Prettiest Bowl-Shaped Cities of the World? (live, air pollution, housing)

[tijlover]

I'm just crazy about bowl-shaped cities, the deeper the bowl the better, surrounded by steep hills or mountains. Cities like Santiago, Chile or Los Angeles don't qualify as one or more sides of the bowl are missing.

Some of my favorites include: Tegucigalpa/Honduras, La Paz/Bolivia, Quito/Ecuador, Matagalpa/Nicaragua, and, surprisingly, Las Vegas/Nevada, mostly in the winter when the mountains to the west are snow-capped.

[Tiger Beer]

I didn't notice that so much at all when I've been to Las Vegas or when I was in Quito.

LA PAZ however, is the only seriously bowl-shaped city I know of in the truest sense of the word. It cries out bowl-shaped, and really quite amazing as you descend from the upper edges into the city, with city lights down below absolutely everywhere.

[tijlover]

And, on a clear day, with snow-capped Mt. Illimani? looming over the city, it's a sight to behold! There IS a break in the bowl as you descend in altitude to Moon Valley where so many of the rich people live. Why? Unlike so many cities where the rich live on the steepest hills for the views, in La Paz, they go furthur down for altitude relief, you're dropping some 1000 feet or more to Moon Valley. They can breathe a little easier down there. El Alto, with the Airport, is at 13,500 feet, so in this city, the poor on the edge of the cliffs have the better views as they huff and puff.

The disadvantage Las Vegas has is the bowl is too wide, some 40-50 miles from the bottom of one bowl to the other.

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by tijlover

There IS a break in the bowl as you descend in altitude to Moon Valley where so many of the rich people live. Why? Unlike so many cities where the rich live on the steepest hills for the views, in La Paz, they go furthur down for altitude relief, you're dropping some 1000 feet or more to Moon Valley. They can breathe a little easier down there.

PLUS...in general, EVERYWHERE in South America, in ALL of the cities, the poor people live way out on the city edges, and the wealthy almost always inhabit the inner areas with close proximity to everything.

Actually I think that is a general rule with just about everywhere except the United States. It just makes La Paz seem much more odd that they do the same as everyone else in the world, but in our American minds, if you are wealthy, you are getting far from the city core and building with the views. But to them, it means they have to get up and down the mountains with all the poor infrastructure, etc.

[BigSwede]

My hometown is surrounded by mountains,but I wouldn't call it pretty.

[Psyceed1]

Hmmm i think Lycekil in southern Sweden is something special!!! I loved that town! its around 100km from goteborg!

[Sixteen Giga Blight]

Mexico city: I think it's the most intresting bowlcity in mexico despite the fact people think it's slum filled smoggy hell hole

[Bugnubs]

Caracas, Venezuela is a beautiful bowl-shaped city. Stunning to see at night encircled by millions of twinkling lights. Sadly, once you realise what the twinkling lights at the rim of the bowl are, it's not so delightful any longer.

[Teak]

And the air pollution over bowl-shaped cities??

[tijlover]

Air pollution is to be expected in bowl-shaped cities. Las Vegas is blessed with lots of wind that blows it all out of the valley, but without that wind we'd be choking a good part of the year and we wouldn't be able to see the mountains. I particularly enjoy the cities where the housing climbs up the hills of the bowl, and at night, you're surrounded by all these lights. It's beautiful!

I'm sure there are days, even in smoggy Mexico City, after some strong winds came through the bowl, where it's absolutely breathtaking to look up from the bowl. The times I've been in Mexico City the smog obscured the views.