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I think there is a difference here. I am suggesting Chicago as it is a good alternative and it has shades here and there of NYC in a few areas. And while Chicago is dense, it is nowhere even close to NYC. There are only a few small areas of Chicago which can compete in any way and even then it's more on par with Brooklyn, and not something like Manhattan.
Chicago is a vibrant place, but NYC is on another level entirely in this realm. To me it's kind of like comparing Istanbul to Ankara or Izmir in Turkey.
Everything you say here is completely on point. But how does that make it so that there's no possible way SF and Chicago can overwhelm someone? They're not on the same tier as NYC but they're still on that second tier and probably very overwhelming for many people.
I think NYC would be the only city that I would probably feel too overwhelmed by. I've been to San Francisco and loved it. I've never been to Chicago but I want to check it out. I think Boston, San Francisco, and Chicago are the 3 I am really looking at. Thanks for all of that info about Boston edwardsyzzurphands. I think there is a lot of potential in that area. And as far as the night scene goes, I'm not into the big dance clubs. I more enjoy the small, intimate bars with friendly faces.
The reason a good Chinatown is important is that my girlfriend is Vietnamese and we eat a lot of Asian food. It sounds like Boston could provide that as well. She wants a city that has a lot of sun but she also likes the snow. I think Boston could give us a good mix of that, as can Chicago.
Definitely check out Chicago then. Haha, the Argyle area I mentioned might be a pleasant surprise for her although I have never looked for similar areas in other cities so I don't know if Boston has something like this. Chicago felt a little dreary in the winter time...for me the cold wasn't as bad as the fact that the sun seemed to set way too early. Temp-wise those two areas are probably very comparable...very cold!
Everything you say here is completely on point. But how does that make it so that there's no possible way SF and Chicago can overwhelm someone? They're not on the same tier as NYC but they're still on that second tier and probably very overwhelming for many people.
The "overwhelm" thing is up to the person. There's no way you can say X city will overwhelm someone without them giving you enough data on what other cities overwhelm them. I think maybe if the OP is on Michigan Avenue or a few times in the Loop during the evening dash to the trains, then sure, or maybe a Cubs game or something.
Definitely check out Chicago then. Haha, the Argyle area I mentioned might be a pleasant surprise for her although I have never looked for similar areas in other cities so I don't know if Boston has something like this. Chicago felt a little dreary in the winter time...for me the cold wasn't as bad as the fact that the sun seemed to set way too early. Temp-wise those two areas are probably very comparable...very cold!
I believe the equivalent in Boston is in Dorchester. I know there's a lot of Vietnamese who live in that area, although I have no idea how many restaurants, markets, etc there are there.
This doesn't mean 100% anything, but if you look up "Vietnamese Cuisine" on Yelp, you get 157 results for Chicago and 72 for Boston. I do know that the Vietnamese population in the Boston MSA is almost double that of Chicago (I think 16,000 for Chicago and 30,000-32,000 for Boston), but Boston is also more expensive than Chicago meaning that immigrants in Chicago may have had an easier time opening up businesses. If you don't care about this though, Boston has a higher percentage of Vietnamese than Chicago at least in the MSA.
This works best in Google Chrome for me. Not sure if it's that, or the fact I'm logged in is creating a weird state. You'll probably have to zoom in and pan to see the bigger picture for both. For Chicago, Chinatown isn't on the default map, you have to go a little south for that. Argyle, which is Little Vietnam is on the default map though:
I believe the equivalent in Boston is in Dorchester. I know there's a lot of Vietnamese who live in that area, although I have no idea how many restaurants, markets, etc there are there.
This doesn't mean 100% anything, but if you look up "Vietnamese Cuisine" on Yelp, you get 157 results for Chicago and 72 for Boston. I do know that the Vietnamese population in the Boston MSA is almost double that of Chicago (I think 16,000 for Chicago and 30,000-32,000 for Boston), but Boston is also more expensive than Chicago meaning that immigrants in Chicago may have had an easier time opening up businesses. If you don't care about this though, Boston has a higher percentage of Vietnamese than Chicago at least in the MSA.
This works best in Google Chrome for me. Not sure if it's that, or the fact I'm logged in is creating a weird state. You'll probably have to zoom in and pan to see the bigger picture for both. For Chicago, Chinatown isn't on the default map, you have to go a little south for that. Argyle, which is Little Vietnam is on the default map though:
The google map is a bit off though because it only shows 2 restaurants on the main block on Dorchester Ave, when there are over a dozen plus 2 markets now. There are also Vietnamese restaurants in Chinatown, but Dorchester is definitely the main area.
Once again sounds like Chicago and Boston (along with the other cities) would all work fine for him.
Everything you say here is completely on point. But how does that make it so that there's no possible way SF and Chicago can overwhelm someone? They're not on the same tier as NYC but they're still on that second tier and probably very overwhelming for many people.
Take it from the OP's point of view--he's coming from downtown Sydney. Sydney is a fairly big and cosmopolitan city that is fairly urban and certainly more urban than similarly sized metros in the US.
To the OP, when are you planning to move? Is this something years down the line? The only thing I'd say is missing from these cities is the booming part. They're growing, but they aren't booming. I think the only urban and booming large city in the US is DC. DC's chinatown isn't so great though. Also, I would leave Philadelphia on the table as an option. Philadelphia's downtown (called Center City) is really a gem. The Chinatown is pretty alright. There's also a Little Saigon with one of the largest (maybe largest) Vietnamese community on the East Coast.
Last edited by OyCrumbler; 06-14-2013 at 08:22 PM..
The google map is a bit off though because it only shows 2 restaurants on the main block on Dorchester Ave, when there are over a dozen plus 2 markets now. There are also Vietnamese restaurants in Chinatown, but Dorchester is definitely the main area.
Once again sounds like Chicago and Boston (along with the other cities) would all work fine for him.
Yeah, Google Maps is only so good and everytime I do it in Firefox, it doesn't work. Chrome works fine though. The maps for me in Chrome show restaurants in Chinatown for Boston. The markets don't show up for the Chicago map either. I know of about 6 markets around Argyle Street alone and 0 of them are on that map.
Yep, I think either would be fine. If the OP has the money, he should visit a few when he's in the states. Always important to visit the northern cities when it's semi warm out still
Definitely check out Chicago then. Haha, the Argyle area I mentioned might be a pleasant surprise for her although I have never looked for similar areas in other cities so I don't know if Boston has something like this. Chicago felt a little dreary in the winter time...for me the cold wasn't as bad as the fact that the sun seemed to set way too early. Temp-wise those two areas are probably very comparable...very cold!
Why are you leaving Sydney?
I miss America. It is great out here but nothing beats a life in the US. I've been looking into Chicago a lot. I am realizing how cold the winters are. Going from a city that is walr most of the year to a city that has freezing temperatures might be a problem.
Despite that, it is my 1st choice. The other half wants San Francisco because she is now saying she would rather trade the snow for year round warmth. I'm trying to convince her otherwise.
Either way, I think it is between those 2 cities now.
Take it from the OP's point of view--he's coming from downtown Sydney. Sydney is a fairly big and cosmopolitan city that is fairly urban and certainly more urban than similarly sized metros in the US.
To the OP, when are you planning to move? Is this something years down the line? The only thing I'd say is missing from these cities is the booming part. They're growing, but they aren't booming. I think the only urban and booming large city in the US is DC. DC's chinatown isn't so great though. Also, I would leave Philadelphia on the table as an option. Philadelphia's downtown (called Center City) is really a gem. The Chinatown is pretty alright. There's also a Little Saigon with one of the largest (maybe largest) Vietnamese community on the East Coast.
We are probably going to be here (in Sydney) for another year or so. We are just starting to do our research early.
My girlfriend is Vietnamese/Chinese, we eat a lot of Asian cuisine (and it must be authentic) which is why Chinatown is so important to us. Sydney might be smaller than a lot of American cities but it doesn't feel like it. We are going on a trip to DC this October (work related), I hadn't thought of the idea of moving there but we will keep an open mind about it while we are there.
I actually didn't know that DC had a true downtown, I thought it was just the National Mall. This will be my 1st time in the city.
Thanks for the advice.
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