Contributing Writer David Grinsfelder Reports on Some of the Differences He’s Noticed Living in New York vs. Los Angeles
By DAVID GRINSFELDER | Contributing Writer
Toto, I don’t think we’re in the Palisades anymore …
The man lowered his shoulder, hunching over like a linebacker as he exited the subway car. A few feet away, his unsuspecting victim perused the Vignelli Map, a multi-color diagrammatic outline of the city’s serpentine subway system.
Curious onlookers perked up, drawn out of their own little commuter cocoons to watch how this impending catastrophe unfolded. I, on the other hand, took no notice.
Without so much as a warning cough, the man crashed into the oblivious gentleman, who ceremoniously tripped over his own duffel bag and greeted the cement floor like a clumsy circus act. His assailant barreled ahead and up the stairs into the brisk New York morning. No wasted effort of any kind. It was actually quite emblematic of a typical New Yorker on the move, if you think about it.
This whole experience would have been a funny introduction to New York for me, except for one problem—I’m the guy who just got the wind knocked out of him.
It’s been nine months since that fateful encounter on New York’s RW subway train. Fortunately, my experience has improved dramatically since that day.
After a summer spent living and working in Milan as a male model, I returned to the Big Apple and rented a two-bedroom apartment with my friend, Jason. Our fifth-floor walk-up is a workout for the glutes, but with no upstairs neighbors and 10-foot ceilings, we’ve got it better than most people in this crowded city.
I’ve been a Palisadian my whole life, and I know that Southern California is (and hopefully always will be) my ultimate home. But now that I’m a New York State ID-carrying 20-something with a knack for adventure, I’m trading sunset for sunrise. At least for now.
I decided in September 2023 to make my temporary move to New York a little more permanent by signing a year-long lease on New York’s Upper West Side. It’s quiet, safe and one of the few places where you can still find reasonable rents in this city.
New York City captivates the minds of people of all generations with its iconic landmarks, luminous nightlife, and dizzying array of cultural and culinary options. It is an enigma to those who have not lived here and can still be a mystery for newcomers to the city like me.
You can usually distinguish the locals from the out-of-towners using what I call the “heads up” method: If you see someone walking down the street, eyes aloft in admiration of the buildings soaring above them, they’re don’t live here.
I’ve learned enough in my short time living here that I feel confident giving a synopsis of the unique differences between Los Angeles and New York to my Palisades community.
For those who have not actually lived in the city that never sleeps, these go beyond the basic differences in weather, transportation and population density. Instead, I want to highlight some of the more subtle, yet distinctive, contrasts between America’s first and second most populous cities. And maybe share a few fun anecdotes along the way.
So, without further ado, please enjoy my breakdown of three of the main differences between Los Angeles and New York. Three additional differences will be published in a future edition of the Palisadian-Post.
1. Apartment Hunting
LA is smooth sailing when compared to New York.
To lament about rent prices in either city is requisite for living there. Unfortunately for Angelenos, New Yorkers suffer disproportionately when running the gauntlet of an apartment search.
In Los Angeles, finding an apartment took my time, but not my sanity. Along with a few close Palisades Charter High School friends who returned after college, we scoured the internet, toured a few listings, and then paid first and last month’s rent, plus security deposit. Time-consuming, sure. But in the grand scheme of things, nothing to lose sleep over.
Our rent calculated to $5,400 per month for a three-bedroom in Santa Monica. Certainly fodder for small talk on a first date or coffee chat, but not enough to crush one’s spirit.
In New York, the apartment hunting process is the same, but there is an extra step that blindsides and bewilders newcomers. You might have to outbid your competition to win the keys to your new place.
At a recent dinner in Brooklyn, a Realtor friend of mine casually mentioned that his client bid $4,700 to secure an apartment that was listed for $4,000 just two days before.
Worse than that, broker fees can cost up to 15% of the annual yearly rent. So, getting a $3,000 apartment will cost you $3,000 first month, $3,000 deposit and $5,400 broker fee—that’s $11,400 just to get keys in your hands.
2. Population Densities
Technically, the LA metro area is more dense … but it doesn’t feel like it.
Los Angeles is geographically big. From Santa Monica to Pasadena, all the way up to Granada Hills and down to Inglewood, it’s a sea of humanity in every direction. But because LA is built out instead of up, it usually doesn’t feel overwhelming. Unless you’re braving the onslaught of 405 traffic at rush hour.
New York, on the other hand, is dense. Manhattan alone houses 1.6 million people and measures just 22 square miles. The Palisades is 24 square miles, which means that Manhattan is 55 times as dense. So, even when you’re alone in New York, you’re never truly alone.
On a typical day, I wake up to the sound of trash trucks blaring their horns on Amsterdam Avenue. I brush my teeth accompanied by workmen drilling through drywall during building renovations.
Once I’m on the subway, I get comfortable rubbing shoulders with the morning commute, the smells of which are an endurance test for the nostrils. Even on my evening run through Central Park, I’m surrounded by an armada of joggers, bikers and others trying to find some serenity amid the chaos.
3. Late Night Life
Sunrise nights out in LA don’t happen often. In New York, they’re commonplace.
Neither city is anathema to great night life. Because of local liquor laws, though, most Los Angeles night life venues close by 2 a.m. When I’m out dancing with friends in West Hollywood or drinking Modelos at The Brig in Venice, I keep a careful eye on my watch once the clock strikes midnight. It is also imperative that you organize a “DD” (designated driver) in case Uber or Lyft decides to leave you stranded on Sunset Boulevard at the witching hour.
New York boasts a different kind of late-night scene. On most weekend nights, I don’t find myself out to dinner until 9 or even 10 p.m., and some of the hottest night life spots (The Stranger and Laissez-faire are two relatively new joints I’ve frequented in recent months.) don’t begin their main performances until 2 a.m.
In 2023, I can count on one hand the number of times I stayed out later than 3 a.m. in Los Angeles. Five months in to my tour of New York, I’m inadvertently watching the sun rise at least twice per month.
On the bright side, though, I can always count on the MTA (New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority) to get me home for $2.90, instead of spending a fortune on Uber.
David Grinsfelder is a graduate of Palisades Charter High School (2015) and UC Berkeley (2019). He currently lives in New York and is writing a series of travel stories for the Palisadian-Post. The Grinsfelders have been Highlands residents since 1989.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
