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Looking at the poll, it appears that the people voting for New York are basing their votes on Manhattan, for many outer-borough neighborhoods (Brooklyn especially) are replicated somewhere in Philadelphia or Baltimore.
I voted New Orleans, but I think the San Francisco advocates make a strong case for that city. The housing stock there has a Mediterranean-hill-town appearance that no other city in this country matches - not even LA comes close.
New Orleans' distinctiveness boils down largely to the French Quarter and the Garden District, though the shotgun twins in the poorer neighborhoods I've seen in no other city either.
Looking at the poll, it appears that the people voting for New York are basing their votes on Manhattan, for many outer-borough neighborhoods (Brooklyn especially) are replicated somewhere in Philadelphia or Baltimore.
I voted New Orleans, but I think the San Francisco advocates make a strong case for that city. The housing stock there has a Mediterranean-hill-town appearance that no other city in this country matches - not even LA comes close.
New Orleans' distinctiveness boils down largely to the French Quarter and the Garden District, though the shotgun twins in the poorer neighborhoods I've seen in no other city either.
I have to disagree, Brooklyn and the Bronx are pretty distinctly New York too
The West Bronx and upper Manhattan are very distinct in my opinion, I have never seen anywhere else that resembles them
I'll give you your point on the west Bronx and two of those four shots. (I already said that I thought the votes were based on Manhattan, so Washington Heights, Inwood Hill et al. are already accounted for.)
The Brooklyn block lined with brownstones is not so much different from blocks I've been on in Boston, to name one of three cities with similar (not identical) rowhouse blocks, that I think a random person would place it in New York unprompted or without the cue of New York City's distinctive street furniture (street lights, traffic signal mast arms, signage, those sorts of things).
The single-story Bronx commercial block is a harder call. I used to live a few blocks from a similar street in Boston's Allston section, but the appearance of the storefronts differs enough that I think one could pick out the New York street from a set of photos of similar streets. Philadelphia's commercial strips, with only one exception that comes to mind right now, are lined with multistory buildings.
But even though you've made your larger point, there are definitely areas, and streets, that are judgment calls in many cities. And sometimes it's things like street furniture or other decorative elements (e.g., palm trees in Los Angeles) that make the streetscape more distinguishable from similar ones elsewhere.
I'll give you your point on the west Bronx and two of those four shots. (I already said that I thought the votes were based on Manhattan, so Washington Heights, Inwood Hill et al. are already accounted for.)
The Brooklyn block lined with brownstones is not so much different from blocks I've been on in Boston, to name one of three cities with similar (not identical) rowhouse blocks, that I think a random person would place it in New York unprompted or without the cue of New York City's distinctive street furniture (street lights, traffic signal mast arms, signage, those sorts of things).
The single-story Bronx commercial block is a harder call. I used to live a few blocks from a similar street in Boston's Allston section, but the appearance of the storefronts differs enough that I think one could pick out the New York street from a set of photos of similar streets. Philadelphia's commercial strips, with only one exception that comes to mind right now, are lined with multistory buildings.
But even though you've made your larger point, there are definitely areas, and streets, that are judgment calls in many cities. And sometimes it's things like street furniture or other decorative elements (e.g., palm trees in Los Angeles) that make the streetscape more distinguishable from similar ones elsewhere.
But the Bushwick shot I posted has 3 story multifamily buildings that are not rowhomes, are those found in the cities you mention?
And even in the single story commercial block in one of the Bronx shots, you can see the 5 to 6 story residential buildings in the background which are not really a thing in Philly.
Furthermore, NYC's lamppost designs (both traffic light and street light) are very distinguishable. No other major city I know of has those traffic lights supported by guy wires.
But the Bushwick shot I posted has 3 story multifamily buildings that are not rowhomes, are those found in the cities you mention?
And even in the single story commercial block in one of the Bronx shots, you can see the 5 to 6 story residential buildings in the background which are not really a thing in Philly.
Furthermore, NYC's lamppost designs (both traffic light and street light) are very distinguishable. No other major city I know of has those traffic lights supported by guy wires.
It should be clear that the tenement-style apartment building is synonomous with NYC. Philly is much more the 3 story rowhousing city.
Street lights can certianly have one attribute them in a scene to a cityscape. If a large segment iof a city's core has a unique lighting stock? It can speak more one city vs another even if the buildings and other streetscape is similar. Chicago's Loop having every street-scene with reproduction antique street-lights. That can have someone pin it down to that city alone. Still you need knowlege of that city to do that.
NYC in Manhattan is from film with skycrapers to mass tenement-style blocks of multi-residential high density and grittiness. Scream NYC.
I can reconize NYC street-lighting. But I'd see the city-scape overall is much more what gives our eye a NYC look most.
The thick and brawny antique looking Chicago Loop lights. Can define a more for its recognizability and the Loop L seen too. But then the Loop is not a huge area as Manhattan. It is a area of just Midtown Manhattan, but half its core most see.
But the Bushwick shot I posted has 3 story multifamily buildings that are not rowhomes, are those found in the cities you mention?
And even in the single story commercial block in one of the Bronx shots, you can see the 5 to 6 story residential buildings in the background which are not really a thing in Philly.
Furthermore, NYC's lamppost designs (both traffic light and street light) are very distinguishable. No other major city I know of has those traffic lights supported by guy wires.
Boston has apartments like the three story ones and the buildings in the Bronx.
These views show some areas that I think are similar to the areas shown in NYC. They were developed at similar times and with the same style of buildings in their floor plans. The buildings in NYC are on average large especially the dumbbell style tenements that seem to average 5 to 7 stories in NYC compared to 3 to 5 in Boston. There are clearly differences between these views and I wouldn't confuse Boston for NYC.
Boston has apartments like the three story ones and the buildings in the Bronx. These views show some areas that I think are similar to the areas shown in NYC. They were developed at similar times and with the same style of buildings in their floor plans. The buildings in NYC are on average large especially the dumbbell style tenements that seem to average 5 to 7 stories in NYC compared to 3 to 5 in Boston. There are clearly differences between these views and I wouldn't confuse Boston for NYC.
Nice street view selections.
I always think of the 4-5 story brick walkups in Boston as the analogue to New York's old law and pre-law tenements. Most of these Beacon Hill north slope buildings are that type. Here they are from the street-- Anderson between Phillips and Revere. They're all over the North End and there are some in East Boston. West End and "New York Streets" section of the South End had them too but now lost to urban renewal.
Last edited by missionhill; 04-14-2020 at 01:44 PM..
These views show some areas that I think are similar to the areas shown in NYC. They were developed at similar times and with the same style of buildings in their floor plans. The buildings in NYC are on average large especially the dumbbell style tenements that seem to average 5 to 7 stories in NYC compared to 3 to 5 in Boston. There are clearly differences between these views and I wouldn't confuse Boston for NYC.
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