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Philadelphia is certainly in the top 5, arguable number 3 or 4. Seattle should be further down.
NYC
Chicago
SF/PHL/BOS
DC
Those are the clear front runners if you are comparing downtowns.
The only tough one is LA because the downtown is dreary, but there are tons of other vibrant urban neighborhoods.
That's definitely the top order for sure, but I think LA gets to sneak in right after DC. DTLA is now very active on weekends and far from dreary. I was there in March visiting friends that live in DTLA and I couldn't believe how many people were walking around to the many new bars and restaurants. The only places that rival DTLA are SaMo, WeHo, and Hollywood. But SaMo and Hollywood is heavily based on tourism. DTLA and WeHo are definitely the downtowns for the locals. But DTLA has some good shopping now, the best public transit access, a rapidly improving nightlife, lots of new apartments and converted buildings, many businesses relocating from other parts of LA to DTLA. I still think it's behind DC, but it's definitely in the same tier now as the others listed, just at the very low end of that tier bordering the next tier.
Very solid list. The only change I'd make is adding LA to the top of the honorable mention category. It clearly has a lot of holes that keep it from the top tier currently but it is improving quickly and has the potential to be really good. I'd also consider adding San Diego and Pittsburgh to the honorable mention category.
Tier 3
Los Angeles: 6.5 (extremely dissapointing given a city its size, though, trending up)
New Orleans: 6.5 (mainly because of French Qtr which abutts downtown)
Denver: 6
Portland: 6
Milwaukee: 6
Miami: 6 (DT Miami is overrated. Miami Beach is more interesting)
Detroit: 5.5 (but trending up)
Atlanta: 5.5
Kansas City: 5.5
San Diego: 5 (this is a tough one because it also has great aspects, but there is little vitality)
Baltimore: 5
Tier 4
Cleveland: 4.5
Indianapolis: 4
Charlotte: 4
San Antonio: 4
Dallas: 4 (there is nothing there-- in downtown, specifically)
Phoenix: 3
Most of the cities above I have been to on at least 4 or more occasions.
I have not been to these three cities so I left them from the rankings:
Houston
Minneapolis
Pittsburgh
Tier 3
Los Angeles: 6.5 (extremely dissapointing given a city its size, though, trending up)
New Orleans: 6.5 (mainly because of French Qtr which abutts downtown)
Denver: 6
Portland: 6
Milwaukee: 6
Miami: 6 (DT Miami is overrated. Miami Beach is more interesting)
Detroit: 5.5 (but trending up)
Atlanta: 5.5
Kansas City: 5.5
San Diego: 5 (this is a tough one because it also has great aspects, but there is little vitality)
Baltimore: 5
Tier 4
Cleveland: 4.5
Indianapolis: 4
Charlotte: 4
San Antonio: 4
Dallas: 4 (there is nothing there-- in downtown, specifically)
Phoenix: 3
Pittsburgh
I whole-heartedly agree with this post, though I'd give SF a 9, Boston an 8, Philly an 8, and Seattle an 8.
Yes, Denver and DC were tied at #11. A pretty uneven pairing, indeed.
Denver has a lot of skyscrapers. Washington DC is the seat of power for the US, and for much of the rest of the world. Denver, FWIW, is the financial center of the Rocky Mountain states region, and the seat of power for Colorado. Colorado is the most populous state and Denver the most populous city in the intermoutain west. https://www.google.com/search?q=pict...6uZNpiYIFLXVM:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chicago60614
Personally for an urban core?
Chicago
New York
New Orleans
Philly
Boston
San Fran
DC
Seattle
Denver has a lot of skyscrapers. Washington DC is the seat of power for the US, and for much of the rest of the world. Denver, FWIW, is the financial center of the Rocky Mountain states region, and the seat of power for Colorado. Colorado is the most populous state and Denver the most populous city in the intermoutain west. https://www.google.com/search?q=pict...6uZNpiYIFLXVM:
Portland is highly over-rated.
If anything, Portland's core is underrated. It's urban and very pedestrian-oriented by US city standards.
Well stated.
As for me, I've never understood this phallocentric approach to urbanism, anyway. What would Dr. Freud say?
It makes no sense. Highrises have nothing to do with relative vibrancy.
They may even be vibrancy killers, at least in cities where highrises are accompanied by massive parking podiums (which would be most U.S. cities).
The best urban neighborhoods in the U.S., by far, are in Manhattan between maybe Chambers Street and 23rd Street. Those areas, while they contain highrises, are really more midrise in nature, and more important, contain almost no typical U.S.-style highrises, with the tower block and the vibrancy-sucking podium base.
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