(Tuesday) December 15, 2009 @ 4:00 – 5:30 pmRoom #360

An Introduction to Living in New York City and Los Angeles

Agenda

• Introduction

• New York City (NY)

• Los Angeles (LA)

Weather SportsEnvironment Places to GoPeople ProblemsNeighborhoodsHousingTransportationUniversities

New York City

New York City & Suburbs

Weather

• Similar to Beijing

• Summer

– Hot and humid

• Winter

– Cold and dry

• Spring and Fall

– Very nice

Environment

• Very clean compared to Beijing

• Some air pollution in some parts of the city

– Worst in Manhattan

• Suburban areas are cleaner

People

• Metro area population: almost 19 million

• Ethnically diverse

– African American (2 million in city)

– Puerto Rican (800,000 in city)

People

– Dominican (600,000 in city)

– Italian (3.4 million in area)

People

– Jewish (2 million in area)

– Chinese (600,000 in area)

– Irish, Korean, & Polish

Neighborhoods

• Tribeca

• Soho

• Little Italy

• Chinatown

Neighborhoods

• Flushing

Neighborhoods

• Sunset Park

Housing

• New York City

– Mostly apartment buildings

– Very expensive in Manhattan

• Suburbs (New Jersey, Connecticut)

– Mostly single family homes

HousingManhattan

Apartment Rent

Housing

New York City Apartment Prices

Local Transportation• Do you need a car?

– In the city (no)

– In the suburbs (yes)

Local Transportation• Traffic

Local Transportation• Many subways

and buses in the city

• Buses and trains also connect the suburbs and the city

Local Transportation• Many taxis in

the city($2.50 plus $2 per mile)

• Few taxis in the suburbs

• Columbia University

• New York University (NYU)

• Princeton University

• Yale University

• Rutgers University

Universities

#8

#1 (tie)

#3

#32

#66

Sports

• 10 professional sports teams (football, basketball, baseball, soccer, ice hockey)

• New York Yankees

Sports

• Yi Jianlian and the New Jersey Nets

Sports

• US Tennis Open (August-September)

• New York City Marathon (November)

Places to go in NY

• Central Park

• Museum of Natural History

• Chinatown

Places to go in NY

• Statue of Liberty

• Empire State Building

• World Trade Center

Places to go in NY

• United Nations Headquarter

• The Museum of Modern Art

Places to go in NY

• New York Public Library

Places to avoid in New York

• Harlem

• Brooklyn

• Newark (NJ)

Outside New York

• Boston (4 hours)

• Philadelphia (2 hours)

• Washington D.C. (4 hours)

• Niagara Falls (8 hours)

• Canada (8 hours)

Problems

• Rats

• Terrorism

• Traffic

• High unemployment

Questions

Los Angeles

Los Angeles & Suburbs

Weather

• Coastal desert climate

• Lots of sunshine

• Summer

– Hot and dry

• Winter

– Cool and dry

• Spring and Fall

– Warm and dry

Environment

• Worst air pollution in America

• Smog

People

• Metro area population: almost 19 million

• Ethnically diverse

– African American

– Korean

People

– Chinese

– Mexican

People

– Vietnamese

– Filipino

– Indian, Japanese

Neighborhoods

• San Gabriel Valley

– Monterey Park

– Alhambra

– San Gabriel

– Arcadia

– Rowland Heights

• Orange County

• Hollywood / Beverly Hills

Housing

Local Transportation• Do you need a car?

– Yes

Local Transportation• Traffic

• UCLA

• USC

• Cal Tech

• UC Irvine

Universities

#24

#4

#46

#26

Sports

• 8 professional sports teams (basketball, baseball, soccer, ice hockey)

• Los Angeles Lakers

• College sports (UCLA and USC)

Sports• Beach volleyball

Places to go in LA

• Beaches

• Disneyland

• Knott's Berry Farm

• Universal Studios

• Hollywood

Places to avoid in LA

• LA Chinatown

• Downtown LA

• South Central

Outside Los Angeles

• San Diego (2 hours)

• San Francisco (6 hours)

• Las Vegas (4 hours)

• Grand Canyon (8 hours)

• Mexico (3 hours)

Problems

• Earthquakes

“California has more than a 99% chance of having a magnitude 6.7 or larger earthquake within the next 30 years … the likelihood of a major quake of magnitude 7.5 or greater in the next 30 years is 46%.”

The 2008 Sichuan earthquake had a magnitude of 7.9

Problems

• Wildfires

• Bad financial situation

– High unemployment in California (at least 12.3%)

– High sales taxes (9-10%)

– State of California is bankrupt

Questions