New York + Los Angeles + Chicago ( America's Alpha Global Cities) (best, state, largest)
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I was over in the European Section of this Forum the other day and was Reading a engaging thread they had about That Big City in England, That Big City in France and That Big City in Italy that's all up in the History Books, and Notice America doesn't have such a Cultured Thread on it's own
So I think this is it, Not Comparing Euros Top Alpha Cities But America's (New York Los Angeles Chicago)
The Only Thing though is that in Europe the #1 Position is sorta debatable and makes for a good read
...In America not so much
The One that Comes in #2 Will be Tantalizing
Most Fascinating Not Necessarily The Best of America's Alpha World Cities
- Most Intriguing
-Best Looking ( city or metro)
-Most Fascinating
I'm ready for the Chicago homers here to unleash the kraken on me. But I don't care. I'll say it anyway. I don't think Chicago belongs on a list of "global cities" with New York and Los Angeles. Miami, San Francisco, Houston, and Washington are all economically and demographically more global than Chicago. Don't confuse population size with global significance. A megalopolis full of Iowans and Wisconsinites is not a global city. It's just a really big city full of Iowans and Wisconsinites.
In any case, I answered New York because it is, after all, New York, and even though Manhattan has been turned into a kind of Disneyfied yuppieland where rich white people live in high rises and unmarried 40 year old bankers live with roommates New York is still New York, and the diversity and urban culture is unparalleled in the US and maybe anywhere.
I'm from LA. I have been to NYC many many times, I have also been to Chicago a few times.
I would say NYC is by far the most fascinating city in the country. NYC itself is in a league of its own, NYC represents a way of life, NYC is a belief, a culture and a religion. I can’t say the same about LA and Chicago.
NYC is the only city in the country that can be compared with the likes of London, Tokyo, Paris globally. LA and Chicago are not quite at that level.
I would say in terms of global influence, NYC is clearly number 1 by a very very large margin, then followed by LA as the number 2 then SF Bay Area as number 3, Chicago is more like a number 4
I'm from LA. I have been to NYC many many times, I have also been to Chicago a few times.
I would say NYC is by far the most fascinating city in the country. NYC itself is in a league of its own, NYC represents a way of life, NYC is a belief, a culture and a religion. I can’t say the same about LA and Chicago.
NYC is the only city in the country that can be compared with the likes of London, Tokyo, Paris globally. LA and Chicago are not quite at that level.
I would say in terms of global influence, NYC is clearly number 1 by a very very large margin, then followed by LA as the number 2 then SF Bay Area as number 3, Chicago is more like a number 4
I'm ready for the Chicago homers here to unleash the kraken on me. But I don't care. I'll say it anyway. I don't think Chicago belongs on a list of "global cities" with New York and Los Angeles. Miami, San Francisco, Houston, and Washington are all economically and demographically more global than Chicago. Don't confuse population size with global significance. A megalopolis full of Iowans and Wisconsinites is not a global city. It's just a really big city full of Iowans and Wisconsinites.
In any case, I answered New York because it is, after all, New York, and even though Manhattan has been turned into a kind of Disneyfied yuppieland where rich white people live in high rises and unmarried 40 year old bankers live with roommates New York is still New York, and the diversity and urban culture is unparalleled in the US and maybe anywhere.
Was going to unleash the kraken on you, but all them damned Iowa farmers in their cheeseheads and Packers jerseys growing corn up and down Michigan Avenue cut the cord with their hoe to the internet machine thingy so I couldn't get to the typewriter to respond to you.
Can't argue with you on your observations. They may explain why we Chicago folk drive cars with bumper stickers that say "WELL, AT LEAST WE ARE NOT PEORIA".
I'm from LA. I have been to NYC many many times, I have also been to Chicago a few times.
I would say NYC is by far the most fascinating city in the country. NYC itself is in a league of its own, NYC represents a way of life, NYC is a belief, a culture and a religion. I can’t say the same about LA and Chicago.
NYC is the only city in the country that can be compared with the likes of London, Tokyo, Paris globally. LA and Chicago are not quite at that level.
I would say in terms of global influence, NYC is clearly number 1 by a very very large margin, then followed by LA as the number 2 then SF Bay Area as number 3, Chicago is more like a number 4
I would say the nation that likes to see itself as the A No. #1 King of the Hill, Top of the Heap (which is how its largest city sees itself, too) that is an incredible third in size for both population and area spread over 3000 miles with 330,000,000 folks, must be some kind of a backwater place with only one truly global city.
And maybe we are a backwater. My guess is that a lot of people in London, Tokyo, and Paris think so about a nation that clearly has lost its mind.
What a great country we are! New York is our only global city. LA, our second greatest, is 3000 miles away and only New York is in the same league as London, Tokyo, and Paris.
Yet Europe can put two global cities, London and Paris, a mere 280 miles apart. Where do you get with an approximate 280 miles ride outside of New York? Buffalo.
In a world where the power center has shifted from the North Atlantic to that enormous swath of land from Asia to Europe, the world's true core, we come across comically here in the US as we argue over which one of our cities is the biggest or the best or the most this or the most that. In case you don't recognize it, the rise of the United States and the rise of New York paralleled each other rather nicely. New York's rise to greatness followed the same path as America's. And both indeed truly come of age during the exact same time, the first half of the 20th century, a century whose 1950 midpoint saw the US way up on top of global nations and New York in the post-WWII era with the destruction in Europe and East Asia, way on top of global cities. The US is hardly ascending today. Or standing still. We're backsliding which can't be good for New York. It can't be good for New York to be in a nation where it is the only great city. It can't be great for New York to have to have the mantle of being on top of everything, the world's greatest, more of this and more of that. I would see London as New York's peer. But I don't think London's persona is at all tied into being "the greatest city in the world". For New York, it is part of its persona. For London, not so much.
And it can't be great for New York when it isn't great for cities across America. White collar New York may never have been so great as when blue collar Detroit thrived and pumped out endless automobiles. A diminished Detroit diminished New York.
The US and Europe are both about the same size (of course they beat us on population). According to SnobDudeThink, the US has one truly great global city.
Europe has London, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Moscow, among others.
As far as the three cities on the poll, I'd rate them:
New York: fascinating
Los Angeles: fascinating
Chicago: fascinating
You know, it is nice to be a Chicagoan. We are most secure on how great our city is. People from out-of-town tend to love the place, but, you know, what is more important to us is that Chicagoans love the place. So we can love NY and love LA with no sense of insecurity. Yes, we're loud and boisterous, and maybe a tad obnoxious and the "wait till the Chicago people pipe up" definitely has a ring of truth to it. We are homers. True homers. We are a global city, but luckily not enough of a global city that the place isn't our place anymore. Chicago is still ours in a way that New York isn't for New Yorkers or LA for Angelenos.
And Snobish, you sure gave your hometown the shaft. Los Angeles is an alpha global city by any measure. And as far as I am concerned, the Beast in the East and the Best in the West have a lot in common. LA is not in the shadow of NY.
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KoNgFooCj
I would say LA is close to that level.
It's not unfortunately. This is not a dig at LA, but there have been numerous threads on this. When it comes to the metrics and output, NYC is in a league of it's own, another step above LA and multiple steps above Chicago quite honestly. In fact, i'd realistically argue that LA and Chicago combined still aren't the level of NY in terms of output and importance. Too many people here get caught up on population numbers thinking that equates.
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
8,129 posts, read 7,572,838 times
Reputation: 5791
Quote:
Originally Posted by ForeignCrunch
I'm ready for the Chicago homers here to unleash the kraken on me. But I don't care. I'll say it anyway. I don't think Chicago belongs on a list of "global cities" with New York and Los Angeles. Miami, San Francisco, Houston, and Washington are all economically and demographically more global than Chicago. Don't confuse population size with global significance. A megalopolis full of Iowans and Wisconsinites is not a global city. It's just a really big city full of Iowans and Wisconsinites.
This sounds harsh, but yes Chicago is probably the 5th or 6th most "global city" by most measures in the US. Still global however.
Quote:
Originally Posted by edsg25
I would say the nation that likes to see itself as the A No. #1 King of the Hill, Top of the Heap (which is how its largest city sees itself, too) that is an incredible third in size for both population and area spread over 3000 miles with 330,000,000 folks, must be some kind of a backwater place with only one truly global city.
And maybe we are a backwater. My guess is that a lot of people in London, Tokyo, and Paris think so about a nation that clearly has lost its mind.
What a great country we are! New York is our only global city. LA, our second greatest, is 3000 miles away and only New York is in the same league as London, Tokyo, and Paris.
Yet Europe can put two global cities, London and Paris, a mere 280 miles apart. Where do you get with an approximate 280 miles ride outside of New York? Buffalo.
Ummm... NYC, has DC, Boston, and Philadelphia all within a 240 mile stretch. It's not on an island out there, plus the US is still much younger as a nation, many of our cities haven't peaked yet.
The biggest cities have all become culturally exactly the same. Pretty funny reading this stuff about how "fascinating" these places are. Lots of ego, I'll give you that. Distinct culture? Eh, no.
I can't stop laughing my ass off at the assertion that Los Angeles isn't close to NY's level, while in the same response documenting that many American cities havent yet peaked. The hilarity...
LA for sure hasn't yet peaked and has gained ground as a global power in a way few cities here have ever done in such a short period. I don't think anybody will argue that Los Angeles is still behind New York, but the gap is without a doubt smaller in reality than CD Land would have one believe...
CD never fails to show its city inferiority complex, no more than when guys disparage LA. It's the #2 city here by a virtual consensus and people really don't like that LA has hopscotched all of the older and earlier developed cities in the nation to get there, some of which arguably have peaked....
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