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Location: Miami (prev. NY, Atlanta, SF, OC and San Diego)
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Yeah, probably Wicker Park / Bucktown….lots of cool neighborhoods in Chicago to choose from…just back from a long weekend visit in residential Gold Coast area—really liked how the locals got into Halloween decorations in front of their residences.
Manhattan is getting a little tired looking for me…will probably be staying in Williamsburg (Brooklyn) on my next visit. Domino Park, Luger (Davidoff lounge next door), Lilia, Misi, TimeOut Market, etc
Quote:
Originally Posted by mwj119
Yeah, I'm not sure what it is about Andersonville that makes it cooler than some other north and west side neighborhoods. Certainly has seen its fair amount of change post-recession, with some great restaurants and bars opening along N. Clark. Some antique furniture shops, boutiques, cafes to note, along with Chicago Music Lounge. But again, nothing that you can't find in Wicker, Bucktown, Logan Sq.
I suppose the Swedish heritage component probably plays nicely, as it's not that common to see Swedish-American neighborhoods. It's also very LGBTQ+ friendly. I could certainly see how that plays into the cool moniker.
Last edited by elchevere; 10-25-2021 at 09:18 AM..
Central Square is most deserving of the "cool" badge of any Boston area neighborhood. The food, the breweries, the music venues, the mixed housing stock and new luxury buildings. Even a bit of street art, which you don't find in most neighborhoods around there.
Allston has never put one foot in front of the other.... It's just stuck in time, less some large housing developments. You haven't seen that dynamic shift from crunchy misfit neighborhood to progressive, new-age revitalization like I would have expected 10-20 years ago. I guess the light rail just isn't enough to push it in that direction, compared to the Cambridge and Somerville counterparts.
There are some other neighborhoods that have seen major transformation in Boston itself, like JP. But they aren't expansive enough to stand up to Central. Not sure Boston neighborhoods will ever really compete with those in Cambridge or Somerville, at least not this decade.
I’m personally happy that Allston’s retained some grunginess. I think Allston Village being a student ghetto will keep it from becoming very upscale in the near future. If anything Lower Allston along Western might start trending that way sooner than the historic center of the neighborhood.
The Boston neighborhoods that would challenge Central are the Seaport and the South End (specifically the Ink Block). I agree that none of the outer neighborhoods have squares that compete. For now at least. It’d be cool for Nubian to gain a bit more spark with the developments planned for it, but I’d also hate to see it become ritzy. Jackson may gain a boost as the Bromley Heath gets its makeover. There are a lot of developments planned for Andrew Square I think. Eastie’s been gentrifying, so maybe Maverick will be in the discussion some day. Rozzie Square wants the orange line.
If anything I’m surprised Central beat out Davis, which I thought was everyone’s favorite.
Silverlake is on the list because some neighborhood in LA has to be. Is it really cool and trendy or is a centrally located semi-urban neighborhood for high earning DINKs that eat organic?
Villeray has changed a lot in the past few years. So many new microbrews, restos, cool shops have opened up. Basically everyone who has left Le Plateau has ended up in Villeray. Plaza St. Hubert has gotten more trendy, add about 60+ new murals in the area and it has a nice hip factor to it. As a bonus, Villeray and the surrounding areas have a very strong Latin American community, so that adds yet another layer of character.
Interesting. I'll be sure to try to spend a bit of time there on my next visit. Normally, the farthest "North" (Montreal's odd compass) I'll go is Jean-Talon, particularly for the market.
I’m personally happy that Allston’s retained some grunginess. I think Allston Village being a student ghetto will keep it from becoming very upscale in the near future. If anything Lower Allston along Western might start trending that way sooner than the historic center of the neighborhood.
The Boston neighborhoods that would challenge Central are the Seaport and the South End (specifically the Ink Block). I agree that none of the outer neighborhoods have squares that compete. For now at least. It’d be cool for Nubian to gain a bit more spark with the developments planned for it, but I’d also hate to see it become ritzy. Jackson may gain a boost as the Bromley Heath gets its makeover. There are a lot of developments planned for Andrew Square I think. Eastie’s been gentrifying, so maybe Maverick will be in the discussion some day. Rozzie Square wants the orange line.
If anything I’m surprised Central beat out Davis, which I thought was everyone’s favorite.
Seaport is kind of a marvel as far as urban infill and planning is concerned. They did a fabulous job. It changed Downtown Boston in a way that nothing ever will in our lifetime, in my honest opinion. It's a city within a city. But I'm not sure how "cool" most would find Seaport.. It's solidly in the middle of the bell curve, and oozes luxury more than trendy or edgy.
My opinion on South End - It is unequivocally my favorite Boston neighborhood to eat and walk around, it's been that way for two decades. Nothing is drastically changing, less Ink Block, which again, is more modern infill. South End is too expensive, and the open space and vacancies have been eaten up. It's too much of a complete drawing to be super cool in 2021.
Central has become the heartbeat of Camberville. Gone are the days of cheap Thai food and PBR. Places like Pammy's, Little Donkey, the new Blue Owl Rooftop, Miracle of Science, Craigie, A4cade now surround those same countertop joints, music venues and dive bars that have "stood the test of time". I think that's the beauty of Central, and most "cool" neighborhoods on lists like these. It's revitalized, but it hasn't totally moved away from what made it cool to begin with.
Again, Davis is Davis. It was always the shining light in an otherwise depressed area. And while it's still a great commercial center, I don't think it's "cooler" than others in 2021. If anything, Union would be next in line, behind Central, in my opinion. And it's only going to get more popular.
It is still growing, it is a clean urban neighborhood with various age groups and a lot going on (not just a business district that shuts down after 6PM) so I’m OK with the listing….Wynwood didn’t take the honor—perhaps in a few years after all the apartment projects underway have been completed and it becomes more residential, it will. Coconut Grove and South Miami are cool areas as well, though quite a bit smaller than Brickell.
Yea, it's been several years since I've been down there, and I did like Brickell, but I'm not sure I'd describe as cool in comparison to the other neighborhoods you've mentioned. Even several years ago, I thought Wynwood was pretty interesting and I assume development has been ongoing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2Easy
Silverlake is on the list because some neighborhood in LA has to be. Is it really cool and trendy or is a centrally located semi-urban neighborhood for high earning DINKs that eat organic?
What's your pick then? I think I'd go with Koreatown, Sawtelle, or Palms/downtown Culver City
Another ranking by TimeOut—this time the 49 coolest neighborhoods in the world. To follow the rules, I’ve only listed North American cities in ranking order:
Andersonville (Chicago) #2
Chelsea (NYC) #6
Silver Lake (LA) #14
Villeray (Montreal) #18
Centro (Mexico City) #23
Brickell (Miami) #28
Central Square (Boston) #39
Mount Pleasant (Vancouver) #40
These lists are kind of worthless to me - Exhibit A: I love Chicago but Andersonville is not the second coolest neighborhood in the world by any stretch. I can think of a dozen neighborhoods in Budapest, Osaka, Istanbul, and Berlin alone that are much cooler by almost any metric.
Just in terms of North America, this list seems incredibly random. Nothing from Toronto, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Francisco, Baltimore, etc.? I can think of very cool, unique neighborhoods from all of those cities that surpass Central Square, Mount Pleasant, and Brickell at the very least.
I get it - it's subjective. But even keeping that in mind, I just don't find much of substance or value in these rankings.
These lists are kind of worthless to me - Exhibit A: I love Chicago but Andersonville is not the second coolest neighborhood in the world by any stretch. I can think of a dozen neighborhoods in Budapest, Osaka, Istanbul, and Berlin alone that are much cooler by almost any metric.
Just in terms of North America, this list seems incredibly random. Nothing from Toronto, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Francisco, Baltimore, etc.? I can think of very cool, unique neighborhoods from all of those cities that surpass Central Square, Mount Pleasant, and Brickell at the very least.
I get it - it's subjective. But even keeping that in mind, I just don't find much of substance or value in these rankings.
I actually grew up close to Andersonville, and I have to totally agree with you that it isn't the coolest neighborhood in Chicago. Is it an extremely nice neighborhood, with many interesting things to do? Heck yes! In a way, I can see why this neighborhood has the it factor, that got it a high rating. I.e. the Swedish heritage, the fact it has a LGBT community, it has a few theaters(i.e. Neo Futurists, and it used to have pH till they disbanded), etc.
To me, I'm sorta surprised they didn't pick say like Lake View or Wicker Park or Pilsen as the best neighborhood in Chicago. But that's just me.
These lists are kind of worthless to me - Exhibit A: I love Chicago but Andersonville is not the second coolest neighborhood in the world by any stretch. I can think of a dozen neighborhoods in Budapest, Osaka, Istanbul, and Berlin alone that are much cooler by almost any metric.
Just in terms of North America, this list seems incredibly random. Nothing from Toronto, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Francisco, Baltimore, etc.? I can think of very cool, unique neighborhoods from all of those cities that surpass Central Square, Mount Pleasant, and Brickell at the very least.
I get it - it's subjective. But even keeping that in mind, I just don't find much of substance or value in these rankings.
Agreed, I am surprised Kensington Market did not make this list and I would easily put it above Brickell. I will always love the funky vibe of Kensington market, how artistic it is, and how open minded it is as well.
What's your pick then? I think I'd go with Koreatown, Sawtelle, or Palms/downtown Culver City
I don’t think that I would know, but I hear more about Highland Park, Echo Park, Los Feliz, NoHo, and the Arts District.
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