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Dude, you dont need to defend Minneapolis to me. I like it pretty well. Id never live there. The weather is a deal breaker.
Dallas to these two cities is not really a good comparison. They will depend on what you want out of a city. Dallas is a much more powerful, corporate, and global city than Minneapolis and Cleveland are. Minneapolis has managed to stay under the corporate radar just enough to keep the hipsters and jobs both coming. Cleveland has trouble on both fronts.
Frankly, I think the food is better in Dallas overall than the other two as well. The fine dining and ethnic food is unquestionably better in Dallas than Cleveland or Minneapolis.
I prefer Dallas greatly to the other two. For Minneapolis, its not the fault of the city. For Cleveland, if I had to live in that part of the country, Id much rather be in Detroit.
Is Dallas a true concrete jungle? In many parts yes, but you have White Rock Lake and Lakewood Park as well as Trinity Audubon Center and the William Blair Jr. park. Not too shabby.
I dont think you know much about Dallas at all.
Once he said that Dallas was dominated by cowboy culture and Cleveland was more diverse, I knew he never really spent much time there. Not to mention all of the stereotypes of chain restaurants..... Yes, the feeder roads are filled with chains. But you have to get OFF of the highway and venture onto city streets for the real local stuff. As I've stated before, work trips to DFW often bring visitors to the blandest and most nondescript parts of the city. They unfortunately miss out on some of the neater areas. Regardless, Minneapolis would be easier for a quick trip and with a more comfortable summer climate.
I visited Cleveland for the first time two years ago. I was looking for a short, cheap vacation while in school and have a friend there. I didn't have any high expectations because of what you always hear about the city. I ended up loving the city. Not enough to move there because I'm a big city boy, but I genuinely enjoyed my time in Cleveland. Little Italy isn't like the best Little Italy in the country, but it's a really cute neighborhood with great food. There are several museums just a few blocks west of Little Italy that were great to wander through. Ohio City has some really fun nightlife, breweries you can tour, and West Side Market's food variety is great. Never made it to W 6th, but I've heard great things. I did get dinner on E 4th and I loved that area! Also heard good things about Lakewood and stuff to do over there, but never made it. And, of course, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I'm not even the biggest rock & roll fan, but it was a really awesome experience spending almost a day there!!
1) I feel it offers more as a city. The metro area is bigger, its more international and diverse, and I find downtown Detroit to be more lively than downtown Cleveland.
2) Im a Lebanese Arab. Few places offer more than Detroit for people from my culture. Im not stuck on it or anything, but its a nice bonus.
3) Detroit has a big international airport with flights all over the world. Cleveland doesnt.
4) I find there is a huge different in the attitudes of the people. I cant tell you how many times Ive been to and talk to people from Cleveland and the topic is always "we used to...". Its almost as if people are stuck on their former glory theyll never get back. The attitude in Detroit is different in my experience. People take the view of "yeah its a hellhole, but its our hellhole". They seem to be more open to embracing ideas than Cleveland.
5) The history and culture I find very appealing in Detroit.
1) Traffic in Dallas is HORRIBLE in comparison to the two. 105 degrees on 75 at the end of the day... seriously a never-ending nightmare... god forbid your A/C blows out.
2) The park systems in both Minneapolis and CLE are wayy better. In fact, the Twin Cities probably have the best in the nation. CLE has a well kept and a pretty expansive metro park system with a national park on its outskirts. Dallas is notoriously horrible in this regard. A true concrete jungle.
3) Where Dallas lacks in outdoor activities... it makes up for with endless shopping malls. But then again, Minneapolis has Mall of America which is cool... I guess.
4) High-school football is better in Dallas. This is true.
5) The economy is probably neck and neck with Minneapolis, and CLE is lagging far behind.
In summary, Dallas is a huge mass of concrete sprinkled with chain stores... kidding... kinda.
As it concerns the Black population, Dallas would have the smaller percentage likely because it’s represented well in other groups. It has a larger Asian population. Dallas has clearly has a larger black population, Latino population, and Asian population.
Also yes, the Cowboy culture is huge in Dallas provided you are talking about the Dallas Cowboys football team.
I visited Cleveland for the first time two years ago. I was looking for a short, cheap vacation while in school and have a friend there. I didn't have any high expectations because of what you always hear about the city. I ended up loving the city. Not enough to move there because I'm a big city boy, but I genuinely enjoyed my time in Cleveland. Little Italy isn't like the best Little Italy in the country, but it's a really cute neighborhood with great food. There are several museums just a few blocks west of Little Italy that were great to wander through. Ohio City has some really fun nightlife, breweries you can tour, and West Side Market's food variety is great. Never made it to W 6th, but I've heard great things. I did get dinner on E 4th and I loved that area! Also heard good things about Lakewood and stuff to do over there, but never made it. And, of course, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. I'm not even the biggest rock & roll fan, but it was a really awesome experience spending almost a day there!!
Nice,realistic assessment from someone who actually went to Cleveland.
1) I feel it offers more as a city. The metro area is bigger, its more international and diverse, and I find downtown Detroit to be more lively than downtown Cleveland.
2) Im a Lebanese Arab. Few places offer more than Detroit for people from my culture. Im not stuck on it or anything, but its a nice bonus.
3) Detroit has a big international airport with flights all over the world. Cleveland doesnt.
4) I find there is a huge different in the attitudes of the people. I cant tell you how many times Ive been to and talk to people from Cleveland and the topic is always "we used to...". Its almost as if people are stuck on their former glory theyll never get back. The attitude in Detroit is different in my experience. People take the view of "yeah its a hellhole, but its our hellhole". They seem to be more open to embracing ideas than Cleveland.
5) The history and culture I find very appealing in Detroit.
Obviously you're entitled to your opinion, to which I disagree on several points.
I do not feel Detroit offers more as a city by any means: culture? arts? diversity? food? transit? Infrastructure, generally? ... I would emphatically say: no. Detroit is obviously a larger metropolitan area, but it is considerably more dysfunctional: Detroit is city vs. the suburbs on the worst and ugliest level, especially racially. Suburban leaders have generally taken the view that the City of Detroit exists mainly for some employment (although I read a study where the ratio of downtown offices/jobs vs. those beyond the city limits is lower than any American City -- if I find this study, I will post it) as well as for some entertainment. Most recently yet another stab at regional mass transit -- involving a series of BRT lines... 4, I believe ... and a commuter rail line to Ann Arbor went down the tubes with suburban voters/officials scuttling the idea. Yet one of many examples. Anything beyond rooting for the Tigers, Pistons, Lions, Red Wings, etc, and going to a few downtown restaurants and clubs every once in a blue moon is the most suburbanites generally want to involve themselves with Detroit...
As an Arab American, Detroit certainly has more population and culture than Cleveland ... or any other American city for that matter. Dearborn is the unofficial capital of Arab Americans in the country. Can't argue this...
I also disagree that downtown Detroit is livelier than downtown Cleveland. No way. While downtown Detroit has come a long way in recent years, it hasn't reached Clevleand's level of success; not yet at least... Detroit in the neighborhoods, has made considerable progress in recent years, but it has a looong ways to go... Clevleand's not perfect either in this regard,... not by a long shot, but Cleveland never fell to Detroit's depths in terms of neighborhood decay (the small neighboring "suburb" of East Cleveland, however, is quite another story)... I do particularly like certain areas of Detroit, like Indian Village, Palmer Woods and Midtown, the latter of which is adjacent to downtown, and really has developed a cool, walkable vibe of late.
Hell-hole/our hell hole? It's nice Detroit has a strong comradery, but to a degree this mentality tends to accept the city's dysfunction as a given, and that shouldn't be. Detroit, or any place else, should always be striving to be better and never circle the wagons with a Detroit-versus-the-world mentality which is a tacit excuse for the city's problems.
This dude's planning a vacation. Can we keep at least one thread on here that actually answers OP's question? He's looking for a vacation. Tell him about the culture and nightlife and dining and sightseeing of the three cities listed. Literally he never asked about Detroit so why are you discussing Detroit in such length and detail?
I've never been to Dallas, but I did live in the Twin Cities for awhile. Downtown Minneapolis is somewhat sterile and empty-feeling. Downtown St. Paul is better, and the area around the University of Minnesota is pretty nice. My preference, however is Cleveland.
Cleveland has a grittier feeling overall, and may not be as shiny on the surface as the TCs or Dallas, but it does have a lot to offer, especially if you like the gritty, rust belt aesthetic. Neighborhoods like Ohio City, Detroit Shoreway, Larchmere, and Little Italy offer tons of great local cafes, restaurants, and shops (Check out Sweet Moses, a 1950s style soda fountain with the best homemade ice cream and treats). It's a city where you have to do some digging below the surface, but you'll find plenty of gems. The dining here is FANTASTIC. My boss who is from Dallas, and lives in San Diego says the dining is far and away better than what those cities have to offer. Museums are also great here. The Cleveland Museum of Art is world class, on par with museums in much larger cities, and FREE. Nextdoor is the Cleveland History Center, complete with a fully restored and rideable early 1900s carousel. In that same area there's also the botanical gardens, with 2 large indoor biomes (Costa Rica and Madagascar), and a large outdoor area, and The Natural History Museum which features a unique and brand new live animal area.
We also have a fantastic National Park right outside the city, The Cuyahoga Valley National Park. A great night out is going to see the world renowned Cleveland Orchestra play at Blossom Music Center, an outdoor music center situated in the park. Lake Erie, one of the world's largest freshwater lakes is also a great sightseeing option.
As far as the gay community goes, the liberal suburbs of Lakewood and Cleveland Heights have long been known as LGBT meccas. Both offer a wide array of restaurants, bars, and shops. Check out Coventry Rd. or Lee Rd. in Cleveland Heights and Madison Ave. or Detroit Ave. in Lakewood. However, I think you'll find most areas here very accepting.
As it concerns the Black population, Dallas would have the smaller percentage likely because it’s represented well in other groups. It has a larger Asian population. Dallas has clearly has a larger black population, Latino population, and Asian population.
Dallas also has a land area of 340.5 sq miles whereas Minneapolis has a land area of only 54.9 sq miles. Minneapolis at 340 sq miles has a larger black and Asian population. Hell, St. Paul alone has a larger Asian population than Dallas - 55,022 vs 46,401
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cowboys fan in Houston
Frankly, I think the food is better in Dallas overall than the other two as well. The fine dining and ethnic food is unquestionably better in Dallas than Cleveland or Minneapolis.
Add St. Paul into the mix and I will take the ethnic variety of Minneapolis and St. Paul over Dallas. For city of over 1.3 million Dallas ethnic variety isn't very impressive.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cleverfield
I've never been to Dallas, but I did live in the Twin Cities for awhile. Downtown Minneapolis is somewhat sterile and empty-feeling. Downtown St. Paul is better, and the area around the University of Minnesota is pretty nice.
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