New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago? Why?

Question

Which of these massive American cities would you prefer, and why?

You can rank them too, if you like. For instance, my ranking from most to least preferred is:
1. New York. The economic, cultural, and social capital of the free world! I'm not trying to incite any altercations; heck, I'm not even from NYC. But, if you can't find it in NYC, do you really need it? Not to mention, the people are a very unique breed--rude yet sweet, kind yet brutally blunt, helpful yet very rushed. (Side note: I know this sounds cheesy, but I found the '07 "We're 4 New York" commercials from NBC4 on YouTube. Love 'em!)
2. Chicago: I'm sorry, but this city has some of my least favorite (and the meanest) people in the universe. The city still has many great qualities, but I just don't have a very good impression of the place.
3. Los Angeles: the Pacific coastline is the only thing that impresses me. Hollywood's a dump, downtown is boring, and the smog is horrific. At least there's a beach.

Chicago: I don't have a good impression of CHI because of its people, but I still like many of its arts, entertainment, and cultural happenings. I just wanted to make this clear becuase the original statement sounded like an oxymoron.

Answer 1

I like Chicago because there's a lot of things to do there.

Answer 2

1. Chicago. It has all of the best qualities of NYC, with the additional bonus that the people aren't in quite as much of a hurry and things aren't quite as claustrophobic. It is a true center of cultural diversity, and while the people are very hard-working, they are still laid-back. (I can't imagine you've spent much time there, I actually know several people who grew up in other cities who chose to make their home in Chicago strictly because of how awesome the people are.) Chicago is also the most economically friendly of the three, although it isn't cheap.

2. NYC. A true melting pot. Great food, great museums, always something goin' on. (Of course, that all applies to Chicago as well, just on a slightly smaller scale.) On the flip side, you don't see much blue sky in NYC (blocked by the density of the buildings). NYC is also ridiculously expensive... I would love to live there for a year or two, but ONLY if I was rich.

3. LA. Hmmmm. My biggest gripe about LA is how fake & shallow many of the people are. The west coast also does not have the work ethic of the midwest or east coast; the person serving you at a store or restaurant often has no sense of urgency. And if you own a business, you'll probably have a tricky time finding dedicated help. (This is more a reflection on transplanted people than the home-grown-- when people move to NYC or Chicago, they do it to find work, when people move to LA, they do it 'cuz they want to be "discovered" and make it easy-rich.) But of course, the weather is pretty much always perfect, the scenery is nice with the hills and all, and while it does not have that "big-city" feel that the other two have, it still pretty much offers anything you could possibly need. Did I mention the weather? LA has great weather.

Answer 3

Chicago is less expensive than LA and NYC and the people are different depending on who you meet and where you meet them. I actually have had people in LA and NYC be pretty rude to me, so it's all relative. I have lived in Chicago all my life and I find that people are really willing to help eachother out and do nice things, but again, that may not be everyone. I think too it may depend on where you get the best job offer and where your career might do the best. I am glad you recognize Chicago's cultural events, because we love them and have a lot of fun here.

Answer 4

New York (home sweet home, and contrary to what most people think, New Yorkeers are really nice)
LA
Chicago (it's to cold....., and the people WERE mean, I was crying on the bus and people were just glaring at me, in NY, someone would give you a tissue or comfort you, even if you were a stranger)

Answer 5

My first pick would be chicago. It's a shame you only met rude people because I met so many nice people from there. some people are rude though. There's this girl in one of my classes who is from chicago and she tried telling the class there are no jungles in the world. she was dumb.

next NYC

LA, im not even interested in LA

Answer 6

i would have to say chicago, because im from there, and ive never been to the other two cities...

i dont understand what everyone means when they say that chicagoans are "mean"... i dont see it.. but it's also a city where it's everyone for themselves... i notice the farther i travel down the state, the more 'courteous' people are and willing to talk to strangers.. sometimes it really catches me off guard and i dont know what to say.....

Answer 7

NYC- culture, not land locked.
ChiTown - lived there, Lake Michigan, the culture.
Definitely not LA for the same reasons.

Answer 8

umm i never saw Chicago nor Los Angeles but i went to New York when i was a kid(i don't remember it that much) but it was really wonderful so i'll say New York!

have a nice day....

Answer 9

nyc, I lived there for 15 years and it was an awesome.
I live in Chicago now and its a great city but its no ny
and ive never been to la before

Answer 10

Los Angeles.
Can go to the beach, mountains, desert all in 1 weekend.

Answer 11

I say new york, even though i never been there because it is really diverse and I love diversity. And I'm from chicago!!