Hi LS,
(to be published on my blog) Thanks for your input on large cities vs surburbs like your area, and on SLC. Here are some things about NYC:
* calibre — (some people say) top 2 cities with top financial talents: London and NYC. I put myself into the hottest talent pool and I hope to grow stronger.

• transport — no need to drive. no road rage. no dependency on a machine. no concern about weather condition, no gas price, no fear about driving my loved ones and putting them at “risk”…

• Chinatown — NYC has the #2 biggest Chinatown among US cities. You pointed this out as well.

• everyday shopping — almost all my adult life i have lived within walking distance to shops, clinics, banks, restaurants…

Your living condition is far better[1] than ours in NYC. My family probably need a level of comfort somewhere in between our 2 levels. It’s still hard for me to estimate the cost to live at that in-between level of comfort. Rental cost is about $1k for 2 rooms. When baby gets bigger, i think no change. 2 rooms enough. In NYC outskirts like NJ, rent is higher. Tristate is my top choice because of financial industry.

[1] in terms of space, cleanliness, furniture, neighborhood, …