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What are the requirements for having he best downtown?
A good downtown is alive.
People are out and about.
You will be entertained simply by walking down the street.
It is easy to be a pedestrian.
If you're hungry, a good downtown can feed you.
One can purchase high end items or otherwise.
Entertainment options are rife.
A good downtown, once there, you don't have to ask.
I've lived in lots and been to them all I'd say San Diego, Pittsburgh, Charleston, Denver, Austin, Boston no order stood out to me the most. There's also something special about Chicago in the summer.
I was just in downtown Chicago going to the outdoor concert in Millennium Park last night, with the Taste of Chicago going on in adjacent Grant Park and art fairs, outdoor dining, shopping and lake strolling was going on all at once. Huge happy crowds of people on the streets, so much energy! The weather was phenomenal, and I totally agree with you, there is something special about Chicago in the summertime.
My list would be
NYC- vast and although not as good looking as dt Chicago, so big and interesting
Chicago- The total package, especially in the summertime with so much to do in a beautiful setting
SF- Beautiful natural setting and interesting dt
Philly/Boston- Both historical and improving yearly
Seattle/Pittsburgh/Washington DC
San Diego is bland to me,with not much to do except going to the Seaport Village and the zoo, and your other choices were also short for me. I would put d/t Cleveland and Detroit ahead of your other picks, up and coming with great architecture. Ever been along the water in Detroit? A best kept secret for sure.
In my opinion, the 5 best downtowns that I've been to are:
1. NYC - massive, sprawling, never ending. 'Downtown' NYC is also almost irrelevant because the whole city feels like a downtown, but actual downtown is really the lower Manhattan area.
2. Chicago - my personal favorite. clean, beautiful, amazing architecture and placed perfectly next to the water. Also just the right size for me as it's huge, but not overwhelming.
3. San Francisco - love it's mixture of walkability next to the water/ocean, and I'm a sucker for palm trees placed smack dab in the middle of a booming downtown.
A good downtown is alive.
People are out and about.
You will be entertained simply by walking down the street.
It is easy to be a pedestrian.
If you're hungry, a good downtown can feed you.
One can purchase high end items or otherwise.
Entertainment options are rife.
A good downtown, once there, you don't have to ask.
Other criteria I'd like to add:
There is good transit options with a few blocks (heavy rail, light rail, bus, taxi, bike sharing, access to highways)
Streets are safe and generally well maintained
(in relation to purchasing/shopping) Lots of services suitable for multiple uses are available, in addition to convience
Public spaces (parks, squares, plazas) add to the appeal and are nicely designed
The adjacent neighborhoods are enjoyable on a somewhat smaller scale as described above or don't detract for the downtown's use.
Six of the top seven are "full service" downtowns. I give DC a pass on that. This means large workforces, large residential bases, large amounts of tourism, and large amounts of retail i.e. department stores, specialty markets, etc. It helps to have a balance of big events too, but without stadiums that become dead zones most of the time.
In 2010 I wouldn't have ranked Seattle so highly. It had the full-service aspect but wasn't large or cohesive enough. But 2017 is very different.
Portland has a case for the second group. It has fantastic qualities, just not enough scale.
LA might join the second group eventually. It's transforming at a good clip and has good bones to work with.
I was just in downtown Chicago going to the outdoor concert in Millennium Park last night, with the Taste of Chicago going on in adjacent Grant Park and art fairs, outdoor dining, shopping and lake strolling was going on all at once. Huge happy crowds of people on the streets, so much energy! The weather was phenomenal, and I totally agree with you, there is something special about Chicago in the summertime.
My list would be
NYC- vast and although not as good looking as dt Chicago, so big and interesting
Chicago- The total package, especially in the summertime with so much to do in a beautiful setting
SF- Beautiful natural setting and interesting dt
Philly/Boston- Both historical and improving yearly
Seattle/Pittsburgh/Washington DC
San Diego is bland to me,with not much to do except going to the Seaport Village and the zoo, and your other choices were also short for me. I would put d/t Cleveland and Detroit ahead of your other picks, up and coming with great architecture. Ever been along the water in Detroit? A best kept secret for sure.
I went to the Taste of Chicago (actually I woke up in Chicago this morning), and saw everything they had going on downtown, and I have to say, Chicago is AMAZING. There should never be a Chicago vs DC, or a Chicago vs Philly thread ever again. Chicago blows them both out of the water.
I went to the Taste of Chicago (actually I woke up in Chicago this morning), and saw everything they had going on downtown, and I have to say, Chicago is AMAZING. There should never be a Chicago vs DC, or a Chicago vs Philly thread ever again. Chicago blows them both out of the water.
Chicago's downtown really is amazing. One of the best downtowns anywhere. It's the perfect balance! I was fortunate enough to do my grad there.
I went to the Taste of Chicago (actually I woke up in Chicago this morning), and saw everything they had going on downtown, and I have to say, Chicago is AMAZING. There should never be a Chicago vs DC, or a Chicago vs Philly thread ever again. Chicago blows them both out of the water.
Oh and make sure to check out their waterfront.. Not just downtown but go from Oak Street Beach across Lake Shore Drive from The Drake and walk up all the way to Lakeview. You'll see what I meant with Chicago's waterfront on the other thread.
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