Amazon expected to announce NYC and Northern Virginia as new headquarters • Hacker News Board

Re: Amazon expected to announce NYC and Northern Virginia as new headquarters

#181

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Nov 13, 2018, 4:30 AM UTC

akhilcacharya wrote: post #131

pratik661 wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was one of those people. I moved to NYC in May. In a lot of adult sports leagues I'm meeting a surprisingly high number of developers who moved from the Bay Area to NYC. All for similar reasons. Its way more fun to spend your 20s in NY than it is in SF. Within my social circle, many more are planning on moving from SF to NY. This might be anecdata, but Google and Amazon might have recruiting data about candidates'…

“Fun” must be a bizarre elite perspective I’ve never understood either. The same stuff is available in Seattle as it is in NYC or Boston, just with an order of magnitude more people. Whenever I ask people about this they just talk about nightlife or something that I can’t relate to at all. I don’t know, maybe it’s because I didn’t hobnob with the well connected in college or “have fun” in college either.

[deleted]

Re: Amazon expected to announce NYC and Northern Virginia as new headquarters

#182

Post by sincerely » Tue, Nov 13, 2018, 4:31 AM UTC

akhilcacharya wrote: post #131

pratik661 wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was one of those people. I moved to NYC in May. In a lot of adult sports leagues I'm meeting a surprisingly high number of developers who moved from the Bay Area to NYC. All for similar reasons. Its way more fun to spend your 20s in NY than it is in SF. Within my social circle, many more are planning on moving from SF to NY. This might be anecdata, but Google and Amazon might have recruiting data about candidates'…

“Fun” must be a bizarre elite perspective I’ve never understood either. The same stuff is available in Seattle as it is in NYC or Boston, just with an order of magnitude more people. Whenever I ask people about this they just talk about nightlife or something that I can’t relate to at all. I don’t know, maybe it’s because I didn’t hobnob with the well connected in college or “have fun” in college either.

What makes you think its elitist?

Re: Amazon expected to announce NYC and Northern Virginia as new headquarters

#183

Post by scarejunba » Tue, Nov 13, 2018, 4:45 AM UTC

pratik661 wrote: post #130

scarejunba wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

An hour is too much. Ain't nobody got time for one hour commuting each way.

I agree. An hour is considered a slightly above average commute in the Bay Area. However in NYC its considered way above average. When I was interviewing there, I was low key shocked that the interviewers considered 30 minutes to be a 'long' commute. Thats when I knew I was in the right place. Density + transit is the way to go.

I feel you, man. My commute is 25 min door to door and most of that is walking. That’s about the limit I’d accept.

Re: Amazon expected to announce NYC and Northern Virginia as new headquarters

#184

Post by woolvalley » Tue, Nov 13, 2018, 4:48 AM UTC

akhilcacharya wrote: post #131

pratik661 wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was one of those people. I moved to NYC in May. In a lot of adult sports leagues I'm meeting a surprisingly high number of developers who moved from the Bay Area to NYC. All for similar reasons. Its way more fun to spend your 20s in NY than it is in SF. Within my social circle, many more are planning on moving from SF to NY. This might be anecdata, but Google and Amazon might have recruiting data about candidates'…

“Fun” must be a bizarre elite perspective I’ve never understood either. The same stuff is available in Seattle as it is in NYC or Boston, just with an order of magnitude more people. Whenever I ask people about this they just talk about nightlife or something that I can’t relate to at all. I don’t know, maybe it’s because I didn’t hobnob with the well connected in college or “have fun” in college either.

Dating is another big reason. SF & Seattle is gender imbalanced in a bad way for hetrosexual men in their 20s and 30s, NYC is the opposite.

Re: Amazon expected to announce NYC and Northern Virginia as new headquarters

#185

Post by woolvalley » Tue, Nov 13, 2018, 4:52 AM UTC

cm2012 wrote: post #47

CPLX wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

New York is literally the greatest city in the history of world civilization and the planetary capital of finance, media, business, fashion and culture. It’s easily the largest city in the country, and iconic globally. But you’re finding it hard to understand why people might want to live here? I’d post more but my New York life is veritable cornucopia of novel and enriching experiences and I’d better get back to it.…

Saying things like, "Enjoy your stripmalls", actually hurts your argument by indicating a lot of insecurity.

No, it might be lived experience. I've been to NYC, I live in the bay area. The south bay is surprisingly run down and boring for what it is, it's redeeming qualities being tech, the weather and some nearby nature. The stripmalls exist there and it's a bit strange how shabby everything is compared to the rent. SF is nicer and worse in someways than san jose, and NYC is definitely better from a livability and interesting-ness perspective.

Even LA has more culture :p

Re: Amazon expected to announce NYC and Northern Virginia as new headquarters

#186

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Nov 13, 2018, 4:56 AM UTC

c3534l wrote: post #118

tptacek wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It didn't even occur to you to simply Google "michelin star" "strip mall"? Of course there are starred restuarants in strip malls.

I searched Michelin Star restaurants in the US and looked through them and couldn't find any, then posed the challenge. So, yeah, no I didn't actually Google that and I should have.

[deleted]

Re: Amazon expected to announce NYC and Northern Virginia as new headquarters

#187

Post by tptacek » Tue, Nov 13, 2018, 5:06 AM UTC

c3534l wrote: post #118

tptacek wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It didn't even occur to you to simply Google "michelin star" "strip mall"? Of course there are starred restuarants in strip malls.

I searched Michelin Star restaurants in the US and looked through them and couldn't find any, then posed the challenge. So, yeah, no I didn't actually Google that and I should have.

There's even a three-star in a strip mall if you consider all of Los Gatos a strip mall. (Hey-o!)

Re: Amazon expected to announce NYC and Northern Virginia as new headquarters

#188

Post by bepotts » Tue, Nov 13, 2018, 5:10 AM UTC

sonnyblarney wrote: post #11

I'm saddened by this because it just adds to hyper concentration. DC is already woefully over staffed with overpaid folks living off of guaranteed tax revenues, I don't believe in the inherent productivity there, and just cynical enough to believe it's a means for AMZN to leverage political power and government contracts. NYC is understandable ... ... but it would have been really nice for business diversity for that…

I feel like not many places are willing to do the work in order to attract an Amazon; or better yet, foster an environment where one could build one organically.

Too many pundits are trying to shame Amazon into moving to a city like Detroit or a city in the American heartland. But these areas are unattractive places for obvious reasons and it seems like Americans want to deny it. Want to attract an Amazon? Invest in colleges, reduce business regulations, attract an international and diverse populace which would in turn create an interesting culture, invest in local secondary schools, and (I hate to say this) drop the social conservative politics. One of the reasons why London, Paris, New York, Washington DC, San Francisco, etc. are attractive internationally is the liberal populace and progressive culture - nobody wants to move to a socially conservative place.

I feel like the partisanship that America is experiencing is only going to accelerate. As of now, America's future is in the cities and for whatever reason, cities tend to generate a certain culture that many people in America's heartland don't want. They're going to have to be more welcoming of it if they want to attract these sort of businesses.

Re: Amazon expected to announce NYC and Northern Virginia as new headquarters

#189

Post by akhilcacharya » Tue, Nov 13, 2018, 5:10 AM UTC

sincerely wrote: post #182

akhilcacharya wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“Fun” must be a bizarre elite perspective I’ve never understood either. The same stuff is available in Seattle as it is in NYC or Boston, just with an order of magnitude more people. Whenever I ask people about this they just talk about nightlife or something that I can’t relate to at all. I don’t know, maybe it’s because I didn’t hobnob with the well connected in college or “have fun” in college either.

What makes you think its elitist?

In my experience, only the elites (the HYPSM+ types) are able to have "fun" like this because they didn't have anything to prove. When I was in undergrad I worked and studied (and got the same or less than they did for it in the end).

Re: Amazon expected to announce NYC and Northern Virginia as new headquarters

#190

Post by zjaffee » Tue, Nov 13, 2018, 5:49 AM UTC

akhilcacharya wrote: post #131

pratik661 wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was one of those people. I moved to NYC in May. In a lot of adult sports leagues I'm meeting a surprisingly high number of developers who moved from the Bay Area to NYC. All for similar reasons. Its way more fun to spend your 20s in NY than it is in SF. Within my social circle, many more are planning on moving from SF to NY. This might be anecdata, but Google and Amazon might have recruiting data about candidates'…

“Fun” must be a bizarre elite perspective I’ve never understood either. The same stuff is available in Seattle as it is in NYC or Boston, just with an order of magnitude more people. Whenever I ask people about this they just talk about nightlife or something that I can’t relate to at all. I don’t know, maybe it’s because I didn’t hobnob with the well connected in college or “have fun” in college either.

As someone who grew up in NYC, has lived in LA, SF and now Seattle. Seattle absolutely does not have the same sorts of things NYC has.

The mega cities have far more going on in terms of diversity of options on any given night than smaller ones do. Additionally, there are far more ethnic groups represented in these mega regions as well.

The Pacific Northwest absolutely has it's perks, but it's not nearly as thrilling as NYC or LA.