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I don't know if this is something most people get out of mountains, but I like having something visible far off in the distance, to kind of anchor the area and remind you that there are lands beyond your immediate surroundings. I got the same comforting feeling seeing the skyline in the Chicago area.
I had a rather long back-and-forth of the "Kansas City is flat!" (my interlocutor) "No, it isn't!" (me) variety a year or so ago.
If you consider the local topography, Kansas City isn't flat. The downtown sits atop a bluff overlooking the floodplain where the Missouri and Kansas rivers meet, and several river and creek valleys lace the region, creating many hills as well. I still remember when a relative from Detroit visited us and cried out "A mountain!" as we started driving up a small but steep hill on East 43d Street just west of The Paseo. (East of it, 43d Street climbs another hill that's not as steep.)
But what my interlocutor meant by "flat" was "There's nothing there that terminates the vista." Most of the city of Los Angeles is flat as a pancake, but the mountains that ring the LA Basin terminate the vista. Denver sits at the edge of a long, flat plain that rises gradually from about 1000 feet above sea level just west of Manhattan, Kan., to 5,280 feet in the city of Denver, but west of there, you enter mountains that you can see in the distance from the city. Seattle has Mount Rainier (and lots of hills).
Kansas City? Nada, save the city's skyline itself, which one writer compared to Chartres Cathedral rising above the surrounding plain. So perhaps it's no surprise that the city's public TV station has an online magazine called "Flatland."
Well, someone who has followed this tournament did set up an "NCAA bracket" for the country's 72 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas:
2020 Metro Madness
And this is apparently the second Big Dance for the nation's biggest cities.
I saw that thread, but thought it was about something completely different. Didn't read the whole thing, but thanks so much for the link. I think I'm going to participate in that one as well!
Nevada vs Arkansas - Not a fan of either, but I think I'd prefer NW Arkansas over anything in Nevada. Vegas is fun but in a "been there, done that" sort of way.
Tennessee vs Vermont - This one is close. Tennessee is definitely more "happening" and certainly has its share of natural beauty, but I generally prefer cooler climates. Even in the higher elevations Tennessee can still have oppressive summers.
Indiana vs Alaska - This one is pretty easy. Alaska is isolated, expensive, dangerous, and that's not even touching how brutally cold it can get. But the scenery and wildlife are something no other state can touch.
Louisiana vs Hawaii - I don't really dig either state, as Hawaii is expensive, hot, isolated, and yeah I'll say it - boring. Louisiana is hot and dangerous, but at least it's cheap and and Cajun food is rather tasty.
Alabama vs New Hampshire - The wife would leave me if I picked NH, so Bama wins this by default.
Connecticut vs New Mexico - Connecticut is more "happening" and far less isolated, but I dig the Spanish and indigenous cultures that are plentiful in NM. Love Southwestern cuisine.
Wisconsin vs Delaware - Hate the Badgers with a passion, but the state is close to my old stomping grounds. Driftless Area doesn't get the national recognition it deserves.
Oklahoma vs Nebraska - I also despise the Huskers, and don't like the state either, but Omaha isn't too shabby and at least it's a cooler state than OK and is a bit less tornado-prone.
Colorado vs Rhode Island - Poor Rhody just got a bad matchup. RI isn't a bad state, but very few states can go toe-to-toe with CO. Love the Rocky mountains, plus I have several relatives in the Denver area.
Iowa vs Mississippi - MS isn't without its charm, but Iowa is home. Better weather, closer to cities I prefer to visit, and the northwestern part of the state is criminally underrated scenery wise.
Massachusetts vs Wyoming - Boston and MA are great, but there's something about how wide open Wyoming is. Remnants of the Wild West seem to live on there.
Missouri vs North Dakota - ND is in a similar boat as Wyoming (it's Western, it's wide open, and wild). Not a knock on Missouri as there's gobs of history and scenery to be found, but I just have a soft spot for old frontier states.
Kentucky vs West Virginia - This one is sort of a package deal, you can't really pick one without the other as they have very similar cultures and histories (i.e. Applachia, coal mining, Upper South, etc). That said, I picked Kentucky as it's a bit more populated and WV doesn't have an answer to Louisville or Lexington.
South Carolina vs Maine - Again the cooler climate wins. SC has better beaches and has some rugged terrain of its own, but Maine seems more untouched.
Utah vs Kansas - Gotta go with the mountainous terrain, plus it's a bit drier than KS.
Maryland vs South Dakota - MD is much closer to the action, but there's still some Wild West about western SD.
Oregon vs Idaho - Oregon has the Western culture and rugged terrain of Idaho, but Portland blows anything Idaho has out of the water.
Minnesota vs Montana - Absolutely torn on this one. Montana is one of the Yellowstone gateway states, has Glacier National Park, Custer battlefield, and loads of Western culture, while Minnesota has one of the premier American metro areas in the Twin Cities. Minnesota isn't a Western Frontier state in the sense that the Dakotas, Montana, or Wyoming were, but hints of frontier culture can be found in the state. The northern part of the state is ripe for fishing and other outdoor activities. I think MSP is what ultimately tips this in MN's favor, but if Montana had a city comparable to say Salt Lake, I may well vote differently.
I' bet seafood in Portsmouth, NH with North Atlantic lobster, clams, chowder, scallops, haddock, lobster, oh and lobster.... could give it a run for its money.
It does! I have eaten seafood in New England and it's excellent, but I'm partial to the Gulf
Well I'm sorry you felt compelled to actually go so far as to HATE such a lovely and exceptionally beautiful place (and people), that's rather unfortunate. But, haters gonna hate. If you don't want to turn a thread into a political debate then don't make it political. Which you just did and did from the outset of the thread.
I've noticed the word "hate" gets thrown around alot here in the CD forums in relations to a city. I think people forget what a strong, negative emotion "hate" is. I think it might be a generational thing. I don't remember the Babyboomers or the generations before them throwing the word "hate" around so un-necessarily or inappropriately too much.
My favorite region is the West Coast, followed by the Great Lakes, then the Mountain West, then the Mid-Atlantic, then New England, then the South East, ans lastly the plains states. I prefer cities over rural areas, so a good major city could bump a New England State over a rural Mountain West State.
My favorite region is the West Coast, followed by the Great Lakes, then the Mountain West, then the Mid-Atlantic, then New England, then the South East, ans lastly the plains states. I prefer cities over rural areas, so a good major city could bump a New England State over a rural Mountain West State.
You will allow, though, that there's nothing plain about the cities of the Plains, no?
(Well, maybe I have to exclude Wichita from this general statement.)
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