Dear Readers,
For me, travel is the lifestyle and I enjoy the change of the environment, climates, people and the feeling of freedom and openness that comes with it. Moreover, the ordinary curiosity of my friends and colleagues that is usually followed by the questions like what is your favorite city, where is it better to live, which city is the world’s capital today and so on? This gave me the idea for this post and I would like to share my personal experience and perception with you.
New York versus London – the world’s famous cities and fashion capitals will be our focus of attention for today and we will try to figure out what is the best hot dog or donut, coffee or tea, yellow taxi or black cab? The answers to this questions depend on numerous factors and personal preferences let’s look at some pros and cons.
Climate: although London and New York fall in the same temperature latitudes, the environment conditions differ dramatically. London has a more oceanic climate that is largely influenced by the warm Gulf Stream. Therefore, the summers in London are cool; winters are mild and dark with the heavy rainfall. Snowfalls are something atypical for the British capital. Although the capital of Great Britain is known for its rainy weather, in fact, most of the precipitation falls precisely in the American metropolis. In New York, the climate is British Manhattan Continental. The summers are much longer and hotter, the weather is much sunnier than in London, and the winters are very cold and often snowing. In most of the year, the climate in New York apparently surpasses that in London, and this is an indisputable fact.
Architecture: it is difficult and I believe impossible to determine which of the two giants is superior to the other in relation to its architecture. London is definitely one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Here you can see such architectural masterpieces as Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Tower Bridge, and Westminster Abbey. In the center of London, a modern financial center with skyscrapers that represent the financial heart of the city can be found. I believe, London outshines New York in historical beauty and sophistication, but on the other hand, New York is a true canyon of huge skyscrapers that can make a person flinch with delight. I can say with the confidence, that architecture of the Big Apple is more magnificent and impressive. Therefore, there is no winner in this category.
Parks: one of the most famous and beautiful city parks in the world is Central Park and it is in New York. This is literally an oasis of fresh greenery in this big and effervescent metropolis. However, one of the cities that New York can compete with in this respect is certainly the British capital. It is hard to imagine a greener city of the same magnitude than London. There are many large parks, and some – like for example, Richmond Park and Bashi are more than Central Park itself! London looks as if not the parks are the part of the city, but the city is the part of the sequence of parks.
Security: in recent years, London has really turned into a new New York. Until the 1990s, the Big Apple was a much more dangerous place than London, the economic center of the British capital, but today London has outstripped it significantly. In the 90 years, New York made a big metamorphosis in terms of crime, and now it is much calmer and safer. Although both giants are the potentially great interest of the terrorists’ attacks. London, in fact, is more dangerous than NY. Indeed, in both cities there are places that are recommended to be avoided, however, it turns out that there are more of them in London.
Economy: in the 20th century, New York was much stronger than London. Since the beginning of the new millennium, everything began to change at the breakneck speed. London increasingly started to take advantage of that and today many of the British capital indicators are higher in comparison to those in New York. London enjoys more interest from young immigrants because the European Union creates favorable conditions for them. On the other hand, NY has tightened immigration policies in connection with security measures. London gradually began to catch up with the NY and today it is the largest financial center in the world.
Fashion & shopping: NY and London are both worlds’ fashion capitals. However, I would rather say that NY is the undisputed favorite when it comes to the fashion. Even for such cities as Paris and Milan, it is difficult (even impossible) to compare with the Big Apple. Fifth Avenue in Manhattan is considered the best shopping place in the world. Fashion Week in New York is considered the most important fashion event of the year. Nor can London be underestimated, which is one of the world leaders, but still the British capital is much inferior to New York in this respect.
Celebrities: New York still surpasses London in terms of celebrities. In fact, at some point in their lives, almost all celebrities lived in the American metropolises. This city attracts even those whose work is not specifically related to the city. In the circles of actors and musicians, there is a mass opinion that New York City is an undeniable inspiration.
Culture: for some, it may be a surprise, but a city that is superior in terms of its culture is certainly New York. Many people may ask themselves why, and the answer is very simple – because it is New York the place and origin of the modern Western culture as we know it today. This city is a symbol of modernism, progressivism, and globalization. New York – is a true example for everyone, including London, of cosmopolitanism and the real representation of all races, nationalities and world’s religions combined coexistence.
Nightlife &Entertainment: in general, the British capital London is considered to exceed NY in terms of entertainment opportunities. The explanation for that to a certain extent is that London is a more popular tourist destination and in addition to its millions of residents, it also serves tens of millions of tourists. On the other hand, New York is a working city. There, people have less free time and, consequently, less opportunity for social contacts. It turns out that London is much easier to find a suitable institution in accordance with the taste of man. As to the nightlife London and New York, both offer an enormous amount and diversity at any time of the day. When the sun sets, megacities turn into a concentration of nightlife. What is the difference between them? It’s pretty simple – New York is like Moscow is a city that never sleeps! Bars, restaurants and even some shops here remain open past midnight, while London’s bars and restaurants close around 23.00 (11 PM) throughout the week.
Perspectives: which of the two cities will be the world leader in the future is a question that is difficult to answer. Today, the mass opinion is that London will take the lead and New York with reluctance, but will have to cede its leadership. It already feels that London has begun to outrun New York a bit, but the differences are still insignificant. Big Apple and the British capital are still very close in strength and power. However, for many people around the world, London is already the leader, and it is confirmed by the statistics figures. Moreover, in order to be the best the British capital needs to complete daily and if it weakens its position it will struggle to reach leadership, because when the opponent is as giant and strong like New York, there is no room for mistakes.
To choose where to live or where to go is the matter of your personal taste, goals, and preferences. However, both NY and London should be on the list of the most desired and loved destinations. London is indeed the closest and therefore favorite destination to the European inhabitants and NY is still the world that is highly desired to be discovered and dreamed to live in! Dream big, travel the world and enjoy every moment of precious life!
XoXoLenLenStyle
Thanks for reading me
