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I only picked NYC and Chicago since those are the only cities are consider "fast-paced". Second tier would be DC, then Phil., the Boston. Maybe next tier is SF. No others.
I only picked NYC and Chicago since those are the only cities are consider "fast-paced". Second tier would be DC, then Phil., the Boston. Maybe next tier is SF. No others.
NYC and Chicago are not the only cities considered fast-paced. NYC is the only city that most universally consider fast-paced, not Chicago. Chicago, Philly, and Boston, maybe SF are the only other cities that feel somewhat fast-paced, but this all subjective.
NYC and Chicago are not the only cities considered fast-paced. NYC is the only city that most universally consider fast-paced, not Chicago. Chicago, Philly, and Boston, maybe SF are the only other cities that feel somewhat fast-paced, but this all subjective.
I agree. NYC is alone here. It feels like an outlier, even when considering all of the other Northeastern cities. Second tier to me would be Chicago, Boston, Philly, And DC (throw in Montreal and Toronto for good measure... If including Canada, since they’re really in the same region and have that same feel.)
SF would be a distant third. Outside of downtown, there isn’t much hustle and bustle, if any at all.
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
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Originally Posted by MarketStEl
I probably would have picked Dudley Square as the Boston example, but I suspect the relocation of the Orange Line away from it has changed the dynamics of the intersection somewhat. Kenmore Square would be another better choice IMO.
Broad/Erie/Germantown is the only intersection I know of in any U.S. city that exactiy mimics Times Square in its physical form. In terms of buildings* and street traffic, of course, it doesn't, but it does draw people throughout the day, all day, so it's a good choice. Some of those people are tourists now, headed to Max's for cheesesteaks ever since that shop got a cameo in "Creed."
I would say, however, that even if we swapped Dudley or Kenmore squares for Newbury Street, the DC and Philly intersections have more street activity. Though Central Square in Cambridge does very well too, as does Harvard Square when college is in session. That last intersection would IMO rival the ones in North Philly (Nicetown/Tioga) and Columbia Heights.
*It is, however, worth noting that there's an abandoned 16-story office building at the point where Germantown Avenue crosses Broad Street. This is the only office building in Philadelphia with more than 10 stories not located in Center City or University City. A social impact developer purchased the building last year and has announced plans to restore it with retail on the ground floor, offices on the next four floors and apartments above them, a mix of affordable and market-rate.
I believe that's all accurate. Interesting point on the lone 16 story office building in North Philly also. To me, it feels VERY residential there.
Another thing that stands out to me in those neighborhoods in the street view Brooklyn and Philly clearly show a similar "grit" to the street scape. Whereas Boston and DC have a more "clean" look at least on those cherry picked corners.
Another thing that stands out to me in those neighborhoods in the street view Brooklyn and Philly clearly show a similar "grit" to the street scape. Whereas Boston and DC have a more "clean" look at least on those cherry picked corners.
Important part bolded. It helps that you picked an example in Philly that is 4 miles from Philly City Hall, whereas your Boston example is only 1 mile from the Park Street Church.
Here are a handful of streetviews a bit more similar to that one in Philly (to varying degrees):
*Davis is admittedly much "cleaner" than the Philly example, but it still doesn't feel like it sweats money the way Newbury Street (and the Back Bay in general) often does.
Last edited by Boston Shudra; 07-30-2019 at 06:31 AM..
I only picked NYC and Chicago since those are the only cities are consider "fast-paced". Second tier would be DC, then Phil., the Boston. Maybe next tier is SF. No others.
Thats not true at all. How are you measuring fast paced?
I find the Northeast corridor to be one of the most rat race megalopolises in the world. Obviously New York is an outlier in the entire world, but DC, PHL, and BOS are all fast paced. Its part of the Northeast corridor lifestyle.
And yes, Chicago is in the mix too. I don't find any West Coast City to be more fast paced than the big Northeastern cities. LA has terrible drivers and huge highways, so maybe some consider that fast paced? who knows.
And yes, Chicago is in the mix too. I don't find any West Coast City to be more fast paced than the big Northeastern cities. LA has terrible drivers and huge highways, so maybe some consider that fast paced? who knows.
Having sharpened my slalom-driving skills this past weekend on Houston's many 10-lane freeways, I can tell you that it's definitely fast-paced - everyone there drives as though the freeway were a NASCAR racetrack. Speed limit signs in that sprawling metropolis are merely advisory.
But - as those photos of Eastern city intersections should prove - I think it's action on the streets themselves, not the highways, that people think of when they use that term. Downtown Houston is very urban/e, and in terms of architecture and layout, it would look right at home in any large Eastern city. But even though it's adding new residential buildings at a decent clip, its streets were virtually silent on the Sunday afternoon I went into it. "Sleepy" would have been a better term to describe Houston's city center on Sunday, and sleeping was exactly what the handful of homeless people I walked past were doing, save for one or two of them.
Thats not true at all. How are you measuring fast paced?
I find the Northeast corridor to be one of the most rat race megalopolises in the world. Obviously New York is an outlier in the entire world, but DC, PHL, and BOS are all fast paced. Its part of the Northeast corridor lifestyle.
And yes, Chicago is in the mix too. I don't find any West Coast City to be more fast paced than the big Northeastern cities. LA has terrible drivers and huge highways, so maybe some consider that fast paced? who knows.
Good analysis. The only exception in the West Coast, I think would be San Francisco. I don’t know the city well enough to describe, but there were a good number of pockets downtown that were very dense with large pedestrian populations, lots of street-fair activity, storefronts, traffic build-up, and general hustle and bustle occurring all together. In some sections, to me, it really resembles a major east coast city. That thins out as you get into the greater Bay Area, but in city-proper, SF pulls its weight.
Important part bolded. It helps that you picked an example in Philly that is 4 miles from Philly City Hall, whereas your Boston example is only 1 mile from the Park Street Church.
Here are a handful of streetviews a bit more similar to that one in Philly (to varying degrees):
*Davis is admittedly much "cleaner" than the Philly example, but it still doesn't feel like it sweats money the way Newbury Street (and the Back Bay in general) often does.
Boston's city streets are SO much cleaner.
#phillycouldlearnsomething
Important part bolded. It helps that you picked an example in Philly that is 4 miles from Philly City Hall, whereas your Boston example is only 1 mile from the Park Street Church.
Here are a handful of streetviews a bit more similar to that one in Philly (to varying degrees):
*Davis is admittedly much "cleaner" than the Philly example, but it still doesn't feel like it sweats money the way Newbury Street (and the Back Bay in general) often does.
When did the liquor store move from Harvard and Commonwealth avenues to Harvard and Brighton avenues? I lived in that general area for three years right around 1980-82, between my junior and senior years at Harvard.
Of the five intersections you selected, Davis Square has the most street activity; I'm guessing the rain dampened things down a bit when the Google cars made their passes through it, for I remember it being even more active around 5:30 pm on a June evening in 2015 when I met my surviving college roommate there for drinks at the pub right in the center of the square. Davis Square took off like a rocket when the Red Line arrived. I think the transformation may even have helped Bostonians erase their somewhat disdainful attitudes about Somerville (where said roommate was born and raised; he now lives just up the road in Medford).
But what I find equally interesting is that, Davis Square aside, none of the other locations - not even the one with a subway station in it - are even half as busy. And while there are no cool places to hang out at this intersection in upper North Philadelphia, it strikes me as at least as active as Davis Square, if not more so. I pass through it twice daily because it's where I transfer between the subway to/from Center City and the buses that take me to/from my Germantown home; things like that are natural activity generators:
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