New York City vs. California

Recently I have been thinking about this topic a lot: New York versus California.

I just can’t get my head around this thought, so I need to write it out to at least get it out of the way. Where is my ideal world? Where is my utopia?

Le me in La La Land

Usually, my friends who spend some time living in the Bay Area will say that Bay Area is the best of the best; my friends going to college in LA will say that no city can compare to LA; and of course, my friends who live in NYC don’t want to move anywhere, either.

Le me in the concrete jungle

For me, I am a little luckier than most who have had a chance to live in various parts of the U.S, so I try to keep an open mind about which place is the best. Plus, I love the unknown, and love going out of my comfort zone, so the new and unexplored always electrify my energy. Thus, I often find myself happier living in a new city.

In my humble opinion, each city has its own beauty. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, eh? I cannot get my head around which one I prefer to stay over another. I will just put it this way.

- New York is like a lover who I am madly in love and willing to run away with, but probably will never marry.

while

- California is like a beloved fiancée who patiently wait for me to come back, with a hearty home cooked meal ready.

New York City – the big Apple	California king bed	Winner
The signature of NYC is its City Life. If you are really into bars/clubs/fine dining/late night activities, NYC is perfect for you.	The signature of California is its scenic Nature. If you are really into road trips, camping and national park, California is the place to be. There is nothing about nature that CA doesn’t have. Mountains, beaches, scenic coastal drive, snow, ski resorts, cliffs by the sea, even waterfall by the sea.	Draw
Another special thing about New York is the people. In New York, there are so many people here. And by “people,” I mean both local and tourists, American and Internationals. Just so much diversity. If you want to meet people with different backgrounds, and if you like meeting new people. This is the place for you.	California is also quite diverse, but not as diverse as New York city. Why? There are too many Asians, and Engineers (especially in the Bay) in California in general. When I lived there, I felt like it wasn’t normal to go to meetup events to see all Engineers there. There was definitely some sort of a bubble there.	NYC
New York is a tight little walking town. You can go everywhere anytime easily because everything is so close together. Because you have to walk so much, you absorb all the culture, the hustle and bustle, all the aspects of life in New York. People fall in love with New York because of that: Because they could easily identify themselves with New York soaking in everyday life.	Everything is too far away from each other. You need to drive to get from point A to point B, and because of this, you miss out on everything in between, and there is nothing in between to begin with LOL. For example, during Christmas last year, I drove from work to Santana Row to see the Christmas Tree lighting. Outside of Santana Row, there was nothing going on that gave the air of Christmas. I got no business in between point A (my office) and point B (Santana Row).	NYC
Everything closes very late in New York city. If you go out with your friends at 11PM, there are still a lot of places for you to eat and hang out. Walking home at 3AM feels pretty safe in Manhattan.	Stores and restaurants close early in CA. My friend complained that he visited San Francisco, and he couldn’t find a place to eat at 11PM.	NYC
When you sit at home in your room You still feel like the whole world outside is energetically revolving around you. Literally, Times Square was a couple walks away from my apartment. Wait, am I fancy?	When you stay at home You feel like you’re on an island, disconnected from civilizations. Thanks god, there is still Facebook.	NYC
The level of stress in NYC is quite high. I am not sure why. Maybe it is because of the busy-ness of people. The fast pace of walkers. The impatience of cars on crowded street. I feel edgy more often than when I was in California	The level of stress is manageable in CA. You can always take a getaway trip to outside the city to relax. I rarely feel hurried, pissed or out of my balance.	CA
Not close to fun metro cities. DC and Boston are not very fun.	Close to other fun metro cities such as Vegas, San Francisco, San Diego, and Los Angeles.	CA
Don’t need a car.	Must have a car. I got to give this to CA, because in an ideal life, I want to be able to drive my own car. This is personal.	CA
Winter is cold, and summer is super humid.	Warm and sunny year-round. It doesn’t even fucking rain.	CA
Below are some more subjective and personal points that I need to consider. After all, I have to factor in my own opinions so I can make up my mind.
You cannot buy a real house here. The best you can do is an apartment condo. If you want to buy an actual house, you have to go live in New Jersey. That destroys the purpose of wanting to live the City Life, doesn’t it?	Even though expensive, you can still buy a house in California. So it is easier to raise some pets or your own children.	CA
Nah don’t bother.	California has the best Vietnamese food in the U.S. How about bún đậu mắm tôm, bún măng vịt, phá lấu, lẩu dê, chả cá lã vọng, bánh canh, etc. In the long run, it is a suitable place to settle down. After all, I am still Vietnamese.	CA
Mostly Vietnamese international students. Vietnamese community is just a fraction compared to CA.	There is an established Vietnamese community. And the good thing about living in a community is, if you are in trouble, the community helps you. In the long run, it pays dividend.	CA
In New York, you don’t have to visit your friends. Because they come to visit YOU New York. The perks of being the best city in the world.	Your friends don’t visit you as much.	NYC
	This is personal, but I made really good friends who cared about me and whom I felt connected to. Thanks for all the love!	CA
There are young single Vietnamese girls in NYC. Lots of.	Are there young single Vietnamese in CA?	NYC

NYC 6 - 8 California.

What the hell? I thought NYC would win Lulz.

Anyway, this will be a never ending discussion until the day I decide that the battle is won. 

For now, La La Land is still patiently waiting for me to come back, until the day my heart gets weary of all the conquests./