It's a weird metric to say that late night nightlife is critical for being a global city, instead of say, huge percentages of the population coming from foreign countries. Airport access for direct flights, ect.

Miami also meets every single one of these metrics and has later night life than NYC. New Orleans has 24 hr night life. Vegas too.

Los Angeles has a higher foreign born population than NYC.

That seems like a silly criteria. How many people really care about doing things at 3:00 AM? We're talking about a small niche of shift workers and childless young people.

Las Vegas operates 24 hours a day if that's what you want.

Have you lived in or visited a world city? The feel and vibe is very different. It's why New York is called the city that never sleeps. When you get dense enough, there's always something to do and people out wanting to do it or at least wanting to serve it to you.

What else do you qualify as a world city? London is dead at 2AM except in a few specific areas, the tube shuts down. Paris as well.

I think what you mean by "World City" is actually just "Party Zone".

Not sure if you've heard the term before but it's a real thing and it doesn't just mean "party zone": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_city. More or less the effect of being a world city that's an economic/financial hub is that you have an emergent 24/7 network of services operational to support it.

> except in a few specific areas

Yeah that's what I meant. I don't mean "the whole city is awake". I mean that there are amenities available in certain areas more or less 24/7, because of the density, there is a critical mass of 2nd and 3rd shift workers, and other "off-hours" workers who have different schedules and make use of it.

For those interested, here's where the alpha beta gamma and -/ /+[+] classification system comes from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalization_and_World_Cities...

London is #2 in your list, and barely any of it qualifies by your definition. You won't find 24 hour services in most parts of London. You will find a downtown with a 24 hour pharmacy and a couple 24 hour drive thrus in my small town outside Seattle (and no 24 hour drive thrus or delivery within city limits).

You've got a very cosmopolitan view of what the world is. You should consider changing that.

Why do you sound so angry? You've totally missed my point and really sounds like you just want to argue for the hell of it zzz. It's fine if you don't understand what I'm saying but why the grief? I literally live in the middle of nowhere, incredibly cosmopolitan I know, and also have access to 24 hour gas stations and a few fast food joints. I have lived in an Alpha- city (see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globalization_and_World_Cities...) and visited multiple Alpha and Alpha+ cities, and New York and London, though. And what I'm describing is not a "cosmopolitan view of the world", it's an observation that there are some cities which achieve a density whereby there is a sort of nighttime undertone of life that you can't really feel in less dense places. It's much more than "just a pharmacy and McDonalds" open 24 hours. If you've never felt it then I'm sorry, you probably can't relate. It doesn't mean my entire anecdotal experience and worldview needs changing... I don't even know how to do that because I'm simply relaying my experience not making any assertions about validity or worth of other places in the world. I'm fully aware most people in the world, including me, are quite happy not living in a world city. Sheesh...

I was in London recently - December 2019 right before Covid hit. Stayed at the W Leicester Square hotel, and was disappointed to see how many restaurants were closed early.

On NYC, it has the best subway system in the US, but by global standards, it is filthy, disgusting, and unreliable. Any criticism leveled at the NYC subway is countered by Newyorkers saying "but we have 24/7 service while city XYZ does not!" However that same 24/7 service is arguably a big contributing factor for the NYC subway's many ills.

Seoul, and perhaps Tokyo and Hong Kong and other cities, arguably have an even more hardcore workaholic and party culture than NYC, but get along just fine with subways that don't run 24/7 so basic maintenance and cleaning can take place.

Yes I have visited. I don't see any advantage to that.

It's not universally advantageous and I never said it was. I think you're missing my point. If someone is looking for a world city, there aren't very many in the US. I didn't say I am looking for them or that you should be looking for them. I am suggesting that the original commenter is looking for them and struggling to find them. My comment is simply that: a comment about how I'm surprised there aren't more world cities in the US.

The definition of a "world city" is arbitrary and pointless. No one cares.

You seem to care to the point of it trigging a defensive reaction on your part. I didn't know I was entering the hornets' nest. I had no idea this was a touchy topic for some people.

I think your last point is an interesting arbitrary distinction, if you're going to make one. While Vancouver is pretty well regarded as a NA city with pretty decent transit infrastructure and other nice qualities, it does basically close after 2am which isn't as nice as a night owl. Transit stops almost completely around that time too.

Edit: None of this comment was meant to detract, just a comparison in agreement to the city I'm nore familiar with. Maybe Toronto's different

What is a "world city?"