Well, coming from NY you might find LA slightly more friendly, though not by much. LA is totally not a city experience i.e. you must drive everywhere, no real practical public trans system, and everything is super spread out. (I say this as someone who grew up there and is an official San Francisco convert!)

San Diego is super laidback—but with the exception of downtown, incredibly suburban. Coming from NY you’ll either find that refreshing or very boring. :) But the weather … you just can’t beat it. :)

I moved here from NYC about a year and a half ago. The people are pretty much the same to me. The only real difference that has been significant for me is the driving. You must drive EVERYWHERE in LA. The buses do run, but they take at least 2 or 3 times as long as driving would, factoring in the wait, the traffic, and the longer routes. Also, LA isn’t really a metropolis, but a bunch of suburbs crammed together.

First and foremost… get a car!

Getting into the differences will lead me into a long discussion for which I do not have time for at the moment.

I am biased… I love the westcoast. I’ve lived in L.A. and San Diego as well as Boston. I grew up in So. Cal. I love it and will be going back in a few years.

There are many great differences. Hopefully others are more helpful than I.

1-) You’ll need a car and absolute PATIENCE for LA traffic!

2-) There aren’t as many places open after 2 AM as in NYC…be it restaurants, cafes or clubs.

3-) LA is not a pretty city. It’s a concrete jungle. San Francisco is gorgeous and San Diego is real pretty.
NYC definitely looks better than LA.

I was born and raised in NYC (projects in lower manhattan), I moved to Los Angeles when I was 24.

it was the best move ever! I was burning out in NY. I can honestly say I have a much better lifestyle in Los Angeles, and the weather is the best part. just looking at weather reports of the snow and the cold, and the heat in the summer, makes the move all worth it.

Sometimes I miss the food, and the shopping, but I make up for that by visiting NYC every year. Being in NYC 2 weeks a year is more than enough, I can really appreciate everything in NY now, I think if I had stayed in NY, I would hate it more and more.

seems like everyone else answered the car question. you need a car in LA because it’s so spread out. public transportation is not like what it is in new york. not to mention the traffic and the time it takes to commute.

i went to college in LA, but grew up in NY. so i’ve seen a lot of differences … but one thing i noticed among people that relocated to LA is that people tend to hang out in their geographic origins. for an example: east coasters chill w/ east coasters in LA, etc. people in LA are different … us on the east coast tend to use sarcasm a lot and are in general, more edgier i would say (for lack of better terms). it’s harder to get plugged in LA if you haven’t grown up there or went to school/college. don’t be discouraged when you first get there.

fashion is different … more simpler. you no longer have to customize your closet to the weather since the weather tends to stay the same all year round. that’s what i miss the most.

that’s a few to start you off …

Depends on what you like. Could you tell us more about yourself? What do you like to do? What kind of lifestyles do you enjoy?

LA is a very spread out megalopolis. It is a microcosm of the entire United States; and to some extent, the entire world. Whatever your niche is, you’ll be able to find it there. There are super urban areas such as the downtown area and West Hollywood, and there are more suburban areas such as San Dimas. There are dozens of ethnic neighbords; little Tokyo, little Saigon, little Armenia, Koreatown, etc. I personally would not live in LA again because of the smog, and the extreme spread out nature of the beast. Plus there is a sense of doom in the city. I prefer San Diego over LA. SD is more laidback, not as hectic, has slightly cleaner air, and is just overall more pleasant. I also highly recommend San Francisco. You should come out and check out CA for an extended stay to scope things out. It is really different than NYC.

I’m originally from Chicago and I have to tell you that the food in LA is terrible by comparison. Although I just visited New York city and was disappointed by the food there as well. It was better than LA though. Otherwise I like living in LA much more. The weather is probably the biggest reason for that, but I like the variety of atmospheres that you get in LA. You can drive a few blocks in any direction and find you’re in a completely different environment. Let me know if you decide to move to LA and have any more questions.

You should drop a line to Zadi Diaz or Steve Wolf. They are a video blogging couple that moved from NYC to LA on a whim and have been making loads of friends there. I’m sure they would love to connect with other NYers.

njtocali,

SD and LA are COMPLETELY different.

Lots of people here in LA, call San Diego, BlanDiego. In comparison, SD is much more chill. Do you spend more time going out? or staying at home? Do you have more of a mainstream lifestyle, or more alternative?

You will find MUCH more culture in Los Angeles. Whoever said the food was terrible in LA is wrong because there are so many places to eat in LA you could live there your whole life and never eat at the same place twice if you wanted to. Theres just so much.

Theres alot to say about LA. Check my review on LA if you’re interested. Just click my username to see my other reviews.
Both LA and SD have somthing for everyone, but I’d rather live in LA for the diversity and edginess that SD just doesn’t seem to have.

-GR

you will surely miss the city that never sleeps once you decide to settle in LA. if you are a city life type then you will need to adjust. definitely you will be paralyzed if you don’t get a car the moment you move in. don’t worry, used cars are not so expensive. clubs and bars are open until 12mn during weekdays and 2am on weekends.

less stress in either LA or SD i’m sure compared to NY. people are great with multicultural environment. there are so many places that you can go to. if you’re a beach person, you will definitely love the place. orange county is one of the good places to live in.