NYC is also a very stressful place to live for dealing with everyday stuff. There is a downside to life in big cities (I have lived in both Boston and Chicago, so I know a little something about it). Are the big cities "exciting?" Sure they are...but that "excitement" wears off, eventually.
Also - where you study - the actual physical surroundings, the comforts - are key. In NYC med schools, it is a cramped dorm - hard to imagine getting tons of privacy in any of those dorms. This is also a concern. I haven't lived in a dorm, or shared a room or toilet, with anybody else in a long time...not looking forward to that aspect at all. It seems to me that in NYC, it would be very hard to "escape" the madding crowds - you are constantly surrounded by other people...this is a concern to me. (PS - I know that "comfort" matters to you, too, dw, because you posted concerns about being able to bring your own bed to the dorm/apt at MSSM, right?).
But let me add that for the above concerns, as I indicated in the other post, are secondary to my decision (I said "overrated"). None of this will swing my decision assuming I am convinced that one school offers a superior educational experience over the other. The education and training are the most important aspects to me, regardless of the location, or the availability of a fabulous nightlife, or any of the other things that most people seem to prattle on about on these threads (not saying you, but many others do).
Elaborate on "general lifestyle stuff" please, because I am not sure what you mean here. I know, and live around, tons of med students and residents. They have no "lifestyle" other than the one that is imposed on them by the demands of this life.