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New York City and New York State are very much up there.
I cannot think of a much more adverse situation then the damage & division to New York State politics by the creation of New York City, except perhaps Chicago to Illinois. Often its New York City and a few other places vs. the rest of New York State.
But its not just the politics. I am a former Queens resident and I still miss Queens sometimes (but NOT Manhattan except as a visitor). What really bugs me about the City is hard to describe. Its the almost zero regard for the quality of life for its residents.
Prime example of that is the mentality of we already have 8 million people, lets try to squeeze in a million more. Developers love that.
Thats a good point on the love/hate to NYC.
But in all seriousness, NYC's issue is it's transit. It could easily fit in a few more million, but the transit is just so poor quality and behind the times that it really inhibits growth. I would love to see NYC hit 10 million people, but we just saw a 40% decrease in service to an existing crappy network.. with old clunky transit hat cancel or delay all the time. A good chunk of the city doesnt even see train access, so the QOl is definitely diminished.
I think if NYC had a transportation system in line with this century, a lot of hate would be worn off. But again, its mostly a federal issue. not city specific.
New York City and New York State are very much up there.
I cannot think of a much more adverse situation then the damage & division to New York State politics by the creation of New York City, except perhaps Chicago to Illinois. Often its New York City and a few other places vs. the rest of New York State.
But its not just the politics. I am a former Queens resident and I still miss Queens sometimes (but NOT Manhattan except as a visitor). What really bugs me about the City is hard to describe. Its the almost zero regard for the quality of life for its residents.
Prime example of that is the mentality of we already have 8 million people, lets try to squeeze in a million more. Developers love that.
True and you have cities/areas Upstate that are built to hold more people than they currently do.
Yeah Boston is great for annual trips or special events.. but being in NJ, the pace there is just too slow for me and the people are stuck up. I love it. But I hate it too. People here think im crazy, because a lot of people in NJ consider Boston their favorite city.. and they are like why did you move here from there?? Its like.. well try living there 1 year and you tell me. I like Boston a lot, don't get me wrong, but things just aggravate me a lot. Especially for someone under 27 years old.
Also, il add Chicago. Its my ultimate favorite city. But I can't move there yet. So I hate that I cant.
Agree with so much of this, esp. about Boston.
I've spent almost exactly 50% of my life living around Boston (1st half) and 50% elsewhere.
For a long time I considered the provincialism, chip on the shoulder, townie attitude to be the price we accepted for not being just another bland, soulless swath of generic homes and Chipotles and Sephoras.
Then the latter started disappearing while the former didn't. The North End is a good example, and don't get me started on the Seaport.
ANd then Boston just seems to cling to the idea that anything new/popular must have some devious underbelly to it. The simplest example I can think of is when the rest of the country had pretty much embraced food trucks, Boston/Menino imposed so many knee-jerk pearl-clutching restrictions on them to make them almost irrelevant. I have no idea what they're like now...I'm referring to when they first hit the scene.
A few posters have mentioned Los Angeles and I'd have to agree. Lots of unique things: multiethnic culture, shopping, diversity, restaurants, beaches, entertainment, recreational opportunities, museums, weather etc.
But, lots of depressing aspects: horrible traffic, abject socioeconomic inequality (between rich & poor), gang/thug culture in some parts of town, etc
San Francisco and Washington, DC, for similar reasons.
There is no more beautifully situated city in the United States than San Francisco, with the possible exception of Pittsburgh. It also strikes me as the closest this country comes to having a Mediterranean city and culture in it. Its climate is very agreeable, though it is famous for chilly summer nights (Mark Twain: "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco") and morning fog. And it is as beautiful as its setting.
But its citizens think their s**t don't stink and are incredibly smug. That takes most of the bloom off the rose for me. Were I to live in the Bay Area, I'd live in Oakland, which doesn't have those defects.
The people I call Official Washingtonians share that inflated sense of importance with San Franciscans, only ten times worse because they hold jobs in the (erstwhile?) Capital of the Free World. Washington, which is also a very beautiful city with much to see and do (and a lot of it free, thanks to the Smithsonian) that was unfortunately built on a swamp, is about the only city I know of where the first question one gets asked on a date or at a cocktail party is "So what do you do?" There is an actual city hidden within the confines of Our Nation's Capital, though, and sometimes it surfaces to my delight.
But I'd also put my adopted hometown of Philadelphia into this category.
I love its high quality of life and its reasonable cost of living. I love its rich history and its equally rich cultural legacy, stretching all the way from the American Revolution to the Industrial one to the Jazz Age to the Fabulous Philadelphians to TSOP to hip-hop. I love the variety of its neighborhoods and their ability to be beautiful in spite of themselves on so many occasions. And I love the variety and quality of its very urbane suburbs.
But I really detest its politics, which rank right up there with Chicago's for corruption and chicanery. I don't like the fact that the city government can't keep the streets swept or properly paved, the former more of a problem than it ought to be thanks to the slovenliness of the citizenry. And I find its insular, everyone-knows-everyone-else nature as both endearing and annoying at the same time.
And I don't like the fact that so many of its dominant rowhouse blocks are beaten up and need much work to even be beautiful in spite of themselves. But our developer community is working on that — sad to say, often with a bunch of cookie-cutter, undistinguished modern boxes — and this in a city with a rich architectural legacy to boot.
Charlotte for me. I like the growth and the Uptown skyline and how much the city has changed since I first visited 9/10 years ago. I've been to a lot of great restaurants in the area and I've met a lot of great people there. That having been said, traffic can be a nightmare if you find yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the malls, strip malls, and subdivisions all start to blend together after awhile. There are exceptions to the rule, of course, but I've found that metro area to really lack many visually distinctive neighborhoods and suburbs.
For Boston, I generally love the city and hate the suburbs so it's not quite the relationship described by the OP. The city itself, and the surrounding cities to varying extents, find a comfy cross between provincial and cosmopolitan with some decent ethnic and socioeconomic diversity and lots of amenities. There are some things that could be better, but I feel it's really been trending upward for the last 20 years at least. Menino and Walsh were genuinely committed to seeing the city improve, and I get good vibes from most of the mayoral candidates in that regard too.
The suburbs can be a different story, however. Lots of people who really resist change. Many have an image of Greater Boston that never moved past 1990: they're afraid to ride the orange line, they think Somerville is dangerous, and they think there hasn't been a good musical act out of the city since Aerosmith. Lots of hypocrisy among them too; for example some will put a BLM sign on their lawn and will decry Boston's exam schools for not being inclusive enough while doing everything in their power to maintain the exclusivity and preserve the "character" (*cough*dog whistle*cough*) of their community.
Last edited by Boston Shudra; 05-15-2021 at 03:25 PM..
A few posters have mentioned Los Angeles and I'd have to agree. Lots of unique things: multiethnic culture, shopping, diversity, restaurants, beaches, entertainment, recreational opportunities, museums, weather etc.
But, lots of depressing aspects: horrible traffic, abject socioeconomic inequality (between rich & poor), gang/thug culture in some parts of town, etc
I'll second the nod to LA (my current home).
I liken it to a slot machine where 19 times out of twenty you play a dollar to win $0.90, but that 20th time you hit a little jackpot to bring you back to even or a little better. Addictive and sometimes rewarding, but you need to bankroll to play long enough.
Something about the few cities & states I'm most familiar with:
DC:
I hate the overarching influence the Federal government has had on the city holding it back (especially socially) from really diversifying its industries as quickly as other cities have in the past & are currently doing in the present. I also hate how the lack of certain things (ie, notable ethnic enclaves, unified overreaching culture & lack of a bit of oomph) isn't as present as some other major cities with more storied local histories. The height limit also stifles things a bit and played a part in some of this too. I also hate how the social scene on almost all fronts in the city takes itself too seriously (All a result of the height limit, being a capital city, the industries present and again the Federal Government being present) which results in a perfectionist attitude which can be a real hindrance which results in a judgmental attitude among the populace.
With that being said, I love how the height limit keeps it from being a concrete jungle whereby you can actually look up into the sky. I love the protected greenery and the upkeep of architecture which gives it a classy air. The cleanliness and the commitment to aesthetic urban design are things I appreciate. I also love the forward-thinking trajectory in regards to local laws being implemented in the city within the last few years and in regards to real estate development. I love the interesting neighborhoods and the roundabouts in the city as well as the growing cosmopolitanism and social openness. I also like how the city has tried to open itself up more with certain initiatives in the arts and in increasing its private sector while still maintaining the Federal presence which helps creates economic stability which essentially seams into the rest of the metropolitan area (Not too many recessionary shocks in this region). The perfectionist attitude also ensures everything in the city is done and planned to the highest standard.
Baltimore:
I hate the government cronyism, the crime, the lack of upkeep, the grime, and the slow-paced nature (results in slow service sometimes)- Being from the DC area, I am particular about service being punctual lol.
That being said, I love the city pride, the relaxed pace, the Inner Harbor, Hampden, some of the other interior neighborhoods as well as the cool waterfront neighborhoods. The freewheeling nightlife and social scene is also something I like about the city.
Maryland (My home state):
I hate the traffic, economic stagnation (only 3 Fortune 500 companies are HQ'd here despite being one of the wealthiest states in the Union). I also hate the parochialism in certain parts of the state (which keeps development and amenities from being present) and the lack of civic unity due to parts of the state being so different (Western MD vs Capital Region vs Central MD vs Southern MD/Eastern Shore) and having different interests which don't align with the greater good of the state. This kills progression (economic, physical landscape and to a lesser extent social) from taking place at rapid speed. I also don't like how sparsely distributed our transit is (poor commuter rail service compared to a lot of states to the North of us) and there is way too much greenfield in most of the state which gives the landscape along the main roads a monotonous feeling thus resulting in the state sometimes being boring to me at times. The passivity of MD culture and government isn't something I care for much which is a result of a lack of self-promotion of putting Maryland out there into the consciousness of pop culture.
With that being said, I love how environmental preservation & conservation is taken seriously in this state especially in regards to the Chesapeake Bay and how the parkways give a certain scenic feel especially along Southern MD & in Western MD too and even seeps into the more developed parts of the state (Baltimore area & the DC area) resulting in a QOL I am extremely satisfied with. A lot of nice scenery especially with the rolling hills, beaches, and other varying terrains. I like how each part of the state has its own flavors and attitudes as well as sensibilities. I love the seafood, the water activities, the growing cosmopolitanism/social openness, the forward trajectory of the state despite some of the issues I laid out before, and the taxes aren't so bad in comparison to a lot of other wealthy states especially when it comes to property taxes. I love the connectivity we have to other interesting points along the Eastern Seaboard (The NC Outer Banks, Richmond, Virginia Beach, Jersey Shore, Delaware beaches, Philly, NYC). I also like the presence of the Federal government anchored industries which again helps with the economic stability. I also like how small Maryland is as this allows for natural amenities and important cultural points to be accessed quickly. I also love the growing pride in the state and all of the interesting cities, towns & some of the historical CDPs with their own beautiful pieces of architecture and layout. Finally, I also love how very few natural disasters occur here.
As a bonus, Virginia
VA: I don't like how big the state is (a bit trivial) and there's way too much open land. Not too fond of SW Virginia. I really only like NoVa, Richmond, and the Virginia Beach areas.
I love the economic strength and quick growth of the state (something MD could take note of) as well as the many interesting towns of VA. Shenandoah Valley is also really beautiful and adds to VA's scenery.
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