What's pretty much unique about NYC, especially Manhattan, in the US is that there's no cultural expectation that a well-paid professional will own a car. By comparison, people can get by without owning a car in Boston/Cambridge--I did as an undergrad--but get out of school and a lot of your friends probably live in the suburbs/exurbs, you need a car to head off to the mountains, etc. Sure, you can rent and Uber up to a point but most people find it 1.) gets old and 2.) As a practical matter means they mostly just stay in the city because doing otherwise is too much of a hassle.