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I've worked in a few of those tods. This forum, for some reason, acts as if highrises alone make a place interesting or vibrant.
That just isn't true at all.
I think compared to metro la, when you factor in ethnic enclaves, Orange County and it's tourism...
DC Metro is sleeper as a whole.
It's probably busier than most metros..
But I've taken around visitors from DC to la and they can't believe how massive and busy it is. They're overwhelmed.
In my Johnny T voice, that's nice.
It is busier than most metros, not "probably".
And to me, LA felt overwhelming due to its massive size but other than Hollywood Blvd and the Santa Monica Promenade, I was not overwhelmed by the crowd density over there. It wasn't anything new. The highways felt as busy as the DC area's but surprisingly, I didn't hear as many car horns nor did I noticed any aggressive driving compared to here in the DMV. I'll say this though, those Big Blue buses made me feel like I was in a crazy ass NYC taxi....DC Metro Buses feel way more comfortable.
If you want a big, compact urban city, NYC is in a league all by itself. There are neighborhoods far enough away from midtown or Wall Street to be considered suburbs, but they are still more urban than just about anywhere else. I love NYC for just how perfectly urban it is. And a great public transportation system.
Chicago is, in my opinion a distant but clear 2nd. Very, very urban, feels like a big bad city but with all the splendors you want. Converted warehouses turned into lofts, high rise living, gritty but stylish stretches. Glitz and glamour in spots, dangerous in others. Full very large city experience.
After that it drops again. Boston has this vibe too, but it's quite a bit smaller than NYC or Chicago. Philly is another one, and pretty big too, but it doesn't have quite as much to offer. I've had several friends move from Philly to Chicago and tell me that there is no comparison. People flock to Chicago for entertainment, festivals, etc, and abandon Philly proper to escape. NYC would be even more of a difference.
San Francisco is phenomenal, very compact and urban, vibrant, lovely, but quite a bit smaller than NYC or Chicago. It has everything but you don't feel the same size. Doesn't take much to leave the city limits.
Seattle is a nice city, has a good city feel, lots to do. But I would not call it vibrant. It's more of a chill city, and while very pleasant, it doesn't have that crackling energy you feel in NYC/Chicago.
I haven't spent much time in LA - but my understanding is that it's not very urban at all. It's huge, but it's a mass sprawl more than a compact urban feel like the others mentioned.
NOLA is a unique place, great to visit for a weekend, vibrant for sure. But there's an underlying feeling of that southern slowness, and of lower income. I love NOLA, but wouldn't live there, it's more of a beautiful, fun, kind of gimmicky place with a very particular culture. A place to enjoy, but it doesn't compare to the bigger urban centers mentioned above.
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Freddy K
Wow. Less car honking. That's so interesting.
Car honking does make a place more intense and crazier. I fully agree /sarcasm.
Where exactly in DC are crowds overwhelming? I never got that at all.
Crowds in LA aren't overwhelming either, stop fooling yourself bro. LA is just completely more massive than any metro not named NY. It's not more vibrant than all of them however, just an over grown expansive area with a lot of cars.
Either way this thread isn't about metro it's about city vibrancy.
Crowds in LA aren't overwhelming either, stop fooling yourself bro. LA is just completely more massive than any metro not named NY. It's not more vibrant than all of them however, just an over grown expansive area with a lot of cars.
Either way this thread isn't about metro it's about city vibrancy.
Over the metro area it is outside of nyc.
Dude, I lived in DC for 22 years. Once you get outside of a few of those tods nodes it's not vibrant at all.
You dc guys try to make dc into something it isn't.
I didn't mention DC in my post. I mentioned the LA area. Sorry if the street vibrancy of Irvine, Pasadena, or Riverside didn't give me the feeling of being in Midtown Manhattan.
That's what this thread is about. Metro areas.
I dont know many times people need to reminded of that.
And I think LA as city has more vibrant areas than DC city does anyway. Most of Northwest DC is kind of quiet. Same goes for NE.
And Pasadena has more vibrancy than any DC Tod node.
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