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I've always felt L.A. is best understood as a region not as a city. If you go get a hotel in DTLA as a visitor and expect the experience to be like having a hotel room in Midtown Manhattan or on Rittenhouse Square..you're very much mistaken.
It's not that L.A. isn't urban, it's just that it's a lot more than that. There's something for people who love cities and those who hate cities. It's ultimately a place that benefits a great deal from its natural setting - the ocean, the mountains, the sky. No East Coast city can compete with the sensory impact of L.A.
Chicago is the best summer CITY in America period.
Lot of Chi haters, LA is boring outside theme parks, NYC is smell, humid, no beach(I love NYC, just not in summer).
Cancun and Florida is basically living on fire in the summer.
Long story short, if true and not in Top 30 then international people are not quite educated when it come to American cities or maybe it is just one survey(I have traveled the world, people know about Chicago).
New York City has 8 beaches. You shouldn’t give an opinion if you aren’t educated in the topic you are discussing.
I’m also curious to know who your geography teacher was. Never new a city that sits on an a literal coast didn’t have beaches.
Chicago is the best summer CITY in America period.
Lot of Chi haters, LA is boring outside theme parks, NYC is smell, humid, no beach(I love NYC, just not in summer).
Cancun and Florida is basically living on fire in the summer.
Long story short, if true and not in Top 30 then international people are not quite educated when it come to American cities or maybe it is just one survey(I have traveled the world, people know about Chicago).
Nah man NYC waaaaay better
Chicago is very cool but it doesn’t compare to nyc
Chicago is the best summer CITY in America period.
Lot of Chi haters, LA is boring outside theme parks, NYC is smell, humid, no beach(I love NYC, just not in summer).
Cancun and Florida is basically living on fire in the summer.
Long story short, if true and not in Top 30 then international people are not quite educated when it come to American cities or maybe it is just one survey(I have traveled the world, people know about Chicago).
Dude NYC has about 8 beaches.The most famous one is Coney Island. Plus surrounding beaches in Long Island Connecticut and Jersey. Chicago has great summers but it doesn’t hold a candle to NYC in terms of things to do during the summer. Chicago isn’t more international than NYC. People may know about chicago but they aren’t traveling there at the same rate they travel to NYC.
I've always felt L.A. is best understood as a region not as a city. If you go get a hotel in DTLA as a visitor and expect the experience to be like having a hotel room in Midtown Manhattan or on Rittenhouse Square..you're very much mistaken.
It's not that L.A. isn't urban, it's just that it's a lot more than that. There's something for people who love cities and those who hate cities. It's ultimately a place that benefits a great deal from its natural setting - the ocean, the mountains, the sky. No East Coast city can compete with the sensory impact of L.A.
You need a car badly in L.A though. I tried to do the No car in L.A and it was very hard. No matter how dense it is Everything is so spread out. That’s the only reason I barely go to L.A because I have to drive everywhere. Plus the cost to get there from NYC is sometimes the same for me to just go to somewhere in Europe where I know Ill get walkability great public transit and a lot cultural and history.
Why are people surprised Chicago is not on this list lol? When non-Americans think of American cities NY, LA, DC, Miami, San Francisco and Vegas are the ones that immediately come to mind, not Chicago.
I've always felt L.A. is best understood as a region not as a city. If you go get a hotel in DTLA as a visitor and expect the experience to be like having a hotel room in Midtown Manhattan or on Rittenhouse Square..you're very much mistaken.
It's not that L.A. isn't urban, it's just that it's a lot more than that. There's something for people who love cities and those who hate cities. It's ultimately a place that benefits a great deal from its natural setting - the ocean, the mountains, the sky. No East Coast city can compete with the sensory impact of L.A.
Maybe because I live in Houston so I'm use to driving everywhere but me and my Wife ENJOYED LA. It's actually one of my favorite vacations and it's for the reason you mentioned as to why we enjoyed LA.
Keep in mind when we went, California had just lifted covid restrictions so traffic might not have been as congested as it normally was due to covid.
So how we treated LA like a region and got the most out of it we compiled this inquiry:
1) We booked a boutique hotel in the Valley. So we ended up booking a hotel in the Valley for several reasons. The location was right off the freeway and a 20 to 30 minute drive to all the sites and attractions we wanted to see. Because it was in the valley the price was cheaper than booking a hotel in downtown or more in the core of LA. Also we were able to get free street parking.
2) So we spent 3 full days in LA and spread out attractions based on location of places of interest. Case in point. Day 1: Spent time in Santa Monica, then went to a small food hall in West LA, went back to the hotel got some rest then spent a night out in West Hollywood. Day 2: Did a morning run at Runyon Canyon then got some acai bowls and juice at some really good spot in Hollywood. Went back to the hotel to freshen up a bit and then went to Griffith Observatory to take some pics and catch some views. Mind you a lot of the sites we visited cost us NOTHING. Then we hung out a little bit at Mid Wilshire for food and just vibes. Later that night we hung out at The Grove which was nice. Oh and after that we caught some cool event happening at Los Angeles County museum of art. Day 3 was just as eventful with us ending the day off with visiting my cousin in Orange County which we had a good time in as well eating at Anqi in Costa Mesa then chilling at the beach in Newport Beach.
With a detailed Itinerary we were able to enjoy our time in LA. It actually exceeded my expectations. My sister and her Husband also went to LA the same time we did but spent 2 days in Vegas and 2 days in LA. They loved Vegas because they were right there on the strip. They hated LA though and thought it was overrated. Guess what though, they did NO planning. They booked a hotel in Hollywood(which I told them not to do). Ended up in some sleezy hotel with bed bugs and had to transfer to another hotel. They were unaware of the homeless crises which completely turned them off. I already knew about it so I knew what to expect when we got there.
You can enjoy most cities if you just plan properly and create an itinerary. You'll be surprise how much the average tourist doesn't plan extensively or create an itinerary for their trip. Which I think is another reason people really love Chicago. Because most places of interest are right there in the Loop. LA you gotta do more work but if planed correctly I believe most tourist can have a really great time.
Maybe because I live in Houston so I'm use to driving everywhere but me and my Wife ENJOYED LA. It's actually one of my favorite vacations and it's for the reason you mentioned as to why we enjoyed LA.
Keep in mind when we went, California had just lifted covid restrictions so traffic might not have been as congested as it normally was due to covid.
So how we treated LA like a region and got the most out of it we compiled this inquiry:
1) We booked a boutique hotel in the Valley. So we ended up booking a hotel in the Valley for several reasons. The location was right off the freeway and a 20 to 30 minute drive to all the sites and attractions we wanted to see. Because it was in the valley the price was cheaper than booking a hotel in downtown or more in the core of LA. Also we were able to get free street parking.
2) So we spent 3 full days in LA and spread out attractions based on location of places of interest. Case in point. Day 1: Spent time in Santa Monica, then went to a small food hall in West LA, went back to the hotel got some rest then spent a night out in West Hollywood. Day 2: Did a morning run at Runyon Canyon then got some acai bowls and juice at some really good spot in Hollywood. Went back to the hotel to freshen up a bit and then went to Griffith Observatory to take some pics and catch some views. Mind you a lot of the sites we visited cost us NOTHING. Then we hung out a little bit at Mid Wilshire for food and just vibes. Later that night we hung out at The Grove which was nice. Oh and after that we caught some cool event happening at Los Angeles County museum of art. Day 3 was just as eventful with us ending the day off with visiting my cousin in Orange County which we had a good time in as well eating at Anqi in Costa Mesa then chilling at the beach in Newport Beach.
With a detailed Itinerary we were able to enjoy our time in LA. It actually exceeded my expectations. My sister and her Husband also went to LA the same time we did but spent 2 days in Vegas and 2 days in LA. They loved Vegas because they were right there on the strip. They hated LA though and thought it was overrated. Guess what though, they did NO planning. They booked a hotel in Hollywood(which I told them not to do). Ended up in some sleezy hotel with bed bugs and had to transfer to another hotel. They were unaware of the homeless crises which completely turned them off. I already knew about it so I knew what to expect when we got there.
You can enjoy most cities if you just plan properly and create an itinerary. You'll be surprise how much the average tourist doesn't plan extensively or create an itinerary for their trip. Which I think is another reason people really love Chicago. Because most places of interest are right there in the Loop. LA you gotta do more work but if planed correctly I believe most tourist can have a really great time.
Plus the cost to get there from NYC is sometimes the same for me to just go to somewhere in Europe where I know I’ll get walkability great public transit and a lot cultural and history
I am outrageously Euro-centric so I hear you loud and clear but going to LA & going to Europe are not mutually exclusive. The one beautiful thing about traveling to me is going for the unknowns, experiencing something you don’t normally see and the varieties of the cultural/landscaping/geographical stimulations.
The American West is one of the most unique, awestruck geophysical façades in the world, it’s worth of exploring and studying.-and I said this as a 1: person who’s not at all outdoorsy, 2: person who’s painfully big city citizen 3: person who’s so Euro-centric that she’s moving to Europe for good. (for the bolded parts you mentioned above.)
I understand not everyone is into driving (me either. I love cars for the aesthetic reasons only.) but as a formerly film study student I saw so many cultural zeitgeist displayed in the American “road movie” genre. It’s very uniquely American, it’s American’s own version of Odyssey, America “ out west” has so much rugged, masculine kind of beauty. L.A is a part of this Western cultural legacy.- I say this again as a person who lived in NYC for 15 yrs and L.A for 10 and is on the way to Europe.
I haven’t been driving since June, 2019 but I think I’ll go watch Thelma & Louise again, partially inspired by responding to your post.
Why are people surprised Chicago is not on this list lol? When non-Americans think of American cities NY, LA, DC, Miami, San Francisco and Vegas are the ones that immediately come to mind, not Chicago.
Facts !!!
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