Great post. I'm reprinting this from my comment on the blog because I hope more HN peeps who are making the NYC/SV choice read this:
Having recently moved from SV to NYC, I love how much more quickly I can get to startup offices and events. Even better, when I do travel, I do it by train. This means I don't need to pay for a car or car insurance, and it means that I can read my book while on the subway. In Silicon Valley, I couldn't afford a car and had to bike everywhere or be at the mercy of the Caltrain... a _very_ bad thing at 2:30am in San Francisco, I can tell you.
Also, Manhattan rent can be expensive (although the LES is not much worse than Palo Alto btw), but living in Harlem, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, or even NJ and Connecticut is much cheaper and, as the map above shows, adds only minutes to your commute time.
Also, after working hard on a startup, sometimes it's nice to play hard too. Bars and clubs that close at 4am, and being able to get home by cab, can make that part of your lifestyle a lot easier.
There are definitely a lot of upsides to NYC living, especially if nightlife is your favorite thing (and you have the cash for it).
I personally have spent a lot of time in NY (my gf lives there), but I definitely prefer SF (or anywhere in the bay area):
-NYC rents are pricier. SF is at least $300/month cheaper for a similar distance from downtown, which easily covers the price of a car (I'm one of those who really values the convenience one gives)
-SF has much better weather. I find NYC way too cold in the winter and way too hot in the summer
-SF wins on the outdoors - hiking and mountain biking are <15 minute drive away, but very hard to access in NYC (esp. without a car).
-NYC wins on mass transit, though often, I found it difficult to say, work on a laptop there due to overcrowding - BART/Caltrain typically have more seats available.
Having recently moved from SV to NYC, I love how much more quickly I can get to startup offices and events. Even better, when I do travel, I do it by train. This means I don't need to pay for a car or car insurance, and it means that I can read my book while on the subway. In Silicon Valley, I couldn't afford a car and had to bike everywhere or be at the mercy of the Caltrain... a _very_ bad thing at 2:30am in San Francisco, I can tell you.
Also, Manhattan rent can be expensive (although the LES is not much worse than Palo Alto btw), but living in Harlem, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, or even NJ and Connecticut is much cheaper and, as the map above shows, adds only minutes to your commute time.
Also, after working hard on a startup, sometimes it's nice to play hard too. Bars and clubs that close at 4am, and being able to get home by cab, can make that part of your lifestyle a lot easier.