Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Yeah, if you're talking about a "collection of suburbs," then I don't see how Boston, Chicago, DC or Philly would beat out NYC. LA might have the best "suburb" overall in Malibu but I wouldn't say it has a better collection either.
Some of those suburbs in Post 11, Princeton most notably, overlap with Philadelphia's suburban orbit. (And when did the Poconos become a suburb of anywhere, even if Pike County is now in the New York MSA?)
If we're talking just tony suburbs, however, I'd put the Main Line up against anything New York has to offer, including the North Shore of Long Island and Fairfield County. The Delaware County suburbs along the Media-Elwyn line also compare well, even the more downscale ones like Clifton Heights.
If we're talking just tony suburbs, however, I'd put the Main Line up against anything New York has to offer, including the North Shore of Long Island and Fairfield County. The Delaware County suburbs along the Media-Elwyn line also compare well, even the more downscale ones like Clifton Heights.
I wasn't talking about "tony" suburbs per se but simply the diversity of suburbs, including the diversity of housing vernacular, population/structural densities, topography, scenery and people.
Location: That star on your map in the middle of the East Coast, DMV
8,128 posts, read 7,552,695 times
Reputation: 5785
Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt Marcinkiewicz
Probably driven by people who have been to Arlington or Alexandria a handful of times (at most), while ignoring the rest of the metro
Post #11 offered a perfect explanation as to why NYC should be crushing this poll.
DC has the best transit oriented developed suburbs in the nation by a good margin, so probably also what raises the bar. The OP referenced various types of suburbs not just one.
DC has the best transit oriented developed suburbs in the nation by a good margin, so probably also what raises the bar. The OP referenced various types of suburbs not just one.
What does that mean exactly? DC has a lot of newer developments in places like Largo and Rockville that were built around metro lines in the last 15-20 years while older cities like NYC and Chicago have suburbs that were developed along transit lines over 100 years ago.
Much of North Jersey's suburbs are considerably denser and more walkable than anything in Montgomery County or NOVA (outside of Alexandria). You even have towns like Montclair where if you're lucky you get the transit, walkability and possibly even a view of the Empire State Building from your living room window.
As someone who does this drive frequently to visit my parents, I kinda hear you if/when you can find a low-traffic time to drive it, especially in the fall (think early Saturday morning, for example). But my issues with it are:
a) Traffic, and random dead stops that seem to come out of nowhere and last 5-10 minutes per incident
b) Limited visibility looking ahead to those stops, so lots of slamming on the brakes
c) If you're driving at night and especially in the rain, it is extremely difficult to see
d) It's always under construction, and there doesn't seem to be a summer Friday evening "blackout period" on that.
And I didn't include it because it may just be my kids, but the narrow lanes and switchbacks can cause car sickness in the back seat relative to wider interstates. When my kids are in the car, I tend to pick 684-->84 to get up into New England despite it being ~10 minutes longer on paper.
For my money though, if I want scenery it's the Taconic all the way up to the Berkshires.
Yea, diversity of options is where DC wins imo. You can be in an urban area like Arlington/Alexandria or a wooded, leafy suburb like Great Falls.
DC isn't the only metro on the East Coast where you can do that.
NYC has DC and Philly beat because it has beaches in its metro (some very good ones at that). And it has Boston and Chicago beat because it has better hiking options.
Long Beach--one of my go to beaches when I grew up (along with Point Lookout and Jones Beach). I also worked at Nassau Beach a couple of memorable summers during my college years.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
