[panache]

I know there is a lot of information on this forum with datasheets for different cities in the USA/Canada, but I haven't found one that explicitly mentions the pros and cons and pits them against each other.

My reason for this is that I am applying for a job and they have given me the option to choose from the following locations:

Boston
Boulder
Chicago
Irvine
Los Angeles
Madison
Mountain View
New York
Pittsburgh
San Bruno
San Francisco
Seattle/Kirkland
Montreal
Waterloo

The ones I am currently considering are LA, NY, Montreal and Boulder.

The three criteria I want to discuss are:
1) Quality of women
2) Quality of life in general (for the people who live in those cities)
3) Attitude of the city towards 20-something college grads.

I would appreciate any feedback on this!

[Cattle Rustler]

First question: How much will you have to spend?

NY/LA/Montreal are pretty expensive cities.

The bang for your buck here seems to be Pittsburgh or Madison, no much poosy there though.

Boston/NYC/ have many colleges where you can run the numbers game and catch many notches.

[panache]

That's a good question. I will have about 2.5k a month to spend on rent + anything non-essential (traveling, going out around the city, buying equipment for adventure sports etc.). So places with a higher rent would decrease my ability to pay cover for exclusive clubs and vice-versa.

Is the cost of living that much cheaper in Pittsburgh/Madison?

[rudebwoy]

Montreal by a landslide, NY/LA are more costly cities.

[Vaun]

I think some of this depends on what you do for a living.

I can never understand why someone would want to move to a cold climate, especially an older city with a teetering economy.

Boston - nope
Boulder - yes if you like mountain sports and lifestyle.
Chicago - nope
Irvine - yes, closer to the coast if you can afford it.
Los Angeles - yes, one of the best cities in the world.
Madison - ummm... other than being forced to move there, I can not see ever WANTING to move there.
Mountain View - yes, if you work in tech, yes yes yes. Very chill lifestyle and you will travel far for nightlife.
New York - Like LA, its a toss up, depends on what you do. Finance, Media, Tech, Real Estate? Yes. If not, no.
Pittsburgh - see my comment on Madison
San Bruno - see my comment on Mtn View, unless you can live closer to Pacifica, especially if you surf or like the ocean.
San Francisco - toss up. Sort of like NYC, it depends on what you do b/c its pricey.
Seattle/Kirkland - Maybe, if you like snow sports and the outdoors, then, yes.
Montreal - see my comment on Boston, Madison and Pittsburg
Waterloo - - see my comment on Boston, Madison and Pittsburg

[speakeasy]

2.5k a month for rent in L.A. will get you plenty. I pay nearly half that to rent a really plush 1 bdrm in a good neigborhood.

I've felt really negative on L.A. lately, but that's just me and probably because I've been here way too long. I suppose it could be paradise for a newcomer. Quality of girls is good looks-wise, but flakiness is very high, logistics are probably the worse of any large city I've ever been to. Very status conscious place and hard to do well here unless you have some sort of niche or strong social circle. On the other hand there's plenty of great places for day game if cold approaching in the streets like a madman is your thing(it's not mine). Weather is great all year and lots of opportunities for activities of all sorts and lots of variety. Hard to get bored here. Can definitely be a great place to live for a few years if you find your niche and don't mind putting up with traffic and decentralized nature of the city.

NYC from all I've heard sounds like a better place to meet a high volume of women, but if your rent budget is 2.5k then you're fucked in NYC unless you have 3 roommates. But logistics and ease of getting around can't be beat.

I don't know anything about Montreal, but all the reports I've read here are positive so long as you don't mind long, cold winters.

[Vaun]

(10-11-2013 05:10 PM)speakeasy Wrote:  

I've felt really negative on L.A. lately, but that's just me and probably because I've been here way too long.

I feel that way about NYC right now but I have been here for 12 years, want to get out and riding the subway lately has been an exercise in humility.

(10-11-2013 05:10 PM)speakeasy Wrote:  

NYC from all I've heard sounds like a better place to meet a high volume of women, but if your rent budget is 2.5k then you're fucked in NYC unless you have 3 roommates. But logistics and ease of getting around can't be beat.

You can get a nice studio in any neighborhood in NYC for $2500/mo. Size will vary based on where you go, the hotter areas have a higher rent/sq ft.

[Drazen]

I live in LA, but in my 20s if I was in your position:

1. Montreal
2. New York
3. Boulder
4. LA

Montreal because they have some of the most beatiful women and the experience of living in a french candian area would probably lay a good foundation of culture for the rest of your life.

New York- Its NY.

Boulder: UC Boulder probably has a lot of parties and women. Cost of living is likely way lower than elsewhere.

LA: Better in your late 20s/30s.

I'd also consider Chicago. Its relatively cheap for a big city and the girls are slutty. Lots of mid-western sorority girls with big city dreams come out there to "make it".

[GameTheory]

(10-11-2013 11:31 AM)panache Wrote:  

I know there is a lot of information on this forum with datasheets for different cities in the USA/Canada, but I haven't found one that explicitly mentions the pros and cons and pits them against each other.

My reason for this is that I am applying for a job and they have given me the option to choose from the following locations:

Boston
Boulder
Chicago
Irvine
Los Angeles
Madison
Mountain View
New York
Pittsburgh
San Bruno
San Francisco
Seattle/Kirkland
Montreal
Waterloo

The ones I am currently considering are LA, NY, Montreal and Boulder.

The three criteria I want to discuss are:
1) Quality of women
2) Quality of life in general (for the people who live in those cities)
3) Attitude of the city towards 20-something college grads.

I would appreciate any feedback on this!

P'burgh is right on the edge El Mech's p00n belt. low cost of living plus easy access to some young, wet bitchezzz !!!

[kosko]

Montreal living prices are dirt cheap when you consider it's a large worldly city with a million plus people. It should have Boston/SF prices due also to the topography of the island, another reason itchy it's a steal. Winter there is terrible though so please remember that

[SeanBateman]

NYC or Montreal for quality of women, quality of life (this really means quality of women, right?), and attitude of the city towards 20-something college grads (this also really means quality and attainability of women, right?).

The density of beautiful women in Manhattan is far higher than the other cities you listed, with the possible exception of Montreal. The French vibe of Montreal makes it a special place, and life there would be a bit more relaxed than NYC. But Québécois girls are a top notch breed of North American women. And NYC is just a big vacuum that sucks in beautiful girls from around the world, you really can't go wrong by moving there. Dudes on the forum mention high rent a lot but the best way to get a big city salary is to move to the big city and get a big city job. If you put yourself in the right geographical and social position then you find opportunities that you never even knew existed when you were sitting at home in Ohio or wherever. The San Francisco tech environment is a great example of location driven opportunity and it's a wonderful city to live in except for the girls, frumpy and dumpy compared to NYC. Los Angeles is a good place if you are a hustler but people in LA tend to have a bad attitude unless you meet them through a social circle, and as mentioned by speakeasy the logistics are terrible. The rest of the cities on your list aren't even worth considering, I would say.

[kenny_powers]

What is the job?
Is the salary the same regardless of location?
Where are you from and where have you lived most of your life?
Where are you now?

[panache]

Answering Kenny's questions:

1) Engineering job at a tech company. Don't want to mention which one.
2) Yes
3) Grew up in Dubai, UAE
4) Waterloo, Canada for university.

[ralphi]

Take into account that if you live in Manhattan you won't need a car so that frees up a lot of money for the higher rent and cost of living.

If women are an important part of what you want then Manhattan is what I would recommend.

[kenny_powers]

(10-12-2013 02:33 AM)panache Wrote:  

Answering Kenny's questions:

1) Engineering job at a tech company. Don't want to mention which one.
2) Yes
3) Grew up in Dubai, UAE
4) Waterloo, Canada for university.

Thanks that helps.

SF or LA for the Cali lifestyle. For your industry I would probably choose SF over LA.

NYC would be my choice but I am biased because I already did the Cali thing for several years.

As for the other cities on your short list (Montreal and Boulder) I don't know enough about. Montreal I have never been but Boulder is a cool college mountain town - but too small for me to live in.

My 2 cents. Good luck and enjoy.

[stpete]

Boulder

I immediately saw Boulder as many others have. If I was your age that is where I would want to live.

If you like the big city I would pick San Fran. Where to live in San Fran would be a whole other thread.

Still I would pick Boulder. But that has to be a personal choice as I would never be bored in that city with the mountains & great cities nearby including Denver.

[Hencredible Casanova]

This one is a no-brainer. Montreal for sure. The ONLY thing that counts against it are brick ass winters. Otherwise, can't beat it. It's a pretty large city actually (NYC and LA are the only cities on your list that has more people). Girls are top of the pack. Highest concentration of talent. Also, being in Canada, MTL is a laid-back, friendly city that lacks the egomaniacs and posers you find all throughout NY and LA. MTL has soul. Great food, music, culture and nightlife. Very affordable for a big city as well.

SF is also a great city to live in. Outside of chicks, it's number 1 or 2 in most categories. Of the few Bay Area cities on your list (Mountain View, SF, San Bruno) def pick SF because that's where you'd be going anyway to hang out and enjoy the area's cultural offerings.

Personally, I wouldn't put up with LA unless beach culture was a major consideration for you. It has the best such culture in the US IMO.

NYC isn't worth it for the budget you're working with. You need a lot more dough to have the same quality of life as the other places you're thinking about.

Pitt, Boulder, etc are too small. I would get bored pretty quickly.

[panache]

Thanks for the advice everyone!

With the information above and some soul-searching, I've decided to pick LA. Apart from the women (which are also great in NY and Montreal), I figured the weather was better and the cost of living was affordable. Accessibility to outdoor activities year-round means a lot to me, and from what I've seen of Montreal winters they aren't something I want to deal with.

[speakeasy]

(10-12-2013 03:27 PM)panache Wrote:  

Thanks for the advice everyone!

With the information above and some soul-searching, I've decided to pick LA.

While I would probably advise Montreal over Los Angeles, this isn't a bad choice by any means. Every place has its own bullshit to put up with. If quality of girls are your main concern, then it sounds like it's either Montreal or L.A.

My main advice is pick your living arrangement carefully. Logistics are a bitch here and I can't tell you enough how important it is to be close to the action. If you can afford it, try living in West Hollywood not far from the sunset strip or Santa Monica blvd, or just to the north of Hollywood Blvd if you're going with East Hollywood. If you could live in Santa Monica anywhere near the 3rd street promenade that would be gold too. The area just to the north of Wilshire blvd near 3rd street I'm sure is expensive as hell but has about the best logistics you could ask for on the West side. I'm sure you could get a studio for $2500 there. Or if you had to get a roommate 2+2 situation around there with a cool dude, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

Also, strongly factor in how far your job is from where you plan to live. Can't stress that enough. Traffic here is beyond belief. To have a 90-minute one way commute here is not uncommon. Let us know what part of town your job is in and we can suggest places to live that would be close to the action yet not give you a nightmarish commute.

[rudebwoy]

Bad decision but hey good luck either way.

I have never been to LA but I hear it is a bitch for women, the club scene sounds kind of lame and your budget will make you a regular joe.

Montreal has cold winters, the thing is the city does not shut down. Not like Toronto where people hibernate. Your budget is more than good and you should be able to get a centrally located pad. Women are gorgeous and are very down to earth, as you can see from the forum most of the players here were impressed with what they saw. Also, it is a smaller city to navigate and a car is not needed.

[panache]

speakeasy and rudebwoy, I hear you. Having visited both LA and Montreal before, Montreal is definitely more affordable. That being said, I was impressed by the quality of women in both places; and coming from Waterloo, ON, im sure either will be an upgrade.

In terms of it being easier to get action, I know montreal would have had women with better attitudes. But I am willing to deal with bitchier women if that comes with significantly better weather. I'd personally choose being able to go surfing and hiking and fucking 7s, than having to deal with the snow and fucking 9s. But that's a personal choice, and I can totally see why people would disagree. Also, I hate to bring this up at the expense of sounding like a troll, but it seemed like women in Montreal had a stronger preference for white guys who could speak french. Maybe I was just hanging in the wrong circle there (most of the friends I was hanging with there had strong arabic accents).

(10-12-2013 04:07 PM)speakeasy Wrote:  

Also, strongly factor in how far your job is from where you plan to live. Can't stress that enough. Traffic here is beyond belief. To have a 90-minute one way commute here is not uncommon. Let us know what part of town your job is in and we can suggest places to live that would be close to the action yet not give you a nightmarish commute.

Also, I haven't accepted the job yet, still looking at other companies. If I do take the job though, my office will be located in venice. Is that close to the action?

[speakeasy]

(10-13-2013 05:56 PM)panache Wrote:  

Also, I haven't accepted the job yet, still looking at other companies. If I do take the job though, my office will be located in venice. Is that close to the action?

Yeah, you're good. You could live in prime Santa Monica and your commute would be short. Venice isn't too bad either. There's a scene around Abbot Kinney street. And of course Main Street near the border of SM and Venice.

[Vaun]

(10-12-2013 02:33 AM)panache Wrote:  

Answering Kenny's questions:

1) Engineering job at a tech company. Don't want to mention which one.
2) Yes
3) Grew up in Dubai, UAE
4) Waterloo, Canada for university.

Then its clear. If you are interested in staying in this business, its live in SF and work down the peninsula(MV,PA,RC) or in the valley(SV,SJ). The commute may be free by bus, with wifi! Can tell you from experience this is a good lifestyle, probably one of the best in the US for the recent college grad. A satellite office in the tech industry is sort of a waste, unless its a leadership role starting an office or an especially good project. Pittsburgh is good for that(if its the one I am thinking of), NYC is good too for the burgeoning tech scene. The headquarters though in CA will always ensure you are on the best projects, but your in a bigger pond there.

Really though I think this decision is about the project/city, not necessarily the city. Being at headquarters in CA is usually the best option unless the scenarios above.

[Vaun]

(10-13-2013 06:24 PM)speakeasy Wrote:  

There's a scene around Abbot Kinney

I cant think of a better place I would live and work, seriously, you guys have it pretty good there. And then there's Mao's Kitchen..

[lockdown90]

#puckman

whats your opinion about San Diego?