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I think New York is the most sophisticated city in the traditional sense of the word, followed by San Francisco. I think Washington and Boston carry a sense of sophistication due to their respective strongholds on politics and education.
Chicago is very sophisticated, but in a more approachable way. It has all of the amenities and cultural offerings you'd find in NY or SF, but the city as a whole carries a down-to-earth vibe that isn't noticeably sophisticated. This is by no means a knock to Chicago, as I think it's unpretentious nature while being a world-class city is one of the things that makes Chicago such an attractive place to begin with.
I think Los Angeles and Philadelphia have a certain level of sophistication, but I think both cities need to become more refined to really be thought of as sophisticated.
Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not mad. I'm just making an observation. I don't like either political party, but I can recognize that both parties have their fair share of complete fools and brilliant minds alike. To assume that one does and one doesn't is, well, unsophisticated. That's all I'm saying.
Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not mad. I'm just making an observation. I don't like either political party, but I can recognize that both parties have their fair share of complete fools and brilliant minds alike. To assume that one does and one doesn't is, well, unsophisticated. That's all I'm saying.
And I was just bombing another stupid thread on this idiotic topic regarding childish notions of high society.
this, and in that order. I think LA/Chicago/Philly have those amenities but I don't get that sophisticated feel there amongst the populous and encompassing attractions, nor do I think that type of culture is as important there, at their core they are more working class cities while the other are definitely white collar. While LA has that materialistic scene it portrays (as does Miami), I certainly wouldn't call it sophisticated. Spend some time in each of the cities, do people watching, talk to people, live there, buy the local events papers, see what they eat, see how they dress, see what is important to them... I think it is kind of easy to peg if you are looking for it. Of course this can come off as pretentious as a way to pass it off, and some people undoubtably are there, but many others surely are the real deal. Seattle to a lesser degree is probably in the running for the 5th spot as well with any of the other 3 I just mentioned.
this, and in that order. I think LA/Chicago/Philly have those amenities but I don't get that sophisticated feel there amongst the populous and encompassing attractions, nor do I think that type of culture is as important there, at their core they are more working class cities while the other are definitely white collar. While LA has that materialistic scene it portrays (as does Miami), I certainly wouldn't call it sophisticated. Spend some time in each of the cities, do people watching, talk to people, live there, buy the local events papers, see what they eat, see how they dress, see what is important to them... I think it is kind of easy to peg if you are looking for it. Of course this can come off as pretentious as a way to pass it off, and some people undoubtably are there, but many others surely are the real deal. Seattle to a lesser degree is probably in the running for the 5th spot as well with any of the other 3 I just mentioned.
Good post. Most posts where you've replied when it sounded like I was putting down Chicago, was simply reflecting what you explained here.
I choose a few reps from each major region. They are...
Cascadia (PNW) Seattle
Portland
Northeast New York
Boston
D.C.
Philly
California Los Angeles
San Fran
San Diego
Sacramento
South/Gulf
Houston
New Orleans Miami
Atlanta
Great Lakes Chicago
Detroit
Cleveland
Minneapolis
MidWest...
Omaha
Lincoln
St. Louis
I disagree with many of your choices. For one, Kansas City is more sophisticated than Omaha, Lincoln, and St Louis for that region. I also would not consider Detroit and Cleveland sophisticated. Cincinnati would be much moreso. Lastly, New Orleans is hardly sophisticated. A city that revolves around Mardi Gras and puking in the streets is not sophisticated. Here are my choices.
Sorry, as absurd as krudmonk's post seems to be to you, republicans do indeed appear to be less sophisticated. Thanks to those tea party racist signs and lesser educated republicans like sarah palin and joe the plumber (to name a couple) I see on TV.
I'm not very political but that's just my perception and I'm sure the perception of many others.
True! Glen Beck, Michele Bachmann, Haley Barbour, Mike Huckabee, Sean Hannity, Mitch McConnell, the chick who ran for senate in DE, the goomba who ran for governor of NY, none of these people say sophistication to me in the least!
True! Glen Beck, Michele Bachmann, Haley Barbour, Mike Huckabee, Sean Hannity, Mitch McConnell, the chick who ran for senate in DE, the goomba who ran for governor of NY, none of these people say sophistication to me in the least!
Likewise Michael Moore, Dan Rather, Howard Dean, Nancy "We'd better pass this bill so we can see what's in it..." Pelosi, Joe "F-Bomb" Biden, John Edwards, and others of the same ilk are solid examples of those on the left who are the antithesis of sophistication. (With respect to the fact that we've made no attempt on this thread to devise a working criteria or definition of sophistication.) Both sides can sit back and take pot-shots at the other until they are blue in the face. It has been happening in Washington for years now, and goes a long way to explain why American politics is a wasteland these days. Both sides seem to have forgotten that they work for "We the people..."
Okay. Rant over. I am stepping down from my soapbox. We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming...
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