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This poll being neck and neck just reinforces why I have always felt comfortable in DC coming from Atlanta. So much of its natural setting reminds me of Atlanta. This is a a very good match of my two favorite cities
I tend to think of natural beauty as being some combination of: water, topography, and vegetation.
Water- DC fairly easily wins this one.
Topography- IDK, the topographies seems somewhat similar in that they are fairly rolling, but lack the massive hills that you get in a place like Pittsburgh. Atlanta's hills seem a little bigger on average than DCs. But, the river creates some large escarpments in DC. I don't know that Atlanta has hills you can see like the
Anacostia hills. I'm not sure, but it also seems like DC has better vistas again along the escarpments in Anacostia and Arlington.
Vegetation- Atlanta clearly has more vegetation. This may partially be offset by the DC regions larger collection of natural areas and parks. More of Atlanta's forest is privately owned land, so it's harder to explore.
So I guess I would lean toward DC because of the clear advantage on water, while topography and vegetation is more of a mixed picture. But, I'm not familiar enough with Atlanta to say for sure.
I tend to think of natural beauty as being some combination of: water, topography, and vegetation.
Water- DC fairly easily wins this one.
Topography- IDK, the topographies seems somewhat similar in that they are fairly rolling, but lack the massive hills that you get in a place like Pittsburgh. Atlanta's hills seem a little bigger on average than DCs. But, the river creates some large escarpments in DC. I don't know that Atlanta has hills you can see like the
Anacostia hills. I'm not sure, but it also seems like DC has better vistas again along the escarpments in Anacostia and Arlington.
Vegetation- Atlanta clearly has more vegetation. This may partially be offset by the DC regions larger collection of natural areas and parks. More of Atlanta's forest is privately owned land, so it's harder to explore.
So I guess I would lean toward DC because of the clear advantage on water, while topography and vegetation is more of a mixed picture. But, I'm not familiar enough with Atlanta to say for sure.
Good points. I'm not that familiar with Atlanta, does it have a nice drive in like going from the Dc beltway to DC via the Geo Washington Parkway? Especially near dusk -- that is just a really great drive with the Potomac a few hundred feet below, and then the city appears from behind the tree canopy as you wind towards it through Virginia.
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
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Originally Posted by _Buster
Good points. I'm not that familiar with Atlanta, does it have a nice drive in like going from the Dc beltway to DC via the Geo Washington Parkway? Especially near dusk -- that is just a really great drive with the Potomac a few hundred feet below, and then the city appears from behind the tree canopy as you wind towards it through Virginia.
I lived in Atlanta before, and it's scenic throughout the metro with trees, nice flora, and hills in many places. But inside the perimeter Atlanta compared to inside 495/ Beltway gives the edge to DC. The Potomac really shapes or creates a feel of a more natural setting of a major river meeting a major city, creating a more breathtaking scene IMO.
There's the Clara Barton Parkway and Cabin John/ Glen Echo on one side that eventually lead downstream to Georgetown and Rock Creek Park and trail. On the opposite side there's GW Parkway Potomac overlook stops to take in the scenery for miles. Then you have Roosevelt Island sandwiched between the Rosslyn skyline and Georgetown Harbor as you come down further. All of these are the most "naturally scenic" parts of the Potomac River inside of 495. Then as the river opens up between Washington and Arlington, you come down into the monumental core of the region being able to see the man made scenery from either boat rides or other overlooks spots and trails in either DC/Arlington/ or Alexandria. The GW Parkway provides scenes of much of this, and runs all the way down from 495 and slithers down through all of this on the VA side until Old Town Alexandria.
I thought this video did a good job of showing DC's water, topography and tree cover. Obviously, its not SF or Seattle, but it has a subtle nature beauty with the rivers, the gently rolling hills and lots of green space.
I'm talking about The gorgeous Chattahoochee River.
And I'm talking about The gorgeous Potomac River. It's much of the Western boundary of Washington City limits. It's beautiful, and is an entire series of National Parks, maintained and patrolled by federal Park Rangers. You claimed there was nothing comparable to the Chattahoochee River here. This river makes the Chattahoochee River look like a tiny stream, like it basically is.
And I'm talking about The gorgeous Potomac River. It's much of the Western boundary of Washington City limits. It's beautiful, and is an entire series of National Parks, maintained and patrolled by federal Park Rangers. You claimed there was nothing comparable to the Chattahoochee River here. This river makes the Chattahoochee River look like a tiny stream, like it basically is.
Additional NPS sites also maintain some Potomac frontage, notably memorial parks for Teddy Roosevelt and LBJ.
I have seen the Potomac, it's beautiful. The Chattahoochee is also under Federal control, thanks to Jimmy Carter. It's National Recreational Land, maintained and patrolled by the same Park Service. To minimize it as a 'tiny stream'' reeks of petty jealousy. Get back to me when you can catch rainbow trout inside the Beltway.
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at this moment, the score is 42-42
