Is it seen as a good destination to go to or live in? Have most Americans visited at least once?

49 comments

  1. I think NYC is a love it or hate it proposition for a lot of us.

    I’ve never been to NYC, but I lived in Chicago and got the same vibe.

  4. Yeah, I think so, although some people who don’t like cities probably wouldn’t want to spend time there. I went to NYC for a short vacation in 2021 (I live in California so it’s not closeby – I had been there once before but it had been a long time) and really enjoyed it. My friends and coworkers were interested in my trip and some had recommendations for things to do/see.

  5. No, “most” Americans haven’t visited New York. However, if you’re a person who likes cities and likes to travel, and you have some spare income, you’ve probably visited.

    It is an exceptional destination to go to if you enjoy cities and what cities have to offer.

  6. It’s common for young people to have dreams of moving there, but most let go of those dreams as adults because you realize the realities of living there. (It’s expensive, crowded, dirty, and hyper competitive)

    If you’re someone who enjoys city travel and arts/culture things, it’s very likely you’ve been there at least once.

    If you’re someone who isn’t necessarily a fan of big cities and isn’t super into arts/culture things, you probably haven’t.

    It’s far away for most Americans (it’s a 5-6 hour flight from where I live) and expensive to visit. So, you have to really want to see it to go to the trouble of visiting.

  8. It’s a popular tourist destination, but I doubt “most Americans” have been there. I have no desire, but my wife or kids may drag me some day.

  9. Greatest city in the world. A bunch of Americans especially in the suburbs are afraid of cities due to racially tinged scare stories in the media about crime (crime in NYC is actually lower than in most rural areas, New Mexico’s murder rate for example is 3x that of NYC). I grew up in the NYC suburbs and have now lived in Queens for 5 years and I love it, I highly recommend visiting and I hope you explore the outer boroughs as well as Manhattan.

  10. Ive lived in a lot of parts of the contenental US. It seems people who are well off enough to take vacations in NYC, are from NYC, or like musicals seem to like the city alot. Otherwise most people ive met dont really care about it. Chicago has a not-so-friendly rivalry with it. Growing up in Texas, I heard alot of belly aching about it (this was before california became their least liked state), so it threw me for a loop when everyone became very protective of it for a year after 9/11. After the world trade center bombings there was a year or two where the city’s popularity with working class people spiked, but it seems to have dropped again.

  11. Never been there but my grandfather visited once and said the best thing he ever saw was New York city in his rearview mirror.

  12. Idk how to quantify if “most” Americans have visited. Most people I know have visited.

    I love visiting. I don’t think I could live there due to the weather, but I’d be lying if I said I never thought of it when I was younger.

  13. Its a popular trip destination and its a popular place for young people to move to when they start their adult life.

    I try to visit for a long weekend once a year i love it but there is absolutely zero chance i would even consider living there. Its just a completely different lifestyle than anywhere else in the US

  14. For a minority of people, there’s a bit of theater on both sides of the aisle regarding NYC. In one camp, you have the dreamers who idolize it, and on the other, you have those who outwardly express their disinterest or contempt, and their intent of not even wanting to visit, much less live there.

    Most people would probably take the middle ground and wouldn’t mind visiting and perhaps also enjoy visiting, but probably wouldn’t actively choose to live there unless life sort of just led them there for whatever reason.

  15. Hard to say “most” Americans have been there, but it’s popular enough. Many of my childhood friends from California have been there at least once, in part just to see it. Whether they love it or not is a totally different discussion.

  16. It’s a little over an hour by train to get to lower Manhattan for me. Going into the city for me is vaguely like going on a vacation but it’s just the travel days kind of feeling. Effort, planning, and generally summoning the requisite energy all goes into getting into the city.

    Although, this will be my second time in a week’s time going to NYC but will probably be followed by several months of not going anywhere near it. So, make what you will of that.

  17. I feel like if you’re born in NYC, you love it to death but if you’re not from there, you might enjoy visiting but you’d never want to live there.

  18. NYC is extremely popular for Americans to visit, at least. It is often regarded as one of the quintessential Places You Must Visit Before You Die^TM which, alongside the extensive presence it has in media and pop culture, entice a lot of people to want to visit. I don’t know if *most* Americans have visited NYC, as the US is a vast country, and NYC may be far away and expensive to get to for many people. The city is also expensive when you are there, and not everyone may be able to afford it. There are also quite a few people who have no desire to visit it.

    As for living in NYC, there are plenty of people who desire to live there, or even dream of living there, but also plenty who do not want to live there by any means. Some people feel comfortable living in a large city like that, some people do not.

  19. Most? I doubt it.

    But if you said more Americans have visited NYC as a tourist than any other US city, that’s probably accurate.

  22. When I tell my ESL students I’ve never been to NYC they are always really surprised.

    When I tell other Americans they either say “me neither” or are generally not surprised wat all. It’s a common place to visit, but it’s also common to not visit it. (I’m only about a 7hr drive from the city, for reference.)

  23. I’ve visited a few times. If you like cities, its probably the ultimate US city (although I think New Yorkers oversell it on the world stage).

    If you hate cities, it exemplifies and amplifies most of the reasons why people don’t like cities, with the exceptions of high crime and urban blight, which surprisingly, NYC actually does pretty well on.

    The few times I’ve visited are enough. I’m happy to bypass it on my way out of and back to New England.

  24. Meh. At the end of the day, it’s a big city. It’s like asking the English how popular London is. Some people are going to like, some people aren’t. But it certainly isn’t some kind of of Mecca for Americans and l’d doubt if most Americans ever visit it. They’ll just go to whatever big city is closest.

  25. NYC is amazing. If you are OK with cities, it’s got EVERYTHING.

    Lots of people don’t like cities and NYC is the citiest of cities (except low crime).

    NYC has about the most visits domestically (Orlando is close and I think they go a bit back and forth).

    But I bet most Americans haven’t visited it. It’s about a 40 hour drive from California and would take more than 3 days on a train. There’s a lot to see in the US so while NYC is amazing, folks probably wouldn’t feel like they were missing out because they have another big destination closer like LA, San Fran, DC, Miami, etc.

  26. It’s cliche for young adults in their 20s to move to NYC after graduating college to experience life in the big city. It’s definitely romanticized a lot. Many rural people consider it a crime den and would not live there.

    Almost everyone I’ve met from the northeast have visited at least once. A lot of people I’ve met on the west coast have not been.

  27. For me, it’s one of the best cities in the world. Lots to do, interesting neighborhoods, diverse people, great restaurants. I’ve been to NYC six times and I’ve never gotten bored.

  29. It’s a relatively popular place to visit in proportion to your proximity to it. So I would guess that most people in Newark, New Jersey have been to NYC and that only a small percentage of people living in Sitka Alaska have been there.

  30. I assume you mean Manhattan – people forget the city is more than just that, but it’s what most people think of when they think NYC so we’ll keep it to that.

    The honest truth is that it’s nothing close to the mythical glamorous place that is portrayed in tv and the movies. Unless you’re coming in with a huge bankroll you’ll discover that apartments are incredibly tiny and expensive af. Public transportation is a huge hassle, everything costs way more than it should with the rationale that “we’re in new york” and there’s quite often a noticeable garbage odor in the air. It’s fine to visit for the touristy stuff but you couldn’t pay me to live there. I’ll stick to the suburbs and live vicariously.

  31. It’s a great place to visit. I go a couple times per year as do most people I know. However, many people would not want to live there.

  32. I’ve been there. If you love big cities it’s good. And if you have lots and lots of money. The average American might not care to live there, but might like to be a tourist on occasion.

  33. > to go to or live in?

    To go? Sure. Worth going at least once I’d say, but many or most Americans haven’t. Not everyone likes big cities and tourist destinations.

    Live in? Hell no. It’s one of the most expensive places to live.

  34. It is 5,000 km from Seattle to NYC, so this is sort of like asking a Brit if they have been to Moscow…except that’s only about 2,900km.

    Most American have not been to NYC.

  36. Last century it was THE place in America. Unfortunately it sold it’s soul for money and now it’s too pricey for anyone to care about it.

  37. I was born in NYC and lived in New England and the mid Atlantic my entire life before moving west ten years ago, so NYC was the middle point between family and school at various points. My aunt has lived next to Times Square for more than two decades, so she was always a reason to go and a root point if I wanted to visit for other reasons. My sister recently graduated college and moved to Harlem. When I left college almost 15 years ago, a bunch of my friends were in the city, so though I moved home to DC, I would often take the Chinatown bus or mega bus up there. Before college I would take the train to commute between DC and Connecticut.

    It’s a fun place to be and an interesting place to be, but I wouldn’t live there, especially since choosing Los Angeles as my adult home.

    It’s possible it just had no interest for me because I visited so much before I turned 25. It’s exciting, I loved walking around and knowing where I was going and what I was doing, seeing shows, knowing people and getting back stage, the bars. I don’t think I would like the cost compared to the amount of outdoor space, the grime, or the weather (anymore).

    I do think it’s worth seeing in your lifetime — a couple times if you can do it.

  39. Most probably haven’t, but everyone knows about it and probably knows a lot of NYC specific stuff from the media.

    It is probably near the top of the list of cities for tourism though.

  42. Been there many times; would consider living there under the right circumstances. I enjoy visiting for the same reasons I enjoy visiting London & Paris. It’s neither a dream nor a mystery.

  43. I’ve been to NY exactly twice in my life and have no desire to ever go back. I’ve enjoyed several cities, but New York is not for me. The only way I can describe it was sensory overload.

    It felt like a maze with no real way out with how far skyscrapers stretched in every direction, there were things happening everywhere all the time, and the smell was… well I’ve been in bathrooms in frat houses that had a similar odor.

  44. If you live on the east coast it’s an exceedingly easy destination to get to. As expensive as it is to live there it can be relatively inexpensive to travel and stay in NYC. Most food outside of your Michelin Star offerings will be comparable to most other large cities and there are many chain hotels, I stayed at a LaQuinta in Midtown. You also don’t need a car which can’t be said for most US cities. If you’re looking for free museums DC is a better option, for most other things NYC is gonna have it in excess. It’s truly a city you can visit frequently and never see the same things twice.

  45. I’m from there, moved to another state in high school and still visit NYC due to family. It’s a popular destination because it’s NYC and many people I know have been at least once (usually when they’re kids), some haven’t been at all but want to.

    I love NYC, the vibe, transit, food, and sights are a different kind of magical, but they’re not for everyone. I for one will NEVER move back, too expensive and you can get more for your buck elsewhere. If it’s your vibe and can afford a shoebox apartment, then it’s the place to be.

    Definitely love the transit though, it’s as close to European style transit as you’ll get in America.

  46. Either loved or despised, with little in between.

    Its one of the most mischaracterized cities in the country for sure. For one, manhattan is only 1/7th the population of NYC. Most don’t live in skyscrapers, they live in neighborhoods like [this.](https://i.imgur.com/5ZMPsIb.jpg)

    Two, most people do not pay the rents you see on headlines. Over *half* of apartments are rent stabilized, and new apartments on the market tend to be luxury rentals. In my neighborhood, the average 1b on headlines is 2.8k. The actual average rent paid is only 1.6k.

    Three, it is often seen as a very dangerous place. Out of the top 50 largest cities in the country, it has the 5th lowest homicide rate and 6th lowest violence victimization rate. In terms of unsheltered homeless people, NYC has *1/18th the rate* of LA. You can walk for miles in brooklyn or queens and see barely any homeless people. Its not like Skid Row.

  47. I live in Chicago and don’t really feel a need to go as my all of my city needs are already fulfilled. But my intense love of lox bagels does make me consider a trip every once in a while

  48. Most people I know have been there. I’m in Minnesota.

    My social circle is middle to slightly upper middle class and mostly college educated and professional.

    So at least among these folks almost everyone I know has been there a few times.

    I think I went 3 times as a kid and 3 times as an adult.

    It has really grown on me and I really love the city now.

    Chicago is still better haha. or shall I say I like it better but NYC is really great.

    In terms of living there? I may have enjoyed it in my 20s but in middle age I gotta have me some lakes, trees, and horizon to go with my city. NY has some of that but it’s just not built into every moment like it is in Minneapolis.

  49. As someone who lives near Chicago I do not give two cares about NYC. I’ll probably never visit it.

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