I work in Manhattan and it's a wonderful place to be. I have never seen human crap on the streets. Most of the violence is between bad people in neighborhoods you never need to visit.
The restaurants are fantastic, music venues are incredible (I have tickets to five concerts in the next few months and may go to more, depending on who comes to town) and the people generally leave you alone, which I like (overly friendly people weird me out).
And for a city, it's very clean. There is no comparison between NYC and San Francisco.
Agreed. I worked in Manhattan for a long time and, like you, found it NOT to be the hellhole many outside of NYC consider it to be. To be sure, you have lots of radicals and statists and similar types who make MSNBC seems like Deplorables. And for every improvement you see on 42nd Street, Bryant Park, and even Hell's Kitchen, there remain nasty areas that NOBODY would want to frequent.
That said, I've found Deplorables in NYC to be very strong, good people. The Churches are fantastic (and very traditional if you know where to look), the food is great, businesses are innovative, the music scene is pretty strong, and the scenery can be breathtaking.
You can say that again. NYC is comprised of young people doing their 2 year post college urban living experiment. Soon, enough, they'll discover what millions of others who have moved on to FL and elsewhere already know.
Now, add to that mix ambitious, hustling immigrants, and the city maintains a buzz of energy and excitement for which it has long been famous.
Third, consider the ridiculously bad weather - hot or cold, and there is no one with any sense who isn't into the get-ahead hustle that is just going to occupy space enjoying the day.
My wife went to college in NYC and we still visit 2-3 times per year. I love it for a long weekend. Every now and then we'll fantasize about getting a small unit and possibly living short term during spring or fall, but it's always a pipe dream. No matter how much fun we have, the luster eventually is lost and we're glad to get back home.
CA/OR/WA/CO, OTOH, is the opposite of NY, the east coast and mid-west. This is where people actually want to live, including the mentally ill. They may be crazy, but they're not stupid.
Someone wiser than me once said if the USA was first populated from the west, no one would have ever moved back east. It's just nicer here, and that's a core fact. So, we get the homeless pouring in from the entire country, and posting up just about everywhere imaginable.
Even with your insane communist mayor! That beats all.