1) Top-tier companies to work for (second only to SF)
2) Top-tier arts/culture/park systems (second to none)
3) Wife is Korean and this is the place she's felt most safe walking alone on the street in the US (having previously lived in the Philly suburbs, Philly, and LA).
3b) Extremely multi-cultural and accepting. "Accepting" as in no one cares about anyone, which can be paradoxically nice. (second to none)
We couldn't find a city that improved on these trade-offs elsewhere in the US. Actually we've had a hard time finding places with better trade-offs anywhere else in the world (Toronto is a good candidate). But I want to work outside North America sometime.
We pay for it in the insane rents.
Certainly no harm done living in NYC for two years especially if you come with a job lined up. It will definitely make you a bit more street smart and more adaptable, I think. As far as settling down permanently and raising a family, nope.
One good thing is that living in NYC, for the first time I didn't feel like a minority. It's so different to most of the rest of the US. There is no majority "in charge" of the place. I think that was an important experience for me.
I don't regret living there, but I wish I left sooner.
Edit: if your career is, and always will be, extremely important to you, and you have a good position with lots of potential to move up, and you are workaholic type, you will probably love it.
What's the draw of Europe? Personally I don't think I'd like being a foreigner and not having any friends there. Might be cool to visit for a month or two but 2 years is kinda.... stretching it? At least in NYC its still in the states
This is a strange assertion. What do you mean by this? Are you regurgitating the standard complaint about (white, midwest) transplants? From what I've seen over the years, most of the hyper-aggressive ding dongs are braying and bleating with thick, native NY/NJ accents.
Otherwise, my experience has largely been the opposite. I’ve worked with expats from Japan and Europe, and most of them love it here. Most of the Japanese folks actually chose to bypass the West coast entirely, having never been there, and came straight to NYC. One described it as “the future” in terms of diversity.
But yeah, it’s a big city, and I see shitty behavior all the time, so I’m not surprised by your experience.
Edit: the rapid downvotes show how fragile the egos of New Yorkers are, this was always something I knew... really can't handle being told New York isn't the greatest place in the world!