New Yorkers are split down the middle about staying or going

By Mayra David | July 11, 2016 - 12:59PM

Look, we all heart NYC. Some of us have lived here our whole lives, and some of us intend to live here the rest of our lives. Some may want to leave, some may have to. This week on Brick Underground, we're exploring all of those scenarios. So in honor of "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" week, we asked six New Yorkers a simple, but tough question: Would you rather stay in NYC forever? Or leave our beloved metropolis one day?

For better or worse I've lived here for almost two years now, and can't imagine anywhere else that is a right fit for me to live in. There's a lot I love about NYC, such as the diversity, varieties and option of restaurants, places for sightseeing, gardens, the efficiency of the subway and buses, Broadway... Like any place, it can be overwhelming sometimes, because it's such a busy city. What I dislike: the amount of hassle it is to rent an apartment and all the paperwork it takes for a foreigner trying to rent a place here. —Tahini, Bushwick (pictured below)
Wear and tear I would leave eventually. New York City is too mentally exhausting to make it my forever. —Kim, Murray Hill
Not for all the McMansions in the burbs I was listening to this radio program the other day where this couple was making a six-figure salary, had three kids, living in a tiny, old three-bedroom for $3,000, and their building was dirty and smelled of pot all the time. They did not feel like they belonged to even the middle class. But they would rather live like that than in a shiny McMansion in the ‘burbs. I was like, “yup, basically.” —Lisa, Hamilton Heights
Far and away I love New York City! I was born and raised in this city. But I want a marriage and kids in the future, and it would be best to raise them outside the city. I want land and space. —Jocelyn, Morris Heights, Bronx (pictured below)
Buh-bye I’m leaving eventually, I know that. I want to live in a lot of places, but if I have to call one place home, it’s not going to be here. It’s the unspoken truth: You can live better and easier everywhere else. Like, literally, everywhere else. Cleaner, safer streets, more nature, have a balcony or a garden or both. Have some freaking quiet, no sirens to shock your system. Good, quiet, clean people. This is where my job and money is but other than that, what? —Friedle, Chelsea
Till death do us part I think I’m not your “typical” New Yorker, if you think about the number of people that live a certain way in this city. I live in a quiet neighborhood, I own my house, I know my neighbors, and aside from the hassle of street parking, I really don’t live this "typical" high flying New York so-called scene life. I’m here for all time, darling. —Carol, Hamilton Heights

Verdict: A total tie. Are we surprised?

Suburbs Would you rather escape to the suburbs or stay in the city forever?

Escape Poll: Where would you live if you had to leave NYC?

Brick Underground articles occasionally include the expertise of, or information about, advertising partners when relevant to the story. We will never promote an advertiser's product without making the relationship clear to our readers.