? I mean between contemplating suicide and watching Days of Our Lives?😉 \*\* Just raccoon hunting and hay-baling! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-ever-decide-to-leave-new-york/159162/66 "2003-03-07T02:25:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jsc1953 \* > I live in a No. Calif suburb, and my answers are yes, yes, yes, yes, yes and yes, etc (and our countryside is prettier than yours. Don’t recall ever seeing any Ansel Adams collections of NY photos…). The downside though is that all **Broadway shows** and museum tours begin in the East and move West–but we get them eventually. And how many Broadway shows did you see last year, anyway? > > And we have no snow in the winter, and 30% humidity in the summer. 🙂 Hey, i love San Francisco as much as anyone, but the only shows i know of that play on Broadway are the strip clubs of North Beach. Oh, i see…you meant those big musical-type things like “Rent.” 😃 :d&r: ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-ever-decide-to-leave-new-york/159162/67 "2003-03-07T03:54:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by msmith537 \* > \*\*…I liked Boston but after a couple of years I was sick of hanging out with 100,000 identical fratguys and dumpy college girls, all who think their family came over on the Mayflower, while drinking in some Irish pub (the Sausage in Hand was my favorite). \*\* I had to respond to this. Just so you know where I am coming from, I was born in NYC (Manhattan), as was pretty much my entire extended family. I lived in the city until I was 7; my parents moved us out to the outer burbs/rural area in the early 1970s. This was in response to a perceived decrease in the quality of life in the city-too much crime, bad schools, etc. As an adult I have lived in the Greater Boston Area for the last 16 years. I make fun of Boston all the time, but I have to say…the college girls for the most part aren’t dumpy. Why, I have been surreptitiously checking them out…er, admiring their beauty for years. Spring will be here soon, and they will be out along the banks of the Charles, excercising their young lithe forms, with their lustrous hair flowing… Excuse me. I was in a cozy place. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-ever-decide-to-leave-new-york/159162/68 "2003-03-07T04:00:44Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by SlowMindThinking \* > \*\* > What do you do for world class sports? :confuse_\* Dude: Yankees? Mets? Rangers? Knicks? Major Tennis Tournaments in Queens? 😕 😕 😕 ---
**Author:** ![av8rmike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/edb3f5/32.png) [@av8rmike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/av8rmike)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-ever-decide-to-leave-new-york/159162/69 "2003-03-07T19:34:02Z")
**SlowMindThinking** is apparently slowly thinking of Philadelphia, not New York. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-ever-decide-to-leave-new-york/159162/70 "2003-03-07T20:00:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mhendo \* > \*\*Hey, i love San Francisco as much as anyone, but the only shows i know of that play on Broadway are the strip clubs of North Beach. > > Oh, i see…you meant those big musical-type things like “Rent.” > > 😃 > > :d&r: \*\* OK, I’ll admit that saying I have access to Broadway shows was a bit of a stretch. That’s one for NYC…and a dozen on the other side of the ledger. And how many New Yorkers live there because of Broadway anyway? ---
**Author:** ![NYR407](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@NYR407](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NYR407)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2003, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-ever-decide-to-leave-new-york/159162/71 "2003-03-07T21:28:30Z")
You are forgiven \*\*jsc1953 \*\* and the only people I know who specifically live here because of the Broadway shows are the people that work on them. 🙂 Just for the record I wasn’t bashing or comparing NYC with any of the other big cities but what **SlowMindThinking** was saying. He summed it up by saying that NYC is an ugly place with nothing to do. I was comparing where he lived compared to NYC. I think he has issues with us and our BEAUTIFUIL city with more things to do than he can possibly imagine. Lets see my weekend agenda: Tonight Rangers game vs Philly (maybe that is why he confused them?) Saturday: Dinner/drinks in Manhattan with friends Sunday: I’ll be going to the Matisee/Picasso exhibit at MOMA QNS. Can’t say that in CO can ya? FYI for the country folk, MOMA is the Museum of Modern Art temporarily located in Long Island City (Queens). ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2003, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-ever-decide-to-leave-new-york/159162/72 "2003-03-08T05:19:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Crafter\_Man \* > To make a long story short, my boss and I had to go to JFK Airport to gather data for the study. We stayed in Philadelphia and drove to NYC for the day. Driving across the bridge to Staten Island was like **descending into hell**. I felt “trapped” as we were traveling around Brooklyn. It’s the first time I ever experienced claustrophobia. We (finally) got to JFK Airport, gathered data, then immediately headed back to Philadelphia. \*\* Yeah…because your experience sucked!! You might as well base your opinion of NYC on a tour of Penn Station, Port Authority Bus Terminal, and the Cross Bronx Expressway at rush hour. All New Yorkers hate going to the airports! Next time you go, try and take in a restaurant game, or show (when the strike ends). Go to Central Park or check out SoHo or the West Village or any number of other neighborhoods. You’ll have a lot more fun, especially if you’re with people who know their way around. I can see how NYC might not be for everyone. Some people find it overwhelming even though it’s one of the easiest cities to navigate (HELP!! where’s E 25th street?!!?! 2 blocks from here (E 27th)). Actually, it wasn’t until I lived here then I was able to figure out the city as a whole instead of a series of destinations. There’s a certain NYC attitude. I can best sum it up like this: -You pay $2000 for a studio, wear Armani clothes, drink $20 martinis, eat $100 steak dinners and complain about how poor you are -People who live elsewhere are kidding themselves -Hey!! I’m WALKING here! -To most people an evening of bar hopping until 3 am, having a cab drive you in a 10 block circle right back to your starting point, arguing with a lesbein over ebonics, picking up some girls, getting chased by a raving homeless guy, taping your friend mooning your appartment buildings security camera and then ordering hot dogs might seem unusual…we call that _Wednesday_. -You pride yourself on the fact that your one room costs as much as most people’s mortgage. -You don’t really like sleeping because you feel like you’re missing something. ---
**Author:** ![sumwunsumwer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3e96dc/32.png) [@sumwunsumwer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sumwunsumwer)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2003, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-ever-decide-to-leave-new-york/159162/73 "2003-03-08T06:14:40Z")
I have only been to the bright NYC twice. (Born and raised in Atlanta…city girl all the way) Once on a “tourist” view of NYC as a young teenager. Twas great fun and very busy. The second time, as a young adult and a few years after a much regretted move to Cincinnati Ohio with my parents. That second visit was free. I chose where and when and how and why. I knew without doubt that this is where I belonged. The most amazing thing happened to me when I arrived in the city. There is a colorful and exciting pulse of life in NYC. I am inspired and filled with great feelings of possibility unlike anywhere else I have ever been. I love this place!!! I have books and pictures to remind me of that soaring happiness I felt on the streets of NYCity I believe this is an individuality or personality issue. I am a NYC type of lady, some people are just not thrilled at the thought of the whole experience like I am. It is my goalm my dream and my hope to live there, and soon. But honestly, so many people talk about the high expense, that I am a little frightened to go without first having financially stabilized my self. Any thoughts on the truth to the whole NYC is way too expensive to live in theory? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-ever-decide-to-leave-new-york/159162.md?page=3)