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I agree with the other poster that the determining factor in most cases is social status. The more financially secure people seem to connect more with London given that it's much more of a gated enclave for the rich.
Manhattan is probably even more of an enclave for the rich. More billionaires there than in London, I believe.
New York is the London of America. London is the New York of Europe. 2 sides of the same coin.
Very different cities in appearance. Buildings, roads and pavements in London are cleaner with tidier textures and more prominent use of white stone. The pictures don't do justice to the discrepancy between the two cities in this area. London buildings are a mix of predominantly low mid-rise and highrise in the core, whereas New York's core is predominantly high mid-rise and high-rise.
It used to be the case that London's architecture, the further you go east, became more hit and miss - you would see incredibly ugly '1960s carpark' brutalist architecture among ornate historic edifices. Many of these carbuncles still remain but a good proportion of them, such as the ones that used to grace Tower Hill, have been or are being replaced with ultra-modern buildings. Likewise, New York has cleaned up greatly since the 1970s. Some say it has backslid a bit in recent years, but it is still a vast improvement compared to the urban warzone that it used to be. It is now adding some eye-catching skinny tower blocks to its skyline. London's skyline is also looking much busier with many new high rise luxury residences going up along the south bank.
Both cities have towers that I wish wouldn't exist, like One WTC or 20 Fenchurch Street.
The differences in terms of residential zoning are not that great, or nowhere near as much as people claim, assuming you do your best to make symmetric comparisons (Central London to Manhattan and so on).
Move a block or two away from the main arteries in Manhattan and you quickly come across large expanses of quiet residential streets with Brownstone edifices, with a definite residential charm, and many of these units are in decent condition. Conversely, the dominant residential zoning pattern in Central London is not actually quaint little rowhomes (which are actually a feature of London working class suburbia) but mid-rise apartment complexes and townhouses. I would add, many of these residential blocks in London are of excellent build quality and girded with first rate infrastructure, unlike New York's.
Talking of towers that you wish didn't exist, MarineBlue, here's one that is a real eyesore in NYC.
What makes it doubly galling is that in order to build it they demolished a Frank Lloyd Wright building before a preservation order could be placed on it;
Fully agree with the above. The proportions are completely out of whack. And it looks even uglier in reality.
Though the same could be said for NYC in general. But now that we're talking aesthetics, I wonder what combination of factors makes it seem that way. How the city looks in films like The Amazing Spider-Man, the Avengers or even YouTube videos, versus reality.
Fully agree with the above. The proportions are completely out of whack. And it looks even uglier in reality.
Though the same could be said for NYC in general. But now that we're talking aesthetics, I wonder what combination of factors makes it seem that way. How the city looks in films like The Amazing Spider-Man, the Avengers or even YouTube videos, versus reality.
That's because Manhattan in "The Avengers" was almost 100% CG. The same is probably true of the aerial shots in TASM.
Every single person I've met from London says they prefer NYC. Granted these people are in their 20s and are either living in NYC or visiting, but still they have all enthusiastically stated they prefer NYC for all the common reasons one would (or wouldn't)
I've had family living in London recently visit NYC for the first time on an extended visit and hate it.
I'll spare some of the grislier details, but among the complaints:
1. Very "third world" and run down (Midtown Manhattan and Brooklyn).
2. Outrageous rudeness. I thought this was interesting, coming from a Londoner.
3. Human fecal waste on the main streets and subways.
4. Extreme humidity.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BigCityDreamer
I have been to London 4 times and to New York City maybe a hundred times.
And yes, they do feel similar to me. Public transportation, street-level vibrancy, shopping, museums, city parks, iconic buildings, density, global importance, etc., are all on a similar level in the two cities.
I think Flatiron, parts of BPC, and the Museum Mile/Central Park east would be the best areas of Manhattan to compare with Central London in terms of aesthetics and level of cleanliness. That is bearing in mind Central London has far better roads and sidewalks.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Red John
Yes!
The Flatiron District was the place that I had in mind when I made the wall-to-wall statement. I agree with your post completely.
Good analogies. I think I agree, maybe excluding Battery Park City.
Last edited by Hightower72; 01-29-2016 at 05:53 AM..
I have lived in London for 10 years and I go to NY on a regular basis. The more I discover NYC the more it reminds me of London. Not Manhattan of course but if you venture outside to different areas it looks/feels like London, I spent signifcant amount of time in Brooklyn last week and it felt like I was in London. Anyone else feels the same?
This is the OP.
Going through this thread it looks like most people missed the "Not Manhattan of course". Obviously that borough is different from not only most of London but also much of New York City. Most of the posts seem to be about Manhattan while ignoring the other 4 boroughs that make up more than 90% of the city's land area and the majority of the population, streets, parks and buildings.
Also I am wondering if a few of the posters have even been to New York or London.
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