(Tuesday) December 15, 4:00 – 5:30 pm Room #360 An Introduction to Living in New York City and Los Angeles
Agenda Introduction New York City (NY) Los Angeles (LA) WeatherSports EnvironmentPlaces to Go PeopleProblems Neighborhoods Housing Transportation Universities
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
Housing Manhattan 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