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Facts and perception don't always align. There are plenty of schools that rival if not surpass any of the Ivy League schools as far as the quality of education goes. Most of those schools still aren't as prestigious as the least prestigious of the Ivies, however.
I think San Francisco is viewed as having more of an "intellectual" crowd. LA gets sort of disrespected for being "shallow" often times, imo. SF evokes images of Whites and well-to-do Asians; LA, not so much.
S.F. has had the genteel decline, unlike some other cities (:cough: :cough:, Detroit). Apparently former Wall Street traders don't like the fog of S.F. over the sun of L.A. Plus the port did not keep up, so that everything now goes to Oakland and the larger L.A./Long Beach instead of S.F.
I'd rather keep finance and tech in S.F. to help the Bay Area out, but apparently quality of life has gone downhill there that some tech companies/subsidiaries are looking to relocate to Silicon Beach instead. James Corden did Friday's episode of his show in YouTube's new Santa Monica offices. "YouTube has offices? What's wrong with NorCal?" were the questions that popped up as I was watching his show.
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Originally Posted by Mutiny77
Ummm, no. What's prestigious about Ottawa, for example?
You mean besides being the capital of Canada, one of the most advanced and developed nations on Earth? Lol, by no means am I an Ottawa booster, but your statement just doesn't work here. The Canadian Museum of History, the most visited museum in all of Canada, is in Ottawa. There are over 24 National Historic Sites of Canada here, along with a UNESCO site. Winterlude, the largest festival in Canada is here. And when royalty comes to Canada, the very epitome of prestige, Ottawa is typically the first stop.
Ottawa, like most capitals, probably has prestige going for it more than anything else. Prestige isn't just fame and fortune; there's a certain respect factor needed, along with a degree of overall importance and exclusivity. That's why people keep mentioning museums and universities, and not random Fortune 500 companies (though I expect Montclair to come and convince us of Apple's prestige lol). Businesses, while powerful, aren't very prestigious. And every city worth its salt has prestigious museums and universities. But not every city is the seat of the world's most powerful government (D.C., not Ottawa lol). Like it or not, politics is probably the most prestigious profession/industry there is. That's why titles like "The Honorable" and "Your Excellency" are diplomatic mainstays. And in this regard, who's touching D.C.?
S.F. has had the genteel decline, unlike some other cities (:cough: :cough:, Detroit).
Decline? haha
Top World Cities By Commercial Real Estate Transactions, Q2 2014-Q2 2015
1 London $39 Billion
2 Manhattan $28 Billion
3 San Francisco $21 Billion
4 Tokyo $18 Billion
Apparently former Wall Street traders don't like the fog of S.F. over the sun of L.A.
Well that's strange, because most alum from prestigious East Coast schools tend to prefer San Francisco as their first west coast choice by a pretty wide margin:
Plus the port did not keep up, so that everything now goes to Oakland and the larger L.A./Long Beach instead of S.F.
Yeah, and in exchange they built the most beautiful baseball stadium in the entire country, and welcomed a bunch of corporate headquarters' and expanded tourism attractions to the waterfront. Sounds like a winner to me.
Quote:
James Corden did Friday's episode of his show in YouTube's new Santa Monica offices. "YouTube has offices? What's wrong with NorCal?" were the questions that popped up as I was watching his show.
hahaha YouTube has lots of offices all over the world. HQ is up north tho.
Location: Watching half my country turn into Gilead
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Originally Posted by Charles22
One of my mother's businesses had a label that read, "Paris, Rio, San Francisco." She didn't sell anything in Paris or Rio, but they fit on the label and sounded prestigious.
That's not prestigious, at all. In no world is Rio viewed as a prestigious city. Your mother's label was just capitalizing on the cosmopolitan appeal of those cities and their fame. People are confusing fame with prestige; while they often go hand in hand, they are NOT the same thing.
That's popularity, not prestige (and your basing your argument on the fashion industry, which I'll argue is high society, but isn't particularly prestigious). Case in point, since when is Milan more prestigious than Rome?
Top World Cities By Commercial Real Estate Transactions, Q2 2014-Q2 2015
1 London $39 Billion
2 Manhattan $28 Billion
3 San Francisco $21 Billion
4 Tokyo $18 Billion
Well that's strange, because most alum from prestigious East Coast schools tend to prefer San Francisco as their first west coast choice by a pretty wide margin:
Yeah, and in exchange they built the most beautiful baseball stadium in the entire country, and welcomed a bunch of corporate headquarters' and expanded tourism attractions to the waterfront. Sounds like a winner to me.
hahaha YouTube has lots of offices all over the world. HQ is up north tho.
What happened to the Pacific Stock Exchange? Bank of America moved to Charlotte!?! Why didn't S.F. adapt to container shipping instead of moving the port to Oakland? Why is there a Silicon Valley in the first place instead of Downtown San Francisco?
That's what I meant by decline. Hopefully tech companies are starting to move out of suburban Silicon Valley and populating Downtown San Francisco skyscrapers instead. Most of the workers live in S.F. but have to commute to the suburban peninsula for work. Apple's new campus looks like that S.F. won't be patronized by the major tech companies in the near future.
That's popularity, not prestige (and your basing your argument on the fashion industry, which I'll argue is high society, but isn't particularly prestigious). Case in point, since when is Milan more prestigious than Rome?
You mean besides being the capital of Canada, one of the most advanced and developed nations on Earth? Lol, by no means am I an Ottawa booster, but your statement just doesn't work here. The Canadian Museum of History, the most visited museum in all of Canada, is in Ottawa. There are over 24 National Historic Sites of Canada here, along with a UNESCO site. Winterlude, the largest festival in Canada is here. And when royalty comes to Canada, the very epitome of prestige, Ottawa is typically the first stop.
Ottawa, like most capitals, probably has prestige going for it more than anything else. Prestige isn't just fame and fortune; there's a certain respect factor needed, along with a degree of overall importance and exclusivity. That's why people keep mentioning museums and universities, and not random Fortune 500 companies (though I expect Montclair to come and convince us of Apple's prestige lol). Businesses, while powerful, aren't very prestigious. And every city worth its salt has prestigious museums and universities. But not every city is the seat of the world's most powerful government (D.C., not Ottawa lol). Like it or not, politics is probably the most prestigious profession/industry there is. That's why titles like "The Honorable" and "Your Excellency" are diplomatic mainstays. And in this regard, who's touching D.C.?
Obviously Ottawa will have some sort of prestige about it as the capital of Canada, but not nearly as much as Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and maybe even QC--at least from an American perspective. I don't know anyone who's visited Canada or who wants to visit Canada who's been to or wants to go to Ottawa. In the same way, Canberra doesn't appear to have nearly the same amount of prestige as Sydney, Melbourne, etc.
But "prestige" is a pretty subjective thing as has been demonstrated in this thread. I think most of it comes in the form of a city's built environment and personality, as well as the amenities and attractions they offer. So DC is not without competition here, especially since most visitors don't visit DC to actually see DC, but just the National Mall and museums and such.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BajanYankee
Facts and perception don't always align.
You've hit the nail on the head with this observation. Perception is a huge part of prestige, and none of the other cities listed is viewed as prestigious in the way D.C. is. They all have PRESTIGIOUS institutions, sure, but overall popular perception?
L.A. is Hollywood, first and foremost. Blondes, palm trees, actors, writers, etc. It may not even be the dominant industry of the city, but it is by far the dominant image of the city.
SF is liberal politics and Silicon Valley. Techies, hippies, liberals, gays/lesbians/trans, etc. You say describe San Francisco to the average person, and I guarantee these will be top answers.
Chicago is sports fans, comedians, musicians, gangsters, corrupt politicians, etc.
Now contrast those stereotypes with D.C. You say D.C., you immediately think of government workers. You think politicians, lawyers, diplomats, etc. For better or worse, D.C's brand is the government.
And before I'm crucified, I know all of the above are very simplified stereotypes that don't capture the nuances of those cities. But we're talking perception, and stereotypes are a big part of that.
If you want to argue that government isn't prestigious, than we can have that discussion, though I'm greatly inclined to disagree with you. Excluding universities and museums, which everybody has, I don't see how the other cities can stake a claim as more prestigious than D.C.
To say that....is just Wrong. It got some votes. It has the Quintessential Downtown that impresses. That gives Prestige, merely numbers and stereotypes and crime all American cities have. Chicago's North Side the Size of San Francisco is just as safe as SF. The Southside numbers are where the higher rates come in.
As statistics point out also... if WHITE You chances of being shot ect. Are WAY WAY LESS then if AFRICAN-AMERICAN. Just the way it is.... Gang on Gang and revenge is on their own ethic group.
Also 18montclairs list of cities.... still places CHICAGO HIGH. In Finance and banking and investment. So to say "it not in the running" is just wrong....
Why are you YELLING bro?? It's called an opinion that's why there are forums. I said it's subjective and there was no real criteria, so I could care less whether you think myopinion is "just Wrong?"
I love Chicago and think it is an amazing city, but in terms of overall "prestige" I still don't think Chicago is in the running with LA or SF. Bad media press, stereotypes (whether they are true or not), and even weather/location play a part in prestige. With all your yelling, you still won't convince me otherwise my man!!
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, LA and SF have been on different trajectories. SF going up, LA going down.
