Which US city is most like New York in terms of overall urban feel? (best, crime)
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LA is not suburban. San Francisco is not laid back (I wish it was).
The wonderful thing about NYC - and about all great cities - is that it is unique.
I don't get the Las Vegas comparison, but then again, I really don't "get" Las Vegas in general. The strip has sidewalks and people walk on it, but it's all so artificial (which I guess is what people love about it, maybe?).
Someone I know who came to Boston for school and had visited San Francisco told me that San Francisco was laid back and kind of easygoing in terms of the people's attitudes and not as rush-rush and uptight as Boston. I can't tell if that's true, I've never been to SF, but I'm just putting that out there.
Anyway, I think that, as a few others have said, New York is so unique, big, dense, and urban that it basically blows away other cities, which doesn't make it superior, just different. Other cities have elements of New York in them, but I don't think that one takes the cake over another in coming close to New York's overall feel.
DC: How it is like New York: center of global power, full of ambitious and power-driven. City thinks the world revolves around it. Massive, expensive CBD. Expensive. Well educated, cosmopolitan population. Extensive mass transit. Some dense urban areas. How it is not like NYC: Although dense for an American city, IMO it doesn’t have the same level of urbanism as the main 4. It came of age in post-WWII, as result it is more suburban. The urban core is smaller. Downtown shuts down on the weekends, with some exceptions. No major downtown shopping area. Most immigrant enclaves are in the 'burbs. Although the population is similar to Boston; Bos is smaller in area, plus it has a number of urban suburbs that are denser than DC proper.
Caymon,
I think your write up is on point with the exception of some aspects of DC. DC's density is right on par with Philly (10,000) and Boston (10,000) at 9000 pp/psm. Secondly, DC's urban core is larger than Philly, Boston and SF. Downtown is completely built out with midrise office buildings. There is only one surface parking lot DT which was the site of the old convention center. DT DC has more office space than all of the cities on your list except NYC & Chicago. I have never heard anyone call DC suburban looking. It is one of the top transportation and walking cities in the US. DC was designed to resemble the urban core of Paris with circles, squares, broad avenues and parks. Lastly, Boston's suburbs are nowhere near as urban as Arlington, Silver Spring, Bethesda and Alexandria. Each of these areas are connected by the metro and have their own CBD.
Philly looks more like NYC on the ground level. Chicago has the whole skyscraper thing going. SF has the density and crowds DT. Boston and NYC are opposite ends of the spectrum. Same with DC. The only thing that resembles NY is the hectic pace and the east coast mentality.
Chicago... more than skylines, neighborhoods like Lincoln Park, Bucktown/Wicker Park, Belmont, among others, have a dense Park Slope/Brooklyn Heights feel to them: sophisticated, busy, foot traffic, high public transit (El) reliance, and lots of old brownstone (flats) walk ups. Chicago Neighborhoods in the North, Northwest and South Loop definitely have the New York look, feel and energy. And the Magnificent Mile matches 5th Ave (exceeds it in my eyes) as the trendy/glitzy shopping drag... And yes, there's a more down-to-earth Midwestern feel about Chicago: people aren't ashamed of the fact: they love their steaks; college football (no Ivy League prissy crap, this is Big 10 country where you go to giant big state Us, get good educations there and aren't afraid to have good sports teams -- sports and academics aren't seen as contradictory out in Chi-town)... And Chicago loves it's hometown McDonald's. There's even one in glitzy Water Tower Place -- try that on Fifth Ave...
When I am in Chicago (outside of the Loop), I don't get the NYC vibe at all. The neighborhoods (midwest housing stock, no street vendors, no filth) look much different. The flats and spread out feel of the streets that run forever looks like Chicago (one and only). If you drop someone in say south Philly, (compact) it reminds me of certain parts of Queens right off the bat until someone opens their mouth and I am reminded that I am in the City of Brotherly love.
Chicago... more than skylines, neighborhoods like Lincoln Park, Bucktown/Wicker Park, Belmont, among others, have a dense Park Slope/Brooklyn Heights feel to them: sophisticated, busy, foot traffic, high public transit (El) reliance, and lots of old brownstone (flats) walk ups. Chicago Neighborhoods in the North, Northwest and South Loop definitely have the New York look, feel and energy. And the Magnificent Mile matches 5th Ave (exceeds it in my eyes) as the trendy/glitzy shopping drag... And yes, there's a more down-to-earth Midwestern feel about Chicago: people aren't ashamed of the fact: they love their steaks; college football (no Ivy League prissy crap, this is Big 10 country where you go to giant big state Us, get good educations there and aren't afraid to have good sports teams -- sports and academics aren't seen as contradictory out in Chi-town)... And Chicago loves it's hometown McDonald's. There's even one in glitzy Water Tower Place -- try that on Fifth Ave...
No-nonsense and fairly factual. I do agree with Mich. Ave. being more interesting than 5th Ave. (really, no contest), but disagree that S. Loop has energy.
I like this post; so much so that I'm repping you.
I also agree w/ post immediately above parts of Philadelphia having a look and feel of Queens and Brooklyn.
Philadelphia has the NYC urbanity that many other cities lack.
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