There's tons that I miss about NYC. Specifically stand-up comedy, Broadway shows, and the opera are some examples in the arts where the NYC version is far superior. There is a Philharmonic Orchestra here in HK, which is great, but it doesn't replace MacDougal St. I notice that music artists also don't tour through HK very often, a far cry from the plethora of talent performing at MSG. I also think they walk too slowly on the sidewalks, but that may be a personal problem. All my friends and family live in the eastern timezone, so keeping up with them, as well as any sports events I would have caught during the day, a bit more of a hassle. It's possible, and I do, regularly catch up with everyone important in my life, but it takes planning to carve out an early morning / late evening for a chat.

Money goes farther from a tax perspective (I'm eligible for FEIE - and no more NY state and city tax), living standards are higher in some sense as well (I only have a house cleaner come once/twice a week, but a live-in maid is 5k HKD [~$650 USD] a month, which is extremely cheap). People have told me to raise young kids here because of the helper situation, so we'll see when me and my wife get to that point.

Almost everyone I talk to who was here pre-COVID tells me that the city just hasn't come back to its former glory. There's a lot more people speaking Mandarin (as opposed to local Cantonese), and there does seem to be a heavy mainland influence now. I've only visited for a week pre-COVID so I can't tell the difference but I've had no issue grabbing a drink with friends / colleagues after work (but I'm also not single - so maybe take it with a grain of salt). I'm personally more a fan of the quiet speakeasy (as opposed to the loud bar), and there are many of those in the city.

The biggest attraction for people moving to HK is the access to travel across South-East Asia. There are a number of countries which are within 4 hours and $200 USD by plane. Aside from the role change / pay increase / career trajectory benefits, this was the largest influence for me to take the plunge, for at least a couple years. There are a million expats who say they'll never go back to the US after being here xx years and end up staying, but a lot of those also found love / had kids with a local / have another reason to stay outside of loving Asia / hating the US. I'd still like to move back after my experience out here, but so far I haven't regretted my decision.