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Personally while I feel DC is definately urban, it does not feel as urban as Boston in the city. Also adding Cambridge (a more urban extension than any in DC) it also feels like a larger city/urban footprint. street by street there will be differences but in the core Boston looks and feels more urban and is developed with a higher compression. DC to me only feels less urban in the core/city than NYC, Boston, Chicago, Philly, SF and maybe LA (also the core of Baltimore in some ways does and in some ways doesnt) So to me there is really only a handful of cities that feel moreso. To me DC feels more urban than Miami regardless of population density.
Boston feels more clautrophobic for sure, but DC has larger sidewalks which make it feel like more people are around (during busy times of day). Also, Boston has water everywhere, and though hopping off the T makes it feel connected, Cambridge is truly separated. Boston area seems to have a continuous urbanity that slowly fades when you drive down most streets. DC is spottier for sure, but doesn't completely break (IMO). If you include water crossings, then again Boston is again dense then slowly fading and DC is spottier and vast (I'm thinking of Rt. 1 to Alexandria).
Even though I'd say Back Bay is more urban, I think they're pretty close. I think Georgetown is a fantastic neighborhood...though I agree there are a lot of chains. There are a boatload of chains throughout DC actually. Not to say they aren't in Boston too, but there appeared to be an overwhelming amount of national chains there.
What chains? Apple store, Banana Republic, Coach, Northface, etc.. They are in every city. You make it sound like a Home Depot or a Walmart are in Georgetown. BTW: Georgetown has a lot of authentic restaurants, boutiques, clothing stores and such. The small slew of chain stores i mentioned are not overwhelming.
What chains? Apple store, Banana Republic, Coach, Northface, etc.. They are in every city. You make it sound like a Home Depot or a Walmart are in Georgetown. BTW: Georgetown has a lot of authentic restaurants, boutiques, clothing stores and such. The small slew of chain stores i mentioned are not overwhelming.
True, but there is also a Johnny Rockets, H&M, ALDO, Five Guys (they blew up now), some chain ice cream too. There are some Georgetown specialties though, like Georgetown cupcakes, Mate, and the burger place with angel wings on the front. I am actually going to Georgetown today.
Even though I'd say Back Bay is more urban, I think they're pretty close. I think Georgetown is a fantastic neighborhood...though I agree there are a lot of chains. There are a boatload of chains throughout DC actually. Not to say they aren't in Boston too, but there appeared to be an overwhelming amount of national chains there.
I don't think it's really close at all. First, Back Bay is way more built up than Georgetown. Georgetown is sort of a quaint shopping district full of small two-story rowhomes. While M Street and the Waterfront can get quite busy on weekends, I think it pales in comparison to Back Bay which is in closer proximity to other attractions such as the Common and the Theater District.
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Originally Posted by Deeman804
Boston feels more clautrophobic for sure, but DC has larger sidewalks which make it feel like more people are around (during busy times of day). Also, Boston has water everywhere, and though hopping off the T makes it feel connected, Cambridge is truly separated. Boston area seems to have a continuous urbanity that slowly fades when you drive down most streets. DC is spottier for sure, but doesn't completely break (IMO). If you include water crossings, then again Boston is again dense then slowly fading and DC is spottier and vast (I'm thinking of Rt. 1 to Alexandria).
I understand what you're saying. DC is far spottier, especially headed down Route 1 past Potomac Yards. Though I'm not sure if the urbanity is any more vast in DC. I think it depends on where you're coming from. If you were heading straight from downtown Bethesda through DC to get to Old Town, then yes, it would seem more vast. But if you were heading from Downtown DC to Suitland, you would see a very rapid breakdown in the development, and eventually end up in a very wooded area before you even crossed the District line into Maryland.
You also have to keep in mind that a trip from Bethesda to Old Town is going to seem way more taxing than a trip from Charlestown to Southie because there's no highway that cuts straight through Northwest DC. Boston, on the other hand, has I-93. Imagine how much more of Boston you would see on the way from South Boston to East Boston if you had to take surface streets the entire route.
Here are some pics of Boston neighborhoods (backbay, north end, beacon hill etc). Sorry, no pics of DC, they won't let me fly over it for some reason
Great pictures. You simply won't find that type of density here in DC.
Another thing that has to be considered is the structural density of outlying residential areas such as Mattapan vis-a-vis areas in DC such as Congress Heights. There's quite a difference between Blue Hill Avenue and MLK/South Capitol Street.
Last edited by BajanYankee; 10-20-2011 at 08:27 AM..
Great pictures. You simply won't find that type of density here in DC.
Another thing that has to be considered is the structural density of outlying residential areas such as Mattapan vis-a-vis areas in DC such as Congress Heights. There's quite a difference between Blue Hill Avenue and MLK/South Capitol Street.
First off, I am not a Boston expert and I want to throw that out there but I actually went to Mattapan. Alexandria, Silver Spring, Ballston etc. they have a similar distance from downtown DC but is built completely differently. Mattapan was more residential-ly to me.
As a sidenote, for it to have such a bad rap, it looked no scarier than Georgia Ave. I think the type of people that live there compared to most of the city plays a part in how they view it.
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