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Yes if we're talking strictly urban you go Philly, But that's exactly what i said made Los Angeles unique.It's diversity.
Outside of Downtown Philly,what's left to see ?
Obviously outside of Downtown Los Angeles you still have a gigantic world to explore.
Oh come on... this isn't true and you know it. Yes, LA is a much, much larger city. I definitely rank LA #2 for overall cities in the US after NYC. LA obviously has more to do and see because of it's size... also, because LA grew up as a polycentric city, and Philadelphia did not. HOWEVER... there is plenty to do outside of Center City.
First of all, Center City is a pretty large Downtown, which is made up of several different unique neighborhoods, all with interesting things to do and see. Those neighborhoods include:
Rittenhouse Square
Penn Center
Fitler Square
Avenue of the Arts
Washington Square West/Midtown Village
Market East
Chinatown
Society Hill
Old City
Penn's Landing
Logan Square
Museum District
Loft District/Callowhill
Outside of that? There are still PLENTY of neighborhoods and places to see just in the city alone.
Fairmount
Spring Garden
East Fairmount Park
West Fairmount Park
Northern Liberties
Fishtown
Kensington/Olde Richmond
Delaware Waterfront
Graduate Hospital
Bella Vista
Queen Village
Pennsport
Newbold
Passyunk Square
East Passyunk Crossing
Italian Market
Sports Complex
Navy Yard
FDR Park
University City
Spruce Hill
Clark Park/Squirrel Hill/Cedar Park
Powelton Village
Walnut Hill
Manayunk
East Falls
Roxborough
East & West Mount Airy
Germantown
Chestnut Hill
Wissahickon Gorge/Park
Outside of the city? The list of places and neighborhoods to see only increases. This isn't even including all of the natural scenery and parks in the area to see:
Ardmore
Bryn Mawr
Wayne
Narberth
Upper Darby
Conshohocken
Norristown
King of Prussia
Valley Forge
Phoenixville
Pottstown
Jenkintown
Glenside
Ambler
Doylestown
Bristol
Newtown
New Hope
Washington Crossing
Reading
West Reading/Wyomissing
Kutztown
West Chester
Kennett Square
Longwood Gardens
Media
Wilmington
Newark
New Castle
Dover
Camden - yes, very up and coming
Collingswood
Haddonfield
Moorestown
Mount Holly
Atlantic City
Margate City & Ventnor City
Ocean City
Sea Isle City
Avalon
Stone Harbor
Wildwood
Cape May
I feel the same way. Also, mass transit needs to be improved accordingly.
Yes, the customer service, cleanliness, services, accessibility, are all lacking. The most refined parts of our transportation system are some of the suburban Regional Rail stations. But the subway stations make you feel like you're catching a train in a cave.
More on par is not on par... My point was that anyone who thinks LA is NYC's equal is kidding themselves.
LA edges out NYC for entertainment and news, but cultural capital?! You have to be kidding me... Have you ever traveled outside of the US? Paris, London, Prague, Rome, etc.
New York is the only American city that could make a claim like that. LA is cool, but come on, you are giving the city waaaaayyyyy to much credit.
Yes. The US is the cultural leader of the world good or bad. And its not all high end BS, its pop culture, music, westernization. It comes down to NY and LA. And there is a good argument LA would lead.
There are areas where every city can excel and be a better draw then New York, but again anyone who thinks LA and NYC are equals is delusional.
NYC, London, Paris, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and maybe 1 or 2 more are the global cities of the world. Then you LA and a few others in the next category.
New York is the finanical capital of the world, that alone steps on anything LA has. No throwing shade at LA, its a powerful city, but not New York.
How you feel when people say Philly and LA are equals is how I feel when you say LA and NYC are equals.
There are dozens of interesting sites and neighborhoods outside of Center City... You must not be familiar with Philadelphia. University City is a perfect example.
Los Angeles is amongst the top 5 most known cities on this planet.
Whenever i see fashion ads about London or Paris i see Los Angeles and New York also.It's because those cities are in high demand around the world.
People around the world dream of going to 2 places to make it = New York or Los Angeles "
Remember that movie coming to America ? Eddie murphy had to flip a coin because he couldn't pick which city to visit between the 2 powerhouses lol
Why do you think there's literally over 1000+ threads on here about NYC vs LA ?
Los Angeles is forever compared to New York like Magic to Bird - Jordan to Kobe - Red to Blue
Sigh. I can't believe this thread is still going with posters framing their preference so negatively. Clearly these are two *very* different cities that appeal to different tastes.
One is a fast-paced, no-nonsense, Northeastern city with the history, culture, transit, downtown and density that appeals to the "traditional city tastes." The city has four seasons, is highly affordable given its location, offers some of the countries most appealing suburbs (this is subjective, but is also widely agreed upon) and its diversity is a bit more niche through its African American, White, Puerto Rican and African-Muslim population. Philly is just beginning its revival, and there is much excitement about the city's future.
The other is the star of the West, with a more expansive built environment featuring many different focal points. It features a world class entertainment, tech and luxury industry, more single family homes, and its diversity is rooted in its Latino, White and to a lesser extent East Asian and African American populations. LA has been booming for decades.
I guess I see these two cities being so different from each other that I don't understand why anyone feels the need to sling mud at the other. This is about preference, so why not frame your preference positively?
The short answer is it is fun. You seem like a newbie on here. Most of these threads are meant to compare 2 or multiple cities and look into their strengths, weaknesses, growth and other topics. Some posters will post the positives and others will post their negatives. Many of these cities are changing a lot in recent years. Since the start of this thread in 2011, both cities have a new information, new rankings, new buildings, new transit, or whatever that needs to be reexamined and discussed.
Philadelphia is a much smaller, but is quite simply, much more interesting city than Los Angeles, imho, at least as the CBD is concerned. While LA is *at least* a full tier above Philadelphia as far as city rankings (however that's judged), Philly has a history, charm, goofiness and grittiness all but missing from LA (LA is not gritty, it's dirty and it's brown). LA's downtown, as documented ad nauseum, is incredibly unvibrant for a city its size and it is an incredible disappointment for those who expect something better from the nation's second largest city. Philadelphia, while having a small downtown area, is *somewhat* vibrant, walkable, with a lot of interesting attractions nearby. Having said this, it would disingenuous not to recognize LA's attempts at trying to create a more vibrant core. The new subway lines, downtown construction, etc. will all pay off in the long run. In 50 years, LA's downtown will be a huge destination. Of course by then, parts of the city will be underwater.
I'm pretty biased towards the East Coast, but I will say that LA is one of those places where I felt a very strong, positive vibe. The city often gets a lot of flack for a number of things, and even though its street-level urban fabric leaves much to be desired compared to a quintessential East Coast city like Philly, I still found it to be a pleasant city, with more urbanity that it gets credit for.
Other than that, I think what a prior poster stated, in that it is difficult to compare such fundamentally different cities, is on point.
One of course has much greater pop culture fame and a reputation for (perhaps ostentatious) glamour, year-round warm weather, "California dreamin'" and arguably being THE hub of the post-WWII Sun Belt explosion of growth. The other is a major urban center in the "Cradle of America"--the formidable Northeast Corridor in modern-day terms--known for immense history (albeit sometimes overshadowed) and for being a tenacious, gritty, on-the-upswing post-industrial major city with underrated sophistication.
For that juxtaposition alone, people tend to conglomerate to one side or the other. But I will say that, if only for the objective measure of standard-of-living (the Philly area posts higher incomes at a considerably LOWER cost-of-living ), that's enough to win over at least the minds of most folks. Philly wins over most folks' hearts once they get to stay a while.
Last edited by Duderino; 11-10-2017 at 09:27 PM..
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Some pics of LA I took
