111–120 of 122 posts
Well said. The point that Wall Street != New York is particularly important here, w.r.t Antonio's post. I've only been here a year, but I know New York is big , and it is not homogeneous. I don't think Antonio ever realized that. Also, kudos to blip.tv. I had a chance to meet a few of the blip kids a few months ago and you guys were really cool.
I think one major argument that he didn't mention is that NYC beats SF hands down in the 'getting laid' department. If you are young and your idea of having a good time is going out, partying until 4am, and getting laid often, then you should stay in NYC. If you a super hipster, social outcast and/or into weird stuff, then come to SF. Your friends are already here.
The female to male ratio is an awesome point for living in NY, but if you're looking at it from the point of a good place to hack and build a startup - it's not really relevant. When you think about it, chasing tail takes time and energy that will distract your focus on your startup. I'm from the east coast too. Been there, done that.
> Given the lifestyle in the City, products are much closer to the pavement and are a solution to a real-world problem from Day 1. Not some social network plaything. Humorous considering it's hosted by Tumblr, a social plaything based out of NYC. Foursquare is another that comes into mind as a questionably "real-world problem" solver social network plaything that came out of NYC.
Another common gripe about California that I'll echo here: there's no weather! It may sound masochistic but I miss the seasons, the snow, wearing a scarf, sheltering inside with a cold nose and hands with something warm. The passing of the seasons gives life a constant pulse and direction. The eternal summers of CA get to be disorienting after a while.
You can wear a scarf all summer long in San Francisco.
"The social component of a real city with museums, clubs, venues, pubs, bars and barcades is important."
SF has all of these. Obviously less by virtue of being in a metro area a third the size of NYC, but you aren't going to get bored.
"Am I paying for a car? No."
Many San Franciscans don't drive. That being said, having a car always has its benefits - and a car in NYC (at least in Manhattan) is even tougher than in SF.
"In short, New York City is more interesting and—I believe—better suited for the startup and a young guy’s lifestyle"
Well, we all have different lifestyles. I enjoy yearlong mountain biking that's only minutes away. I enjoy awesome snowboarding only 3 hours away. I enjoy climbing 14,000 foot mountains. I enjoy not sweating in humid, hot summers and freezing in snowy, cold winters.
I've spent about a month of my life in NYC (over various trips) and would hands down take SF over it.
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Well, to each his own. I'm from Oakland, CA and I am fine with Chicago weather. It can get uncomfortable, but I'll take that as a trade-off for my near-downtown apartment in one of America's greatest cities at half the cost of a comparable place in NY or SF. The summers are actually better--Oakland will get these horrible 90-100 degree heat waves--and the problem of winter is easily solved by adding more layers.
Just wait until you become accustomed to people using the phrases "lake-effect snow" and "humidity index". As a midwesterner for the first half of my life and Chicago native for a decent chunk of that I can say with certainty that Oakland weather beats Chicago weather in just about every possible way. The only thing I actually miss is fall; there is something really pleasant about a Midwestern fall (I suspect it's ev…
You don't really get lake-effect snow in the city. That's more of a problem for the suburbs. As for humidity; it's not an issue as long as you wear the proper clothes. (Summer clothes need to be breathable. In particular, jeans and a T-shirt will not keep you cool.)
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Please. Chicago has no culture, no vibe, no personality. People there are, by and large, spending their adulthoods trying to overcome their religious upbringing. The weather sucks, the business climate is mainly stuck in the 1930s. There's no There there. What's good about it, again?
I'm sorry if Chicago beat you up and took your lunch money. I've never tried living there, but it's a great place to visit. Great food, great museums, great parks, Great Lake. Blues music. You can get there on a train from many places. Also, 37 Signals seems to be doing OK there.
37 Signals: well, a couple of people live there, yeah. The founder, who was born there and apparently doesn't know that you don't have to live in a crappy town, and DHH, who is from Denmark -- same exact climate, so I'm sure he feels right at home.
Chicago has no soul. It's a bunch of buildings. Visit a town with personality and you'll see what I mean.
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The female to male ratio is an awesome point for living in NY, but if you're looking at it from the point of a good place to hack and build a startup - it's not really relevant. When you think about it, chasing tail takes time and energy that will distract your focus on your startup. I'm from the east coast too. Been there, done that.
To be fair, the point is that you'll spend less energy doing so. And I don't think temptation or whatnot is a mitigating factor, I'd say that's geography agnostic.
I still say it's a actually a disadvantage for your start up. I'm not even counting the creativity and focus you inadvertently use for it, or even what you need for your wardrobe.