Have cities you've visited the first time met your expectations? (live, state)

[1greatcity]

We often have pre-conceived notions about cities that we've never visited. Then, once we actually go there, we may find those ideas were wrong. Sometimes we're disappointed, other times humbled.

Here are some of my pre-conceived ideas before visiting three cities, and my changed perceptions after visiting:

Atlanta:
Pre- I thought everyone spoke with a southern drawl. I also figured that since the metro area is so spread out, the traffic would be tolerable. I hoped to see remnants of the "old south", like grand plantation homes.
Post- There was a good mix of people from all over, not just southerners. Interstate traffic was a real bear. Didn't see much that would qualify as "old south"; the city looks very modern and cosmopolitan. Oh, and the downtown skyline was much larger than I imagined.

Chicago:
Pre- I figured you could easily see different parts of town by grabbing a short ride on the El. I also planned on taking a nice leisurely drive down Lake Shore Drive. From something I once saw on Tv, I thought that everything south of downtown was "dangerous territory". Coudn't wait to see the (then) Sears Tower.
Post- The city is so spread out that just getting from Point A to Point B requires a great deal of time. The El is really noisy; it's almost impossible to hear the stops announced, so you have to be alert. Driving on LSD isn't "leisurely" at all; it's a highly-travelled city thoroughfare, and there's really no time to sightsee. I visited a few areas south of downtown, and there were some very nice ones. On the other hand, I took a walk in one north side neighborhood near Wrigley that felt kinda "iffy". Lastly, I knew the Chicago skyline was huge, but it still exceeded my expectations. The view from the Sears Tower was breathtaking!

Miami-Ft Lauderdale:
Pre- I must admit, many of my ideas about Miami came from watching "Miami Vice". I envisioned a pastel-colored, art deco city with hot sports cars. I also wondered if there were really alligators crawling out of the swamps into back yards (saw that on Tv, too). As for Ft L, I knew this city was once the hotspot for the spring break crowds. I thought it was all college students. It's evidentally just a Miami suburb, I surmised--probably similar to Daytona Beach.
Post- Okay, so I was right about the pastels. But the art deco is pretty much concentrated in south Miami Beach. The metro area is criss-crossed by canals; I was constantly peering into them in hopes of seeing an alligator poke it's snout through the surface. (It never happened.) But there were lizards everywhere. In Ft L, there was more to the city than beaches and T-shirt shops. It's really not a Miami suburb; it's a city in its own right, with suburbs of its own. But what surprised me the most about Miami and Ft L was the huge number of people speaking foreign languages, or with foreign accents. In the stores and restaurants, I heard a lot of Hebrew, German, Spanish, etc. (Especially Spanish.) It felt like I was in a very international city.

[PreservationPioneer]

Baltimore

Pre-Visit: I was expecting to visit a very historic, dense city full of early Americana and fabulous architecture. I was also expecting east coast vibrance, and a mix of affluence and poverty relative to the city's reputation.

Post-Visit: Slightly underwhelmed. The city was not as historic as I had hoped. Vast stretches of the city, especially downtown and the harbor, were excessively modern and re-vamped. Still, I was very impressed with Mount Vernon (one of the most beautiful places I have ever been) and the charm of Fells Point. Overall, a nice city, but I was expecting a great city. B-

St. Louis

Pre-Visit: I wasn't sure what to expect the first time I visited St. Louis. I had heard stories about the blight and crime rampant in the city, and visited with hesitation. I didn't expect to find a vibrant downtown.

Post-Visit: Downtown St. Louis exceeded all of my expectations. I found a beautiful, vibrant, seemingly healthy center city. The restored historic buildings were gorgeous and everything seemed busy with activity. There was also a lot of old world romance and river city atmosphere and ambience. A

Cleveland

Pre-Visit: I had read about Cleveland's ills, and knew of its poor reputation as a dying city. I also knew that, in its heyday, Cleveland was a huge city of around 900,000 people. I was curious about the historic buildings and architectural legacy I would find in the city.

Post-Visit: My impression of Cleveland was that it had a lot of interesting building fabric downtown, but not much charm. Cleveland has a very midwest feel, but it does not have the charm or romantic feel that St. Louis does, for example. However, Cleveland is undeserving of its bad reputation. There was a lot of activity downtown, a movie theater and a bowling alley, lots of gorgeous old buildings, and of course the great lake. A nice city, but in my opinion nothing special about it compared to its peer cities. C+

Flint, Michigan

Pre-Visit: I grew up in Michigan, but I always avoided Flint because my parents told me it was dangerous. I was told it was crime-ridden and blighted to an extreme degree. There was also an assumption on my parents' part that no one lived in Flint except very poor criminals.

Post-Visit: I had to have my Daewoo serviced, and the only close dealer was in Flint. I took the opportunity to explore the downtown area and found a city with tons of potential. The downtown was very quiet, but seemed relatively safe. I walked around and noticed a lot of nice historic buildings. Most appeared to be in decent condition. There were a few abandoned buildings, but I believe the major eyesore (Durant Hotel) has since been restored as student housing. I liked Flint a lot and could see myself or other urban pioneers moving there and working to make it a better place. C

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Pre-Visit: I wanted to visit Tulsa, because I had seen pictures of the city online and was blown away by the skyline and the beautiful architecture. I wanted to see the city in person and look for signs of the old western culture.

Post-Visit: I was disappointed. Downtown Tulsa on a Saturday night was a ghost town. It was also a ghost town during the day. I was the only person on the street, and that is not an exaggeration. People complain about rust belt cities that are dying, but all of the rust belt cities I have been to had much more activity than Tulsa! I was also disappointed in the state of historic preservation in the city. Many of the downtown buildings were abandoned or in poor condition. Also, there were wide expanses of urban prairie where buildings used to stand but were torn down. A truly depressing experience. That said, the city seemed to have some interesting neighborhoods, and I loved the prairie landscape. D

Philadelphia

Pre-Visit: I wasn't sure what to expect when visiting Philadelphia. It was my first trip to the east coast, and really my first experience in a big, big city. I was expecting a city with a lot of history, although I also expected to find a lot of blight and big-city problems that I had been warned about by friends who basically said, "Philly sucks!"

Post-Visit: Philadelphia is, by far, the most exciting and beautiful city I have visited. Center City left me completely overwhelmed and humbled. The Rittenhouse Square area was so lovely and charming. The historic homes and brownstones were gorgeous beyond anything I had ever seen before. I also loved the urbanity and the feeling of being in a residential neighborhood in the core of the city, steps away from everything downtown. I love Philly. A+

[kidphilly]

Originally Posted by 1greatcity

We often have pre-conceived notions about cities that we've never visited. Then, once we actually go there, we may find those ideas were wrong. Sometimes we're disappointed, other times humbled.

Here are some of my pre-conceived ideas before visiting three cities, and my changed perceptions after visiting:

Atlanta:
Pre- I thought everyone spoke with a southern drawl. I also figured that since the metro area is so spread out, the traffic would be tolerable. I hoped to see remnants of the "old south", like grand plantation homes.
Post- There was a good mix of people from all over, not just southerners. Interstate traffic was a real bear. Didn't see much that would qualify as "old south"; the city looks very modern and cosmopolitan. Oh, and the downtown skyline was much larger than I imagined.

Chicago:
Pre- I figured you could easily see different parts of town by grabbing a short ride on the El. I also planned on taking a nice leisurely drive down Lake Shore Drive. From something I once saw on Tv, I thought that everything south of downtown was "dangerous territory". Coudn't wait to see the (then) Sears Tower.
Post- The city is so spread out that just getting from Point A to Point B requires a great deal of time. The El is really noisy; it's almost impossible to hear the stops announced, so you have to be alert. Driving on LSD isn't "leisurely" at all; it's a highly-travelled city thoroughfare, and there's really no time to sightsee. I visited a few areas south of downtown, and there were some very nice ones. On the other hand, I took a walk in one north side neighborhood near Wrigley that felt kinda "iffy". Lastly, I knew the Chicago skyline was huge, but it still exceeded my expectations. The view from the Sears Tower was breathtaking!

Miami-Ft Lauderdale:
Pre- I must admit, many of my ideas about Miami came from watching "Miami Vice". I envisioned a pastel-colored, art deco city with hot sports cars. I also wondered if there were really alligators crawling out of the swamps into back yards (saw that on Tv, too). As for Ft L, I knew this city was once the hotspot for the spring break crowds. I thought it was all college students. It's evidentally just a Miami suburb, I surmised--probably similar to Daytona Beach.
Post- Okay, so I was right about the pastels. But the art deco is pretty much concentrated in south Miami Beach. The metro area is criss-crossed by canals; I was constantly peering into them in hopes of seeing an alligator poke it's snout through the surface. (It never happened.) But there were lizards everywhere. In Ft L, there was more to the city than beaches and T-shirt shops. It's really not a Miami suburb; it's a city in its own right, with suburbs of its own. But what surprised me the most about Miami and Ft L was the huge number of people speaking foreign languages, or with foreign accents. In the stores and restaurants, I heard a lot of Hebrew, German, Spanish, etc. (Especially Spanish.) It felt like I was in a very international city.

Good topic - and agree on Atlanta, though many years ago I agree with both your pre and post!