It's strange. Yes, there's so many people coming and going, even at late hours of the night, NYC is truly the city that never sleeps. Yet it's different. Somehow I was always able to find my own solitude in the midst of them all.

Now, maybe it's not fair to compare my very brief experience of LA. (My late spouse and I just drove through it.) There the press of people seemed to push in on one's awareness. It's the same with Phoenix. And I did spend a few months there, from April to September in 1987. Why the difference should be so strong, I don't know. I know Phoenix doesn't have the very large park which gives a restful center area. Also, the air pollution is very bad in Phoenix, as there is a bowl effect in which the mountains hold the pollution in. The combination of both very dry and very polluted air makes it very difficult to breathe. In contrast, the air in NYC seems to be much cleaner, the ocean breezes making it easy to breathe there.

The very efficient subway system also makes it easy for people to get around, as well, thereby reducing travel stress. So there's a lot of factors going into the overall effect a city has upon one.

But that each city has an unmistakable personality is fascinating to learn in travel.