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What are the best activities to do while in NY city?

Should I move to New York City or Seattle for city life as well as outdoors activities?

  • Does New York City or Seattle offer the better mix of city life and outdoorsyness? Hello. I'm trying to choose a city to move to for undergrad. I'm stuck between New York and Seattle, and unfortunately I don't have the funds to visit before college starts. I'll be living in dorms, so apartments aren't an issue right now. I would prefer somewhere that I can live long-term, because I don't like to move around frequently. My original choice was New York City, because I love the big city atmosphere. However, I believe that Seattle may be a better mixture of city life and outdoors activities. I have read that NYC has a lot of outdoors activities as well. I'm also concerned that it seems as if with my projected salary, I won't have a comfortable life N.Y.C. This wouldn't bother me much, except that I love animals and I wouldn't be able to have dogs in an apartment. My one worry about Seattle is that it's far away from the music scene I'm used to. I live within a five hour drive from Cleveland, Columbus, Chicago, and Detroit, so I'm used to having a lot of options for concerts to go to. I'd like it to stay this way, but I don't know anything about the availability of concerts in/near Seattle. I would mostly enjoy "natural" outdoors activities... for example, going hiking instead of a tour through the park. A little more about me... I'm female, liberal, and I'm interested in the Aerospace industry. I'm a fan of windy/rainy days, but I also love the summer. I'm from Ohio, so I would prefer the weather to be similar to here, except cooler. Anyway... hope this is enough information to help with the advice. I'm open to suggestions of other cities, as long as they match the original criteria (no small cities). Thanks in advance!

  • Answer:

    It's too bad you don't have the funds to visit both, because the atmosphere in those two cities in particular are just about the most polar opposites I can think of. Seattle is very crunchy, laid-back, wear-fleeces-and-flip-flops. It's having a job so you can focus on your life, which is probably focused on things like outdoor hobbies, friends, and traveling. Have I mentioned it's pretty laid-back? It's waking up early, and all the restaurants pretty much closing up by 9pm. (Probably because everyone's focused on day life, not night life.) New York is frenetic, driven, bursting with color, and on the move. It's working your ass of on your career, because you love what you do. Restaurants stay open very, very late--you might be meeting friends for dinner and sit down at 9pm. In fact, everything runs about 1-2 hours later (you probably won't have friends that suggest meeting for an 8am breakfast on Saturday, which is what happened last time I was in Seattle). It's a grittier (okay, dirtier) place than Seattle, but also filled more interesting things--or hell, just filled with *more* things, period. You will not get bored here. Anyway, I'm sure a bunch of people are going to jump in and point out how they're a total exception to the above. As someone who has lived on both the east coast and west coast, I'm painting with a reeeeeally broad brush here, but it's mostly to give you a sense of what is terribly hard to describe without actually visiting. You should really think about your personality and how it would fit with each city, because to some extent people with certain personality types are drawn to cities because of their stereotypical reputation, and your future classmates are no exception. (As someone who was raised in a more west-coast-type state, New York is totally overwhelming to me, and I could never hack it for college. But I'm totally jealous of those who could--oh my gosh, just all the free things you could do!)

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The coolness of the PacNW is highly overrated. No-one ever admits the rampant locust problems or frequent yeti attacks. Plus the people are vicious compared to New Yorkers. Everyone move to New York or stay in California. Go on, off you go. Bright lights, big cities!

codswallop

Seattle. Jesus. I can't believe you're even asking this question. The only outdoorsy thing that people do in NYC is go jogging in the park. Oh, and there are about http://www.frogma.blogspot.com/http://www.manhattankayak.com/blogs/who http://www.nykayak.com/.

alexwoods

I've lived here all my life, it compares about the same as say, DC, Chicago, Philly, Toronto, or Boston. Chicago maybe. DC? No. It is far easier to get to outdoor activities from DC than from NYC. And the outdoor things to do right in DC are more plentiful than they are in NYC. If you've lived in NYC all your life, you may have a perspective that is not fully aware of just how much "outdoors" stuff there is elsewhere.

The World Famous

I've lived in both cities. For literally every single issue you raise, Seattle is going to be a vastly better choice. I have read that NYC has a lot of outdoors activities as well. Sure it does. The garbage day sidewalk slalom, the 500m that's-my-taxi sprint, the traditional springtime game of dodge-the-crazed-rollerbladers-in-the-park, not to mention wistfully looking up at the sliver of nighttime sky to see the stars (both of them) -- New York has it all.

ook

I dunno. If you get past the flannel check point, there is Mt. Rainier towering above you and if it erupts and the wind is right, it's Pompei, grunge style. The PCB's in the water are killing off all the orcas, and it's hard to get anything done walking around with the required latte in one hand. And the http://depts.washington.edu/rna2006/library.jpgThe fucking library. And the Olympics catch most of the rain headed in, so that is a huge disappointment for some. And with Vancouver and Victoria, you have those insufferable Canadians a boatride away. And the http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2038/1555749012_9195661c89.jpg?v=0. A drag. (Portland is worse. . .don't even visit.)

Danf

Seattle is probably a better mix of big city and outdoors for you, although, surprisingly for such a huge megalopolis, outdoors more accessible in New York than people think. I mean you can take a subway to the beach, and the Long Island Railroad to a national seashore. You can take Metro-North to go hiking in the Catskills. Not mountains to a Westerner, but fall color to rival New England. But still, Seattle beats us. I merely point out above to show New York isn't devoid in that category, but it is no Seattle. New York is just more expensive, crowded, and difficult to live in. The so-called "hipster" parts of New York, (Like Williamsburg) have been pretty much ruined by those self-same hipsters, so you won't hear a native New York accent there at all. No New York irony, no New York edge, but lots of tattoos and piercings, just like at the mall in Encino. As a matter of fact, it will be kind of like Encino with worse weather and more grit. For real New York, you'll have to go to Queens. NY and Seattle both have a good music scene, but again, because New York is so expensive, its scene has suffered in that the starving musicians probably can't even afford to move across the river to Hoboken or Brooklyn. You might find yourself ensconsed in an interesting scene in Seattle. Seattle has got the most glorious summers in creation, but the rest of the year it is cool and drizzly. You mention I'm from Ohio, so I would prefer the weather to be similar to here, except cooler. You know that New York (the city, at least) and Seattle are both warmer than Ohio in the Winter, but Seattle is actually a lot warmer, you might not get snow every year.

xetere

Look, there are spectacularly beautiful outdoors places you can get to from New York on the train. There are. BUT NOBODY YOUR AGE IN NEW YORK WILL BE GOING THERE. I lived in New York when I was your age, and everyone I knew who lived there was all about being in the city and doing city things and staying up all night and getting drunk and going to CBGB's (because I am old and lived there when CBGB's was still a) open, and b) cool). So if having friends who love doing outdoorsy things with you is something you want in your life, move to Seattle.

Sidhedevil

As a native NYer, agreeing with all of the above that Seattle is the better option of the two. Also seconding everything mullingitover says about Los Angeles. Can't be beat in terms of the sheer diversity of the natural environment. "surprisingly for such a huge megalopolis, outdoors more accessible in New York than people think. I mean you can take a subway to the beach, and the Long Island Railroad to a national seashore. You can take Metro-North to go hiking in the Catskills." This is precisely why NY is a subpar option for outdoorsy folks. Depending on where you live, all of the above will take hours and hours of travel back and forth. The so-called "hipster" parts of New York, (Like Williamsburg) have been pretty much ruined by those self-same hipsters, so you won't hear a native New York accent there at all. No New York irony, no New York edge, but lots of tattoos and piercings, just like at the mall in Encino. As a matter of fact, it will be kind of like Encino with worse weather and more grit. For real New York, you'll have to go to Queens. Really? Reaaaaally? If you are liberal, big into music and science/engineering Williamsburg is exactly where you would enjoy living in NY.

hamsterdam

Jeez people, New York is no Seattle, but I mean it isn't exactly a dystopian eco-horror either. I've lived here all my life, it compares about the same as say, DC, Chicago, Philly, Toronto, or Boston. I mean, come on! Staten Island has a green belt, Staten island. Again, NY is not Seattle and NY will likely NOT meet the OP's needs, but it isn't like there is one tree in Central Park where everyone gawks and that is it. I think people who are posting that equate New York strictly with Manhattan, and might not have actually grown up here, where I have, and I am broadening it to the New York metro area and to places where you can get to with public transportation for a day trip. but biochemist, for your needs, Seattle is better, but since you like cold, consider Minneapolis, kinda like Seattle, only colder, flatter, and more nasally.

xetere

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