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I think the Chicago loop beats Lower Manhattan, but Midtown Manhattan is arguably the premiere urban experience in the “world”
I think the Chicago Loop is a lot more like Midtown than it is like Lower Manhattan in terms of how its laid out in a grid pattern and just generally what it feels like. Whether Lower Manhattan or Midtown Manhattan are more "premiere" as an urban experience sort of depends on what you're going for. Midtown Manhattan has more office space though it also has very broad avenues and long east-west block sizes that make it somewhat less friendly for walking than Lower Manhattan (and the Chicago Loop) while Lower Manhattan generally has narrower streets and a street layout of short and sometimes curving blocks that is very friendly for walking.
In my opinion, the area in between Midtown and Lower Manhattan (and perhaps a subset of Lower Manhattan though distinct from the Financial District), which I generally refer to as the Villages, is the premiere urban experience in the US with fairly short blocks and lots of density though fewer highrises.
I think the Chicago Loop is a lot more like Midtown than it is like Lower Manhattan in terms of how its laid out in a grid pattern and just generally what it feels like. Whether Lower Manhattan or Midtown Manhattan are more "premiere" as an urban experience sort of depends on what you're going for. Midtown Manhattan has more office space though it also has very broad avenues and long east-west block sizes that make it somewhat less friendly for walking than Lower Manhattan (and the Chicago Loop) while Lower Manhattan generally has narrower streets and a street layout of short and sometimes curving blocks that is very friendly for walking.
Chicago's Loop is definitely more Midtown than it is Lower Manhattan in the sense of grand avenues and a immense street grid. Lower Manhattan is what DT Boston would look like without height restrictions. Regarding what's more "premier"? The Loop is 2x the size of Lower Manhattan and about 2/3rds the size of Midtown from a built environment standpoint.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OyCrumbler
In my opinion, the area in between Midtown and Lower Manhattan (and perhaps a subset of Lower Manhattan though distinct from the Financial District), which I generally refer to as the Villages, is the premiere urban experience in the US with fairly short blocks and lots of density though fewer highrises.
Agree, the interior villages between Midtown and Lower Manhattan remind of Americanized versions of Paris or London.
On a grand scale, it makes a difference, but Chicago isn’t Islamabad. . Manhattan is somewhat wealthier than central Chicago but it’s so much more populated. The gap is much more on on the population than wealth side.
This is a totally absurd claim. The sheer number of 1%ers in Manhattan dwarfs any other city in North America. All that wealth drives the vibrancy.
This is a totally absurd claim. The sheer number of 1%ers in Manhattan dwarfs any other city in North America. All that wealth drives the vibrancy.
By your logic NYC should be more vibrant than Mumbai. Population is what drives vibrancy, not medium income. Wealth will drive niche markets (high-rise condo's, boutique stores, etc..) but not on the ground foot traffic.
By your logic NYC should be more vibrant than Mumbai. Population is what drives vibrancy, not medium income. Wealth will drive niche markets (skyscrapers, boutique stores, etc..) but not on the ground foot traffic.
Lower Manhattan has 900k in ~12 sq. miles.
Yeah the wealth drives vibrancy argument falls apart pretty quickly when you realize cities outside the US exist, for example, all the not very wealthy European cities such as Barcelona, Budapest, Lisbon, and Berlin.
This is easy. When it comes to overall urban experience.
Manhattan >>> Chicago
Chicago CBD > Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan sucks compared to Chicago's core. It's dirtier, less aesthetically pleasing, scaffolding everywhere at street level. Not a fan at all, and I've been there 10 times.
But overall, Chicago cannot touch NYC, or even Manhattan. It's not even the same level of experience. And that's not even counting Brooklyn, etc.
That said, MANY people prefer Chicago, due to it being more manageable, cleaner and cheaper.
Chicago's Loop is definitely more Midtown than it is Lower Manhattan in the sense of grand avenues and a immense street grid. Lower Manhattan is what DT Boston would look like without height restrictions. Regarding what's more "premier"? The Loop is 2x the size of Lower Manhattan and about 2/3rds the size of Midtown from a built environment standpoint.
Agree, the interior villages between Midtown and Lower Manhattan remind of Americanized versions of Paris or London.
Yea, I think I'd just use more structurally dense rather than premier unless it was something like "premier class A office space" or some other kind of qualifier.
Glad you see the greater similarity of the Loop to Midtown and that you also brought up DT Boston. The way I think of Lower Manhattan, the Villages, and then Midtown is that it's like scaled up downtown Boston, Center City, and the Loop one right after another.
That being said, I think those downtowns all have their distinct identities so I don't mean to say that Manhattan has them all--just what these areas are built like or have the most semblance to.
This is easy. When it comes to overall urban experience.
Manhattan >>> Chicago
Chicago CBD > Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan sucks compared to Chicago's core. It's dirtier, less aesthetically pleasing, scaffolding everywhere at street level. Not a fan at all, and I've been there 10 times.
But overall, Chicago cannot touch NYC, or even Manhattan. It's not even the same level of experience. And that's not even counting Brooklyn, etc.
That said, MANY people prefer Chicago, due to it being more manageable, cleaner and cheaper.
Most people think these are two things Chicago can offer in the summer that Manhattan cant
Riverboat tour and the Chicago beach
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