Best downtown in the U.S.A (place, districts, skyline)

[steelers1523]

Originally Posted by Kobe25

Mid-town Manhattan alone isn't big enough to be better than Downtown Chicago.Its like outside of Times Square what's the next big thing to see in Mid-town ?

But if we lump Mid-town & Lower Manhattan together than that's another story.Thats why i said Lower Manhattan is the real Downtown in New York.

Mid-town Manhattan is like what Wilshire is in Los Angeles.Not exactly Downtown but also a CBD area and you also could call Hollywood another Downtown type area. So these questions have to be asked specifically or we're gonna get all this back and forth about what should be included as the Downtown area.

It sounds like you don't know much about Manhattan. When you say Midtown is like Wilshire I'm assuming when you think of Midtown you think of Times Square to Penn Station. That is a tiny part of Midtown and way too crowded with commuters and tourists. Something like 400 thousand people live in Midtown.

[kidphilly]

Originally Posted by steelers1523

It sounds like you don't know much about Manhattan. When you say Midtown is like Wilshire I'm assuming when you think of Midtown you think of Times Square to Penn Station. That is a tiny part of Midtown and way too crowded with commuters and tourists. Something like 400 thousand people live in Midtown.

am confused by that as well


Midtown is much larger than Chicago and a ton to do

[BigLake]

Originally Posted by the topper

The five Best Downtowns in the country:

1. Philadelphia
2. Portland
3. Indianapolis
4. Seattle
5. Chicago

Good grief.

[Stacks3]

Outside of nyc,
Chicago.

Sf would be 2nd, philly probably 3rd.

[gladhands]

Originally Posted by kidphilly

am confused by that as well


Midtown is much larger than Chicago and a ton to do

I think Midtown objectively offers more than downtown Chicago, but while living in Chicago, I am more likely to go downtown for purposes other than work then I would be to go to midtown Manhattan while living in New York.

I'm more of a downtown/Soho/Nolita/LES shopper, so Macy's and the Fifth Avenue Shops won't draw me to midtown. I'd use Chicago's Barney's more often than any store in Midtown. I'd go to MoMA a 3-4 times a year, and Chicago's MCA roughly the same number of times. I'd also go downtown for the Art Institute and Field Museum, whereas Midtown has no other museums I'd visit. While I might go to a norebang or eat Korean in midtown, I'd venture into downtown Chicago far more frequently for dining and nightlife. I've seen two broadway shows in my life, so that has limited appeal for me. I'd do a couple of events in Bryant Park...probably the same number I'd do in Grant and Millennium Parks.

Make no mistake, midtown Manhattan offers a lot more, but not as much that appeals to me.

[jpdivola]

Best is a little subjective. But, in terms of most active and have the most ammenities the concensus seems to roughly be:


1) NYC- leaving aside the debate about what actually consistitutes "downtown": just the finanical district, midtown, anything below 14th street, anything below 59th street, etc. NYC is clearly the most impresive in scale, vibrancy, and ammenities standpoint.
2) Chicago- again some debate about what cons. Just the loop or do you include River North/Gold Coast, West Loop, South Loop. In any event this is the 2nd most iconic big city downtown: BOT Building, the El, Sears/Hancock Towers, Millenium Park, Michicagan Ave, etc.
3) SF- Union Square, FiDi, SoMa, Chinatown, Nobb Hill, etc.
4/5) Philly or Boston- this one seems a bit more subjective. Both are close to SF in terms of vibrancy and ammenities. But, perhaps a little less renowned. Philly's center city feels bigger, but Boston's city center is a little more upscale and polished. Both are growing, but long term, Philly probably has a little more upside given the city center is set up better to handle taller buildings.
6/7) Seattle or DC- DC's downtown is far bigger and more polished given its role as the Capital. But, Seattle has more of a traditional mixed-use organic downtown. DC's height limit adds to its physical size, but also creates vast areas of 10-story 9-5 office zones.


After that is gets a little subjective: Portland is probably qualitatively the best downtown. But, DTLA is rising fast. New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Denver, San Diego and a few others also often come up for honorable mentions.

[JustGoForIt]

Originally Posted by jpdivola

Best is a little subjective. But, in terms of most active and have the most ammenities the concensus seems to roughly be:

1) NYC- leaving aside the debate about what actually consistitutes "downtown": just the finanical district, midtown, anything below 14th street, anything below 59th street, etc. NYC is clearly the most impresive in scale, vibrancy, and ammenities standpoint.
2) Chicago- again some debate about what cons. Just the loop or do you include River North/Gold Coast, West Loop, South Loop. In any event this is the 2nd most iconic big city downtown: BOT Building, the El, Sears/Hancock Towers, Millenium Park, Michicagan Ave, etc.
3) SF- Union Square, FiDi, SoMa, Chinatown, Nobb Hill, etc.
4/5) Philly or Boston- this one seems a bit more subjective. Both are close to SF in terms of vibrancy and ammenities. But, perhaps a little less renowned. Philly's center city feels bigger, but Boston's city center is a little more upscale and polished. Both are growing, but long term, Philly probably has a little more upside given the city center is set up better to handle taller buildings.
6/7) Seattle or DC- DC's downtown is far bigger and more polished given its role as the Capital. But, Seattle has more of a traditional mixed-use organic downtown. DC's height limit adds to its physical size, but also creates vast areas of 10-story 9-5 office zones.

After that is gets a little subjective: Portland is probably qualitatively the best downtown. But, DTLA is rising fast. New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Denver, San Diego and a few others also often come up for honorable mentions.

Your list is about right and good comments as to why. But it should be common knowledge that Downtown Chicago has been more then just the Loop for a few decades now. The city's own map of Downtown Chicago. Should make this clear.

https://data.cityofchicago.org/Facil...rict/tksj-nvsw

I actually believe the border should include the Gold Coast to Lincoln Park and south to include the Museum Campus and the new south east of the Loop skyscraper high-rises developments.

I do believe Chicago does have the Quintessential American Downtown today.

[timberline742]

Originally Posted by Simpsonvilllian

what is the problem with Indianopolis. it has a canal and fountains in the downtown area, nice zoo right across the river with a pedestrian bridge over the river. a lot of greenspace. not too many cities have a canal like that.

Monument Circle is cool too with the brickroad and big monument with the fountain.

It's dead at night. It is lifeless. No character. I had to spend way way too many days there because it is centrally located, but it has no soul.

[That_One_Guy]

Originally Posted by steelers1523

When people in NYC say they live downtown they are saying they live south of 14th street. By that definition Downtown Manhattan blows every other downtown out of the water. If you want to look at downtowns in a traditional sense (which is odd since comparing NYC to other US cities is mostly apples to oranges) then Midtown is one of manhattans "downtowns" and the other would be roughly south of Canal centered around FiDi.

This guy gets it! I think this is the best way of wording basically what everyone else was trying to say earlier.

[That_One_Guy]

Originally Posted by OyCrumbler

To continue the analogy here, downtown Manhattan as in the financial district and parts immediately adjacent are a bit like a larger Boston downtown which highlights the connection to the sea, has winding roads and is comparatively clean and a bit too bougie for me at times.

This is exactly how I feel about Midtown East.

Actually, this could be said about many parts of Manhattan, especially UES and UWS.