<p>New York City far and away. I am completely with Woody Allen about LA - a soulless sprawl of highways. 
Actually I’ve been to LA a few times and have actually enjoyed it but it lacks the heart and pulse of New York City. I couldn’t think of a better place to live when starting out at a new job.</p>
<p>I think NYC is great at any age. </p>
<p>If you are serious about living here, I’d suggest making a reservation NOW for summer housing. There are hostels that are fairly cheap, but most take reservations and summer is booked months in advance. NYU Law and some other colleges rent out dorms to non-students during the summer. It’s not cheap, but it’s much cheaper than an apartment. Truth is that even in NYC, a LOT of apartments turn over Labor Day weekend, so often you’ll get a better deal if you can wait 'til then but the apartments will be LEASED before then. (In other words, you can’t show up August 28th and snag a moderately-priced rental apartment. You show up mid-June (or earlier), take a few weeks to find a place, and sign a lease to move in 9/1 when the current tenant moves out.) Also consider paying deposits to get on the waiting list for some of the more reasonably priced rental complexes. The wait may be 6-8 months or more. </p>
<p>Also, you can find a NYC subway map on-line. There are cheaper neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Queens and even New Jersey (very convenient for Wall Street). The name of the game is to get yourself an apartment close to a major subway line, preferably at least 2 major lines, so if there’s a problem on one, you can make it to another or, in Jersey, to a PATH station. Again, it helps to have scouted this out so when you arrive live and in person, you can focus your efforts on a couple of neighborhoods and have an idea of how far (time wise) a neighborhood is from where you’re likely to want to be and whether it’s “safe” enough for your taste–which is different for different people. </p>
<p>If you are determined to move here without a job, sign up for some temp agencies NOW for work down the road. Some won’t even take your name, but others will and some require criminal background checks or other reference checks that can take a while. Temping really can lead to a decent entry-level job in some cases. </p>
<p>Good luck if you decide to stand ON line and join us!!!</p>
<p>If you could find yourself living and working in Manhattan…that is great.
If you could find yourself living and working a bike ride away from Venice Beach…greater.</p>
<p>If you found yourself living in Queens and working in the Bronx…ugh</p>
<p>You are talking about hugh cities in size and with neighborhoods. The commute can be bad in both places. I used to have an office on Broadway across from City Hall and there were days when I got to meetings from Albany, before people could get in from Queens because of a subway fire or flood.</p>
<p>LA less snow; smog
NY sunsets 4pm in the winter but after 8 in the summer.</p>
<p>Living in one and having visited the other, I understand why so many people are bi-coastal. I do think you need different sets of eyes for each locale.</p>
<p>Okay, the LA-NYC joke, or one of 'em:</p>
<p>The difference is, in NYC when they invite you over for dinner, they sound as if they’re saying “Eff you.” In L.A. when they say “Eff you,” it sounds as if they’re inviting you over for dinner.</p>