Which city would most foreigners rather visit: Boston or DC? (state, better)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
24,544 posts, read 56,068,476 times
Reputation: 11862
Advertisements
Maybe this isn't the right place to ask this...okay, let's pretend you're a foreigner, which would you rather visit and why?
I had the opportunity to visit both, and both are among my favourite American cities. Honestly, I find it really hard to divide them, but for very different reasons.
DC obviously is the capital and has more famous sights, White House, Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, the Mall, War memorials, Smithsonian, Ford's Theatre, Arlington, but Boston is the 'Cradle of the Revolution' and is so central to America's history. As a city, Boston probably has more charm, but I suppose it'd be hard to miss DC simply because of the 'big sites.' Then again, not all foreigners are that interested in seeing the White House, and as cool as DC is, if you took those sites away I think Boston is a nicer city to visit.
I was going to say DC but you know, come to think of it, I think I might go with Boston. I guess a lot of the American things don't hold the same spiritual significance to me, although I could definitely feel how sacred they were to Americans. I think I'm just a sucker for historical cities and pretty urban streetscapes though. I would include Philly in this poll (in fact when in NY I could choose between Boston or Philly, both of which I really wanted to see, but I went with Boston. DC was part of the tour I was on.)
From what I've seen, Washington has more Asians with camera's than a Beijing photography festival, so I'm going to say DC.
But seriously, if you've got a limited amount of time for a vacation and have spent the money to come to the US, I'd think DC would be the bigger draw. Boston's a great city, but there are many great cities on the planet, and only one capital of the United States. Whether you think the US is the Shining City on a Hill or the Great Satan, its certainly an experience to be at the seat of government for the most powerful human institution in history.
Most tourists aren't going to have the time to delve into the nitty-gritty of a city and experience it like permanent residents do. They're going to have a few days that they will probably spend on the sites that they can only find in that city. I can think of better places to spend a week, but I can't think of any better place to spend a single day in the US than the National Mall. Stunningly beautiful monuments; massive, historic stone buildings housing the men and women who's decisions shape the entire world; gorgeous vistas all four seasons of the year; and to take it all over the top, the entire thing is surrounded by the legendary Smithsonian museums, most of them completely free.
Boston is one of the coolest cities in the country, but the National Mall is one of the coolest places on earth.
I enjoy both cities. But given a choice, it's Washington, D.C. ... tailor-made for tourism, with open top sightseeing buses, Potomac river cruises and all.
D.C is more well known and there are plenty of tourist friendly areas and hotspots. Its one giant tourist trap in DC compared to boston. Boston still gets many tourists though.
Maybe this isn't the right place to ask this...okay, let's pretend you're a foreigner, which would you rather visit and why?
I had the opportunity to visit both, and both are among my favourite American cities. Honestly, I find it really hard to divide them, but for very different reasons.
DC obviously is the capital and has more famous sights, White House, Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, the Mall, War memorials, Smithsonian, Ford's Theatre, Arlington, but Boston is the 'Cradle of the Revolution' and is so central to America's history. As a city, Boston probably has more charm, but I suppose it'd be hard to miss DC simply because of the 'big sites.' Then again, not all foreigners are that interested in seeing the White House, and as cool as DC is, if you took those sites away I think Boston is a nicer city to visit.
I was going to say DC but you know, come to think of it, I think I might go with Boston. I guess a lot of the American things don't hold the same spiritual significance to me, although I could definitely feel how sacred they were to Americans. I think I'm just a sucker for historical cities and pretty urban streetscapes though. I would include Philly in this poll (in fact when in NY I could choose between Boston or Philly, both of which I really wanted to see, but I went with Boston. DC was part of the tour I was on.)
Yeah, I'd say DC because of the museums/monuments.
But I agree that Boston is a more pleasing urban area.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
