There will always be comparisons.....here's what I think, what about you?

I am generating a list of Seattle/WA state versus NYC/NY State, giving my preference and asking for yours.........I will continue to add to this list and you add to it too! Disagree, agree, add your own commentary

Updated 10/1/10  Rain in NYC is really different than rain in Seattle. It's kind of like NYC just has to make everything flashier, more dramatic, loud, and something to talk about, including their rain. Having lived in Seattle for 30 years, I saw a lot of rain but it was mostly just depressing when it rained a lot there. Here the storms are filled with PELTING rain, loud cracks of thunder, lightening bolts that light up the sky, wind that makes your hair fly horizontal. It feels like another big showbiz production. You have to own special umbrellas and galoshes are high fashion here. The choice of galoshes is amazing, really fun patterns and styles. I am kind of excited to get my first pair!

Updated 9/27/10   East coast toll roads suck, west coast freeways win hands down (just applied for an automated EZ pass that will makes things easier and cheaper but it still costs--without the EZ pass it's $8 dollars to drive into Manhattan, with it, I think it reduces to $6).  It would be less painful to pay the tolls if the roads were in good condition but they are awful, not at all well maintained so it seems a double whammy--paying tolls and driving on bad roads.

Stone material is used everywhere here for building anything, Bob and I love stone for use as building material, so for us, stone wins over wood

Seattle Satsang is so much better organized as far as email communication and posting notices compared to the NY/NJ satsang

Updated 9/20/10            Diners in Seattle are better--I'll try to keep an open mind and searching in NYC but so far, Seattle wins.

Mechanics I think are the same the world over, they know they have you over a barrel and you just have to trust them. It sucks.

Macy's in Herald's Square is way cooler than Macy's in Seattle downtown or Northgate mall.

Updated 9/17/10   Department of Motor Vehicles         Seattle any day of the week!  The DMV office I went to get my NY state drivers license and transfer my vehicle registration felt like it came out of an SNL skit. I spent 3 hours there and had oh so much time to observe all of the incredulous treatment of people. Lines and lines of people at the mercy of these state workers who most look like they are sick of their jobs of pushing the same paperwork day in and day out and answering the same questions probably a billion times over.  Wow, do they need some fresh blood in that office. I do have to give a shout out to the person who helped with my paperwork. He was pretty fabulous, a rarity in that whole place and it is BIG!
law enforcement transportation            NYC has cops on beautiful horses right in Times Square--love it! But I suppose the bicycle riding cops in Seattle's downtown deserve a shout out too.

waterfalls                       New York, hands down--How can WA top Niagara Falls??

mountains            Washington State, hands down but the rolling hills of NY state are quite lovely and soothing

organic food       Seattle, hands down, no comparison, the thing that I miss the most (thing not people!). people really don't know how spoiled they are there

weather              Summers may be muggy and Winters colder but overall, NY looks like it's gonna be the winner--lot's more sunny days and the evenings are so welcoming to be outside for at least 6 months of the year

city parks           New York City by far--the parks here (big and tiny) are really very central places for people to gather, visit, talk, eat, enjoy entertainment. NYC just knows its people need to be out of their apartments and gives them lots of places to gather. The parks here, regardless of size, remind me of the zocalos in Mexico and the plazas in Europe

nature                Hmmm this one is probably a tie between the states, each has their tremendous beauty, I don't think people associate New York State with having so much wilderness while it is easy to conjure that up when you think of Washington State. Probably the inverse happens in that Seattle doesn't get as much credit as it should for being a big metropolitan city--everybody thinks rain gear and hiking books, where as New York City gets too associated with New York State and nobody thinks about the state's nature and wilderness

dining          I haven't gone out that much yet, but I will say that I did a lot of really fine dining in Seattle and they provide very stiff competition for any other city in the world.  It's gonna take a lot for NYC to make me think they are significantly better

public transportation         NYC and all points out of the city by far...there is no competition here

diversity           Again, no competition, NYC is truely the melting pot of all cities, it's very cool

fashion            I am just starting to explore this but pretty much anything goes on the streets--it's fun and it gives me way more courage and inspiration to break loose a bit--we will see if I make any real leaps

entertainment       It's absolutely everywhere here in NYC--plenty of free entertainment and plenty to pay for

pizza                   Okay, so Bob and I are hitting lots of pizza places but we have to admit that we still quite partial to Tom Douglas' Serious Pie in Seattle.  We ate at an organic pizza place in Chelsea called Slice that was really good--it's just that the crust didn't even come close to the one at Serious Pie.  We are eating our way through several recommendations so the jury is out on this one.

recycling/green awareness      This one is Seattle hands down, absolutely no competition. The waste is obscene here

housing            Housing is expensive both in NYC and Seattle but probably NYC is the clear winner

state fair          Even though Puyallup is not a state fair, I gotta go with it for being a better fair experience. Maybe the NY state fair was just too big for us to see all that it has to offer but from what we did see, Puyallup does it better

shopping        NYC is like entering the DANGER ZONE for shopping.........need I say more

carousels       NYC seems to have a bit of a love affair with carousels, and since I love them too, gotta go with NYC/NY

billboards        New York State must have some laws about not having billboards on main stretches of thru ways because we hardlly saw any on our recent road trip upstate and we covered over 1000 miles. Not having them mar the scenery was really nice.

universities       New York City and State are crazy for universities and colleges---it's very impressive

gasoline prices    For whatever reason, gas is cheaper in NYC and NY state than Seattle and WA. The gas station near our apartment always has about a dozen or more taxis filling up there......it must be a good place!

I will continue to add to this list and you add to it too!  Disagree, agree, add your own commentary