Will it really be easier to get into NYC from a Canadian university than from 'Bama or other non-east coast US schools? Not a lot of Canadian universities have the same recognition in the US as the US universities that have been suggested.
The last guy I knew who went to NYC graduated from either Texas Tech or NM State, I believe. Mostly the rest of the country has kind of a take it or leave it attitude about NYC, which combined with the cost of living, is a much more effective deterrent than regionalism.