NYC is kind of manic, more late into the night, not quite as much as Europe, but moreso than you average North American city. Great shopping and great food and always something going on. Having been there, I think I could live there, but for short periods of time, like 1-3 years, tops, just because I was born in the Mediterranean and then I lived in Canada, and I'm used to the vastness of space. New York doesn't have the brilliant sunshine of the Mediterranean, the open azure sea, the smell of salt in the air or the cleanliness, nor does it have the forests of Canada and the clear lakes and that feeling where you can drive 15 minutes out of Toronto and manage to feel like you're the only person left in the world. So I'd love to spend some time there (and if I go to law school, I would probably pursue articling there), but it's also a place that would make me feel very claustrophobic as time went on.
LA has really good roads compared to us in the Northeast, because they have no winter and no snow and none of those terrible cracks and salt erosion. Much better climate than NYC, but that hideous urban sprawl makes my skin crawl. Plus, I hear the smog is disgusting.