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I can't even imagine how you came up with this answer. You think that people on the east coast don't walk, run, cycle, hike, go to a gym, camp, chop firewood, or do anything that requires them to get out of their ergonomic office chair?
You're wrong about that.
Not as much as the west coast. And I came up with this answer after experiencing the differences by living on both coasts.
Its more about the vibe of the region vs comparing cities. I never got the high energy vibe in any West Coast cities except for Vegas. When I visit the West Coast outside of Vegas I just don't get the high energy vibe. It get more of the West Coast vibe which is great. More of sitting outside with blue skies, no rain, nice women, weed, etc but not a straight party vibe. Energy is better IMO during the day on the West Coast vs at night
If you want to think that about the south thats cool. We have much better beaches here that have actual warm water. Go to the beach in the summer in Cali and the water is freezing. No point of having a beach with cold water. Everything shuts down at 1:30am there. Low energy. Taxes on everything. Etc. Great weather, weed and women though (even though I don't smoke weed) but I don't have time to keep going back and forth on this. If you think the West Coast have high energy so be it. Take care!
What’s funny is that I’ve never thought of The South as “high energy”. My image of The South has always been very slow-paced and relaxed. But I’m from NY so every other place seems low energy to me lol.
I agree with your point about nightlife though. I definitely am on the side of nightlife playing a huge part in a city’s “energy” however you wanna define that. I know we all have different ways of interpreting that.
The South does have a really good lineup of nightlife cities now that I think about it. And OTOH I always thought growing up that California would’ve had an amazing + wild nightlife scene on par with cities like Miami and NYC and all that, and was very surprised to learn that it’s pretty tame in comparison and shuts down mad early. I blame Tupac + California Love for that false image, lol. And I guess just pop culture media and Hollywood in general.
What’s funny is that I’ve never thought of The South as “high energy”. My image of The South has always been very slow-paced and relaxed. But I’m from NY so every other place seems low energy to me lol.
I agree with your point about nightlife though. I definitely am on the side of nightlife playing a huge part in a city’s “energy” however you wanna define that. I know we all have different ways of interpreting that.
The South does have a really good lineup of nightlife cities now that I think about it. And OTOH I always thought growing up that California would’ve had an amazing + wild nightlife scene on par with cities like Miami and NYC and all that, and was very surprised to learn that it’s pretty tame in comparison and shuts down mad early. I blame Tupac + California Love for that false image, lol. And I guess just pop culture media and Hollywood in general.
I agree with you about the South. The OP is talking about the vibe at night not the vibe during the day. The south is at a slower pace but nightlife/and the overall let loose vibe is much better. Maybe its me but maybe the snowcapped mountains and clear blue skies maybe give the West Coast lower energy? I think its the early last call. Most of the bigger cities on the East have at least a 3am last call, some cities have a 4am or 5am last call and one city doesn't even have a last call. So even the cities with a 2am last call they are still nearby cities that pour later which creates a better vibe. BTW Im not hating on the West Coast. I like going out there because its different than the East but I don't see the West Coast as a hyped up turned up vibe. I see Vegas that way but thats about it. I agree with you about that song because I feel the same way.
It also might be the music too. West Coast music is more chill so the clubs will be the same way. South has more party music. DC with Go Go, NY hip hop music isn't really party music these days but they still have the heavy Carribbean culture and they know how to have a good time.
Most of the bigger cities on the East have at least a 3am last call
You keep saying that but:
Boston (and all of New England) - 2am
Baltimore - 2am
Philly - 2am (For all intents and purposes)
Toronto - 2am
Pittsburgh - 2am
Minneapolis - 2am
St. Louis - 2am
Cleveland - 2am
Detroit - 2am
And so on and so forth...
Outside of NY State, Chicago, and DC (where last call is extended by 1 hour twice a week), the Northeast and Midwest stop serving at 2am.
Sure.... anyone that's been to the three can obviously see the difference in foot traffic on peachtree or little five points vs places like the mission or U st.
I'll address the overall level of energy, as that was what the OP inquired about, not necessarily only nightlife or foot traffic.
I've lived in DC and Atlanta. The Northeast definitely takes the cake for energy...and foot traffic. I love Little Five Points; my favorite area in Atlanta. And it does have more pedestrians but overall Atlanta is an auto-dependent and auto-loving city. In this respect it's not different from a lot of cities in the U.S. outside of the Northeast.
I think the Northeast also feels more energetic because the people themselves are moreso. There are a lot of livewires and Type As in the major Northeastern cities. This is not necessarily a good thing. Atlanta has the party crowd but overall has a more relaxed, chilled vibe. Nowhere near sleepy though.
I'm not too familiar with Cali but Atlanta does have more energy than cities in the subregion of the west I know best -- the PNW. A couple of the major cities are almost the exact opposite of energy and give out and encourage a more mellow, contained vibe.
Boston (and all of New England) - 2am
Baltimore - 2am
Philly - 2am (For all intents and purposes)
Toronto - 2am
Pittsburgh - 2am
Minneapolis - 2am
St. Louis - 2am
Cleveland - 2am
Detroit - 2am
And so on and so forth...
Outside of NY State, Chicago, and DC (where last call is extended by 1 hour twice a week), the Northeast and Midwest stop serving at 2am.
Tampa - 3am
Miami - 5am
New Orleans - No Last Call
Atlanta - 3am
NY State - 4am
Chicago - 4/5am
Tenn - 3am
A lot of the population on the West Coast is from Midwestern and East Coast transplants who specifically dislike the hustle and bustle of large, urban cities. They move to the West Coast, in large part, for the spread out living. They enjoy having a large yard, space between their neighbors, no tall buildings, no sidewalks full of people, nature nearby, quiet streets, quiet everything. Because if they didn't want that, why not just live in Boston, NYC, Philly, Baltimore, DC, Miami, New Orleans, Chicago, etc.?
I'm from LA, went to college in SF, visit Chicago often, lived in Philly, visit DC often, and live in Jersey City 10 minutes by subway from Manhattan.
Getting CA friends to stay out till 2am last call is nearly impossible. They'd rather wake up for yoga at 5am on Saturday morning and go for a hike after and get a latte while shopping high end thrift stores. At least LA is changing somewhat with DTLA and Hollywood becoming destinations for locals and nightlife. Exchange LA stays open till 6am, though I've never been able to convince a single friend to stay there past 3am with me. Hollywood has many clubs open until 3am now also. While LA's street vibe is not as high energy as SF, more goes into it. The nightlife is better in LA, restaurants stay open later in LA, and just in general people in LA are more willing to explore the actual city IMO, where as those in SF would prefer to get high in the park or go for a hike.
People moving to large east cities want the fast-paced lifestyle, urban vibes, closeness to neighbors, walkability to/from all the great amenities of a city. That's true for ALL northeast cities + Chicago. Then you have those who love Miami and New Orleans for the party vibe and nonstop action. Young people don't move to Miami to live a laidback lifestyle. They move there to work a normal job during the week, then party all weekend and recover on the beach before going back to work. LA might have a beach, but people don't move to LA for a regular 9-5 job so they can party all weekend. They'd rather have a job with no set hours so they can just relax in a quite coffee shop somewhere and then bike to the beach alone and sit in a secluded part of the beach away from everyone while getting high.
I definitely agree that almost every major city on the east coast is more high energy than every major city on the west coast, but I think a lot has to do with the types of interactions west coasters want. They don't want to see people everywhere all the time or have loud parties and vibrant nightlife. They'd rather be isolated in their private car, have a private job, avoid the crowds during the day, show face at a part, and go home early. Those on the east coast are just more sociable and outgoing in general. No matter what city, we don't mind commuting on public transit (often prefer it) because we're not afraid of other people and often enjoy the social aspect of not being in a car, we like the streets being full of people and life, we go for happy hours after work before dinners with our friends and get home late. Going out on weekends, we don't mind a crowded bar and we'll stay till last call no matter what that time is because we enjoy being around other people and being sociable.
I'll address the overall level of energy, as that was what the OP inquired about, not necessarily only nightlife or foot traffic.
I've lived in DC and Atlanta. The Northeast definitely takes the cake for energy...and foot traffic. I love Little Five Points; my favorite area in Atlanta. And it does have more pedestrians but overall Atlanta is an auto-dependent and auto-loving city. In this respect it's not different from a lot of cities in the U.S. outside of the Northeast.
I think the Northeast also feels more energetic because the people themselves are moreso. There are a lot of livewires and Type As in the major Northeastern cities. This is not necessarily a good thing. Atlanta has the party crowd but overall has a more relaxed, chilled vibe. Nowhere near sleepy though.
I'm not too familiar with Cali but Atlanta does have more energy than cities in the subregion of the west I know best -- the PNW. A couple of the major cities are almost the exact opposite of energy and give out and encourage a more mellow, contained vibe.
Thanks for a logical answer. Cities like Atlanta can seem less vibrant as in having less energy because you see less people out and about since everyone drives everywhere which is basically all I said in reply to another forumer that noted Atlanta as having less energy. I dont know why Atlanta homers always get so butthurt and try so hard and make outlandish rebuttals like Atlanta having foot traffic comparable to SF/DC....a few are infamous at this point.
The South does have a really good lineup of nightlife cities now that I think about it. And OTOH I always thought growing up that California would’ve had an amazing + wild nightlife scene on par with cities like Miami and NYC and all that, and was very surprised to learn that it’s pretty tame in comparison and shuts down mad early. I blame Tupac + California Love for that false image, lol. And I guess just pop culture media and Hollywood in general.
Same here...that took me by surprise too. The nightlife in several Southern cities, including Atlanta, seems more active and vibrant to me.
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