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In coversation the topic of "best city" was discussed. My choice was New York (by a country mile). Someone actually compared Dubai to New York City - Fuggedabout it!

What say you?

erm only people who've been to both Dubai & new york Qualify to answer this

new york is better than dubai...but not the best city un the world

mmmmmmmm Dubai sucks @ss when it comes to weather......God damn when i was there I forgot to park my car in garage and i was parked in open hot sun, by the time i returned I saw my coke bottle inside the car exploded! and the cokes in Dubai has way too much gas in it.

Of course I think New York is better than Dubai. I also think it is a better place than Paris, London, Tokyo, Los Angeles (Dubai could be better than that), Amsterdan, Sydney, etc. etc.

The question of "best city" is a stupid one in my opinion. The best city for one person could be the worst nightmare for another and vice versa.

But its obvious that Dubai and New York are not in the same league to be compared. The population of NYC is double the population of the whole UAE...

Personally i dont like NYC, i prefer Boston or DC in the east coast.

dubai isnt in the same league as NY...but having said that...the lifestyles we lead in dubai...you'd have to be real rich to afford that in NY...does that compensate for central park/broadway plays/best pizza slice around the corner/grocers who are always cranky/little mexican resturants/amazing personalities...i could go on and on and NY...i cant imagine living there unless i earned shitloads of money....personally my best city in the world would be somewhere in spain...ONE thing common between NY and DUBAI are the clubs/bouncers/policies....they both think they own and control the world

i dont think new york and dubai are comparable
new york is 100 times better

I have been to both and my opinion is clear

New York sucks

Dubai Rocks

end of.................

I note that constantine's profile picture is one of him standing in Times Square (NYC - if that is him). When I see someone on the forum putting up a profile picture of him or her standing on Sheik Zayed Road then maybe there is a grain of comparison. Till then...

arnie...
sorry mate but really beg to differ...dubai is good...but NY is real and has a lot of history...and yes concord thats me...2005...it was an amazing trip...

Cons

I suppose it depends on how you view NY, at the end of the day its down to personal choice.

The reasons i didnt like NY was mainly centred around the issue of safety and smoking. As you know the Yanks are totally obsessed with the political correctness of treating smokers like the have some kind of disease. Basically you cant smoke anywhere except the pavement, and it looks like they will shortly stop that as well.

On concerns of safety, the total number of "robberies" in NY exceed in one week that of the whole middle east in a whole year. It is not a safe city by anymeans, and the advice to all tourists is keep your wallet very close and watch out for the huge number of lunatics branding guns.

The shops are mediocre by any cities standards. Yes they have big dept stores, but so what. London has bigger and Dubai has better malls.

The food is crap, well brill if you like cheap fast food inc Burgers etc.

Just my opinion.

Lived in Nu Yawk for a summer - 3 months of sunbathing on our roof, working till 6am bartending and living on champagne and jack daniels....great great time & love the city to pieces....

Dubia has yet to have the chance to impress me...but time will tell...

Summer is in the air in my fair city...im betting that the desert is reaching boiling point at this stage????

Happy day to all,

xxxx

veee

arniegang wrote:Cons

I suppose it depends on how you view NY, at the end of the day its down to personal choice.

The reasons i didnt like NY was mainly centred around the issue of safety and smoking. As you know the Yanks are totally obsessed with the political correctness of treating smokers like the have some kind of disease. Basically you cant smoke anywhere except the pavement, and it looks like they will shortly stop that as well.

On concerns of safety, the total number of "robberies" in NY exceed in one week that of the whole middle east in a whole year. It is not a safe city by anymeans, and the advice to all tourists is keep your wallet very close and watch out for the huge number of lunatics branding guns.

The shops are mediocre by any cities standards. Yes they have big dept stores, but so what. London has bigger and Dubai has better malls.

The food is crap, well brill if you like cheap fast food inc Burgers etc.

Just my opinion.

arnie
a city is more than stats and crime ....at the end of the day where would you come away with a satisfied mind and your curiosity being truely stimulated...NY!!...dont get me wrong...i love dubai...i think living standards wise we have it the best in dubai compared to NY...but cultural and intelectual point of view...no comparision...arts/plays/music/...man i'm almost tearing my hair out ....anyhou...food in dubai rocks!!...especially the indian and the paki ones...oh man!!...

arnie
a city is more than stats and crime ....at the end of the day where would you come away with a satisfied mind and your curiosity being truely stimulated...NY!!...dont get me wrong...i love dubai...i think living standards wise we have it the best in dubai compared to NY...but cultural and intelectual point of view...no comparision...arts/plays/music/...man i'm almost tearing my hair out ....anyhou...food in dubai rocks!!...especially the indian and the paki ones...oh man!!...

totally agree with you Cons

But..... at the end of the day art and stuff doesn't float my boat in the least. All i want is SSSS

(prizes for guessing what SSSS is ) Brits Excluded from entering.

shag shag shag shag???...i tried...wot is it then?

Nope

good try though Cons

Amazingly,

Although NYC has over 9 Million residents (excluding commuters) and its "infamy" for guns and crime, Dubai has a much higher per capita death rate resulting from violent death (5 times higher!). Just comparing (2005 statistics) the number of murders (and don't tell me there are none in Dubai as I read the papers) of 540 in NYC to the 236 vehicular deaths in Dubai (Gulf News 28-2-06) and 62 pedestrians killed in Dubai (Gulf News 23 April 2006) for a total of 298 violent deaths for a Dubai population of less than 1 Million (857,233)means that you are more than five times as likely to die a violent death in Dubai than in New York City (go figure).

And don't tell me death of a motorist or pedestrian are not violent deaths.

What a load of crap . Talk about creative statistics.

A violent death in a car in not the same as being shot for your wallet.

I've got to say that for me New York is one of the truly great cities of the world. The first time of visiting I found it a jaw-dropping exprience, the buzz of the place. It is a city with so much to see and do and an awesome sight on the eye but more than that it has a soul and character about it that is rare to find. The people also have a character and soul about them that has, if anything, deepened since those murderous barstewards tried to rip the heart out of it by killing thousands of people going about their daily lives in the city they love.

New York rocks and, I'm afraid, Dubai, despite its confidence, vibrancy and inredible growth, can't hold a candle.

arniegang wrote:What a load of crap . Talk about creative statistics.

A violent death in a car in not the same as being shot for your wallet.

No one said it was, the point, not based on "creative statistics", is that you are more than five times likely to die a violent death (regardless of the comparison type) in Dubai that New York. Either way you woud be as DEAD as a doorknob.

...comparing Dubai with New York ?

Personally, I think you either love the West or the East..and if you can't decide, then Dubai has a nice mixure of both.

I always enjoy the East better than going West. I love to experience a complete different culture, which you find going East straigth away.

By now, Europe is quite the same as the US. The US is just more overrated (still bigger cars, streets, burgers & steaks). I do like going to the US, also great people over there, but whenever I've got a chance to go East, I immidiately enter a different world.

I especially love Dubai for that, the Arabic culture, but not as enforced and it has a cool integration of the western culture.

But then again, maybe New York is not just like the US, it's a special community in itself, just like Amsterdam is not like Holland, it's more like a seperate country within the country.

My 2 cents..

Greetings

H.B.B

It's not fair to compare unless you do so based on certain criteria

I have spent equal time in both cities and was blown away for different reasons in each

NY I found to be the most expensive city ever visited (even when on UK pounds) and a starbucks o every corner was off putting

Dubai I loved for it's glitz plus combination of clash of cultures (Bur Dubai etc) It seems more prounounced

NY has excellent "art" culture but Dubai has it's own culture (haven't you seen the ad campaign " as old as history itself"

In choosing the better city you could judge on:

Locals
Would you live there (as opposed to visit)
Food
Nightlife
Shopping
Ease of obtaining work
Liberty - Equality - Fraternity
Weather

Goodness you could get really nerdy and do a balanced scorecard on it. But realistically you can't decide like that. I'm from the Gold Coast (Aus) and think it's the best city in the world, but I'm ready to try something new

I vote for Toronto or Montreal instead of New York or Dubai.

Hey Kanelli - I saw you said that on another post

[quote="scarlet"]In choosing the better city you could judge on:

Locals
Would you live there (as opposed to visit)
Food
Nightlife
Shopping
Ease of obtaining work
Liberty - Equality - Fraternity
Weather


Here is a comparison that blows Dubai, Toronto and Montreal away.

"Locals". That is the beauty of New York everyone is a "local" (i.e. it takes anyone two weeks in NYC to think he/she owns the place and belongs there. That way everyone is a "local" no "royalty" for if you think you are "royalty" New Yorkers (whether there an entire lifetime or recent arrivals) will let you know you are not!!

"Would you live there as opposed to visit". In a New York second!

"Food" pick the cuisine and it is there (and there is a choice with each not just one restaurant for each type)

"Ease of obtaining work": the difficulty is obtaining a visa but this is not unlike Dubai (where like in NYC many work on visitors visas)

"Liberty - Equality - Fraternity": Perhaps the main reason NYC has no comparable city in the world.

"Weather": A city with 4 distinct seasons (Toronto and Montreal have Winter and a few warm days and the summer is about 3 days long, if you blink you miss it)

"Nightlife": There happens to be more to "nightlife" than clubs and arenas and NYC has it all including of course the clubs. But if you are not a clubber then, unlike Dubai, there is something for you too.

With respect to expenses, Dubai is ridiculous for what you get (though on average NYC is more expensive but it is NYC!). Hey a cup of instant (immediate) coffee in NZ is 3-4 Dollars!

So there,

I've spent time in NY and could easily get a job there. However I'm a recent expat am in Dubai with my family.

For me, the answer to the question NY or Dubai is obvious.. and I've voted with my feet.

The biggest con with NY is the violence... the stresses of the city combined with an insane view of the right to bear arms equalling the right to carry hand-guns is scary.

Dubai is not without its faults, but for quality of life, schooling and safety - I vote Dubai.

Just my 2 fils.

Toronto and Montreal have 4 seasons as well, I don't know where you get the idea that there are no warm days in those cities! Summer temps can be 35 degrees in the shade. If you don't like winter that much, then Toronto is a better option. Montreal gets bloody freezing.

Toronto might come out on top because,

It is cleaner and safer than NYC (just don't go to Jane and Finch area )
Multicultural food and festivals all the time
Rocking night life
Canadians are generally very tolerant and easy-going people
Toronto is a friendly city, people help each other out
Excellent work prospects
The rents are cheaper than in NYC
Within an hour you can be in Muskoka (cottage country!) or other green areas, as well as the Niagara Region which is full of wineries, antique shops, golf courses, huge waterfalls, theatre and entertainment.

Kanelli, I have a few relatives who live in Toronto and we intend to visit one day.

Toronto has a lot going for it.. but the guaranteed snow and -20C temperatures in winter... brrrh... (but then again, I haven't experienced the summers here yet!)

People watch too many movies and believe every one in NYC carries a gun or owns a gun. FYI, anyone carrying a gun witouth a license receives a MANDATORY sentence of one year in prison (more added depending of where and under what circumstances the gun was found). It is next to impossible for a private citizen to obtain a permit to carry gun in NYC.