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If you define "Downtown Boston" to include Beacon Hill (which you should) and the Back Bay (which you may or may not), tie.
If you don't, Downtown Philadelphia.
Downtown KC or Downtown St. Louis?
Downtown Kansas City (MO of course). Outside of Ballpark Village and parts of Washington St., downtown St. Louis is fairly dead outside of office functions. Soulard, Central West End, and the Delmar Loop are more virbant IMO. The closing of a mall as well as the Rams leaving really hurt downtown's vibrancy. Meanwhile, downtown KCMO has a better selection of adjacent neighborhoods surrounding it in addition to the area inside the freeway "Alphabet Loop", especially Crossroads/Crown Center to its south and the River Market to its north.
Downtown Wilmington, DE or downtown Lancaster, PA?
Downtown Kansas City (MO of course). Outside of Ballpark Village and parts of Washington St., downtown St. Louis is fairly dead outside of office functions. Soulard, Central West End, and the Delmar Loop are more virbant IMO. The closing of a mall as well as the Rams leaving really hurt downtown's vibrancy. Meanwhile, downtown KCMO has a better selection of adjacent neighborhoods surrounding it in addition to the area inside the freeway "Alphabet Loop", especially Crossroads/Crown Center to its south and the River Market to its north.
Downtown Wilmington, DE or downtown Lancaster, PA?
Downtown Lancaster, hands down, for much the same reason downtown Kansas City beats downtown St. Louis.
Wilmington has the more impressive skyline, but despite years of effort aimed at keeping this from happening, its downtown still dies at 5:30 p.m. Yes, there's the DuPont Playhouse and the Grand Opera House, but it's hard to tell there's stuff going on in either from the life on the street.
Lancaster lacks a live downtown theater, but it seems to have just about everything else (including the oldest farmers' market in the country), and it has several restaurants and clubs downtown that keep things hopping after the businesses close. Plus there are residents surrounding the compact downtown on all sides, just a short walk away, and no freeway separates it from anywhere else in the city.
Downtown Lancaster, hands down, for much the same reason downtown Kansas City beats downtown St. Louis.
Wilmington has the more impressive skyline, but despite years of effort aimed at keeping this from happening, its downtown still dies at 5:30 p.m. Yes, there's the DuPont Playhouse and the Grand Opera House, but it's hard to tell there's stuff going on in either from the life on the street.
Lancaster lacks a live downtown theater, but it seems to have just about everything else (including the oldest farmers' market in the country), and it has several restaurants and clubs downtown that keep things hopping after the businesses close. Plus there are residents surrounding the compact downtown on all sides, just a short walk away, and no freeway separates it from anywhere else in the city.
Downtown Pittsburgh or downtown Cleveland?
Pittsburgh has turned the corner. Lots of new investment, more urban, and nice scenery.
Pittsburgh has turned the corner. Lots of new investment, more urban, and nice scenery.
Downtown Nashville or Downtown Cincinnati?
I prefer downtown Cincinnati- Good urban bones, strong local roots, love the hills, nice proximity to Louisville. I'd rather live in the Nashville area, but that's a different conversation.
Downtown Bellevue, Washington or Downtown Cambridge, MA?
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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I prefer downtown Cincinnati- Good urban bones, strong local roots, love the hills, nice proximity to Louisville. I'd rather live in the Nashville area, but that's a different conversation.
Downtown Bellevue, Washington or Downtown Cambridge, MA?
Downtown Bellevue, not because it's anything special other than glassy highrises (its very corporate), but because Cambridge, MA doesn't have a downtown. Ha! It instead has three prominent "squares" (Harvard Square, Porter Square, and Kendall Square).
Downtown Bellevue, not because it's anything special other than glassy highrises (its very corporate), but because Cambridge, MA doesn't have a downtown. Ha! It instead has three prominent "squares" (Harvard Square, Porter Square, and Kendall Square).
Central Square, where Cambridge City Hall is located, is more prominent than Porter Square. And while it doesn't have the tall buildings of downtown Bellevue (which I would agree is more of a "downtown" than Cambridge's Harvard Square is — sheesh, the only thing that kept me from confusing it for Seattle when I first visited the area was the absence of the Space Needle from the skyline), Harvard Square, located in the "knot" of bowtie-shaped Cambridge, functions like a central business district, albeit a suburban-jumping-off-point one.
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Downtown Portland or Downtown Denver?
I'd love to visit Portland someday, just so I can say I've seen it. But Downtown Denver strikes me as having more going on in it. Or is it just that it has momentum now?
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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Central Square, where Cambridge City Hall is located, is more prominent than Porter Square. And while it doesn't have the tall buildings of downtown Bellevue (which I would agree is more of a "downtown" than Cambridge's Harvard Square is — sheesh, the only thing that kept me from confusing it for Seattle when I first visited the area was the absence of the Space Needle from the skyline), Harvard Square, located in the "knot" of bowtie-shaped Cambridge, functions like a central business district, albeit a suburban-jumping-off-point one.
I'd love to visit Portland someday, just so I can say I've seen it. But Downtown Denver strikes me as having more going on in it. Or is it just that it has momentum now?
Downtown Hartford or downtown New Haven?
How did I miss Central Square? It use to be pretty dingy and gritty there back in the day, but some of my favorite nightlife was also there in my early 20's. But not once in my 20+ years in Massachusetts have I ever heard anyone say "downtown Cambridge". Harvard Square to me is more or less Harvard's Square rather than any sort of CBD function.
Portland has a downtown with land constraints wedged between the West Hills and the Willamette River so it has a more compact feel than Denver's downtown and Portland's downtown had a lot less damage from mid 20th century urban renewal with more charming blocks and less parking lots. Granted Denver deserves a lot of credit for infilling a lot of that in the 2010's.
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Originally Posted by MarketStEl
Downtown Hartford or downtown New Haven?
I prefer New Haven since it has nearby Wooster Street with awesome pizza & Italian food along with the New Haven Green that lets you know you're in New England abutting the Yale Campus. Downtown Hartford has the very impressive CT statehouse, Bushnell Park and New England's 2nd skyline. But it's not very vibrant, lots of mid 20th century urban renewal there and it's chocked in by I-84 and I-91 on three sides of the CBD.
downtown Tucson or Albuquerque?
Last edited by Champ le monstre du lac; 06-24-2020 at 12:31 PM..
San Antonio has a better downtown. More historic, nice neighborhoods, and things to do.
Downtown Chattanooga or Downtown Asheville?
Ooooo... this is kind of hard. I'm ganna go with Asheville but I love Chattanooga's downtown and its setting too. It's a pretty tough choice for me.
Boise ID or Colorado Springs CO?
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It instead has three prominent "squares" (Harvard Square, Porter Square, and Kendall Square). 
