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I’m really interested in which has the best Asian between Greenville and Grand Rapids as well. Especially ramen.
I'm not sure you're going to find someone who is familiar with both cities to give an opinion, but I'll give you my perspective of Grand Rapids. I'm Japanese, and the Ramen scene is ok. I'd be willing to guess that outside of the West coast and Hawaii, Grand Rapids would have an average Asian cuisine scene for a mid-size metro. There's certainly some great Asian restaurants, Japanese too, but don't expect it to be on par with much larger cities. There's a fair amount of Vietnamese and Chinese immigrants (for the Midwest), so the Asian food is somewhat varied.
Don't have an opinion on Greenville or Richmond, but I'd imagine it's in the same ballpark.
1. Friendliest people: Greenville
2. Best nearby nature (I especially like lakes and rivers): Grand Rapids
3. Best roads: None
4. Best climate (days in the 60s and 70s are my preference): Richmond
5. Best food: Richmond
6. Lowest crime: Greenville
7. Best traffic/parking: Greenville
I would choose Greenville. It is a nice city and not as crime ridden or run down as some other cities. I also like that its downtown is attractive and welcoming.
How hot and humid is Greenville SC compared to Louisville KY? The summers were pretty bad when I lived in Louisville.
Louisville being located in a major river valley probably gets a little more oppressive than Greenville during summer hot spells. But being further south, Greenville would have slightly longer time periods with warm average temperatures. One attractive feature of Greenville is close proximity to cooler mountain areas within a short driving distance, as much of western North Carolina seldom gets above the 80s.
Grand Rapids felt like much more of a complete city to me. For all the hype I heard about Greenville, a majority of the city still had a dirty south feel to it. And Anderson and Spartanburg felt way to spread out. As a metro, Greenville will be more conservative and generally have a better climate for a retiree. Mountains are an hour away, beach 3-4 hours.
Honestly I'm not sure but folks in the Greenville/Spartanburg SC subforum should be able to provide recommendations.
Somewhat anecdotal from the times I had to take business trips there, but greenvilles food did feel a bit one note to me. Lots of southern and BBQ focused places like one might expect. Olive Garden looked packed, hahaha. A few trendy new American places in the hipper parts of downtown, but honestly the farthest thing from being a cultural melting pot.
Grand Rapids felt like much more of a complete city to me. For all the hype I heard about Greenville, a majority of the city still had a dirty south feel to it. And Anderson and Spartanburg felt way to spread out. As a metro, Greenville will be more conservative and generally have a better climate for a retiree. Mountains are an hour away, beach 3-4 hours.
That's why all the hype is about downtown first and foremost, which is well-deserved. I've not been to Grand Rapids but Richmond also has a more complete city feel than Greenville from my perspective, which is to be expected given their histories and historical development trajectories IMO.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Citykid3785
Somewhat anecdotal from the times I had to take business trips there, but greenvilles food did feel a bit one note to me. Lots of southern and BBQ focused places like one might expect. Olive Garden looked packed, hahaha. A few trendy new American places in the hipper parts of downtown, but honestly the farthest thing from being a cultural melting pot.
Where is an Olive Garden not packed? lol I'm not sure if anyone ever called Greenville a "cultural melting pot," but its downtown selection of restaurants has experienced much growth (over 100 restaurants and counting) and it has become recognized as an emerging foodie destination in recent years as well.
I’ve been watching some “driving around Grand Rapids” videos. Is the downtown mostly office buildings? It seemed striking how many road level restaurants weren’t lining the streets.
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