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Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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San Antonio was a nice surprise. Anyone who has been to Dallas or Houston could certainly appreciate SA's charms. It's the only city in Texas that has a real old world and historic atmosphere (Fort Worth does to some degree) but nothing says Texas like the Alamo. The Riverwalk and historic area around the Alamo is a nice walkable downtown and there is very pretty hill country to the Northwest of the city. San Antonio only has the NBA so it's not big on the sports radar and Cleveland has been a ranking established city for a lot longer. San Antonio certainly has a big economic advantage over Cleveland. I'm gonna go with SA on this one.
Location: Austin, TX/Chicago, IL/Houston, TX/Washington, DC
10,138 posts, read 16,041,021 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by caphillsea77
San Antonio was a nice surprise. Anyone who has been to Dallas or Houston could certainly appreciate SA's charms. It's the only city in Texas that has a real old world and historic atmosphere (Fort Worth does to some degree) but nothing says Texas like the Alamo. The Riverwalk and historic area around the Alamo is a nice walkable downtown and there is very pretty hill country to the Northwest of the city. San Antonio only has the NBA so it's not big on the sports radar and Cleveland has been a ranking established city for a lot longer. San Antonio certainly has a big economic advantage over Cleveland. I'm gonna go with SA on this one.
Even the new buildings that come up in SA have that older design like the new Grand Hyatt, it's just the proper look for that city. I can't see it having the same kind of skyline as Houston, with all the towers with glass and stuff.
Location: Cleveland, OH USA / formerly Chicago for 20 years
4,069 posts, read 7,315,088 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SweethomeSanAntonio
San Antonio's downtown sleepy? San Antonio's downtown isn't the most vibrant of major cities, but by no means sleepy at street level.
I'm sure there are some parts that are not as bustling, but overall it is one of the most vibrant.
There is nothing suburban about downtown San Antonio, what are you talking about? What office park are you referring to?
Gosh... I can't recall addresses or street names or anything, but there were two twin towers, about 12 stories each, where SBC (now AT&T) had offices... that's where I was, and I stayed at a hotel named Hawthorne Suites (I think) about a block away. And this was just beyond the southern end of the Riverwalk... the quieter end with lots of greenery where there was a restaurant called Pardo's... now, this was back in 2000, and I haven't been there since, so if anything's changed since then, I wouldn't be aware. I just recall that the area, even though still considered "downtown", seemed very suburbanesque to me (at least compared to what I'm used to).
Except for the Riverwalk, downtown SA just seemed very sleepy to me when I was there, not very much going on... the weather was very hot during my stay, 99 degrees or so every day, and I recall one early evening I was out walking around, looking for a drugstore or little grocery or someplace where I could maybe buy a pint of ice cream, like Haagen-Dazs or something, that I could take back to my hotel room and eat. But no luck... nothing was open, the whole area (above river level) was pretty deserted, the one very old-looking drugstore I came across was closed after 6 pm, so I returned to my room empty-handed.
Gosh... I can't recall addresses or street names or anything, but there were two twin towers, about 12 stories each, where SBC (now AT&T) had offices... that's where I was, and I stayed at a hotel named Hawthorne Suites (I think) about a block away. And this was just beyond the southern end of the Riverwalk... the quieter end with lots of greenery where there was a restaurant called Pardo's... now, this was back in 2000, and I haven't been there since, so if anything's changed since then, I wouldn't be aware. I just recall that the area, even though still considered "downtown", seemed very suburbanesque to me (at least compared to what I'm used to).
Except for the Riverwalk, downtown SA just seemed very sleepy to me when I was there, not very much going on... the weather was very hot during my stay, 99 degrees or so every day, and I recall one early evening I was out walking around, looking for a drugstore or little grocery or someplace where I could maybe buy a pint of ice cream, like Haagen-Dazs or something, that I could take back to my hotel room and eat. But no luck... nothing was open, the whole area (above river level) was pretty deserted, the one very old-looking drugstore I came across was closed after 6 pm, so I returned to my room empty-handed.
Should have tried Rivercenter Mall I know there's a food court in it with ice cream but I was down in SA March 13th and downtown was packed with people the Riverwalk was packed and the street level was packed with people.
Location: Austin, TX/Chicago, IL/Houston, TX/Washington, DC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bgrn198
Should have tried Rivercenter Mall I know there's a food court in it with ice cream but I was down in SA March 13th and downtown was packed with people the Riverwalk was packed and the street level was packed with people.
Yeah that marble slab creamery right next to the Chilli's is pretty amazing when you go to the river walk.
Yeah that marble slab creamery right next to the Chilli's is pretty amazing when you go to the river walk.
Haven't tried it just saw it on the Rivercenter website lol I haven't been in the mall in a while I heard that they are gunna redo it and make it more upscale.
Yeah that marble slab creamery right next to the Chilli's is pretty amazing when you go to the river walk.
I've actually been to that mall, the Marble Slab Creamery is delicious, it's exactly the same as my favorite Cold Stone in Cleveland.
Both cities are great. When I first moved to Cleveland I really didn't know much, but having been here for a while, there is so much to do and see. To me it seems that Cleveland has the cultural and entertainment amenities of a city well over 1 million, probably due to Cleveland being one of the most populous cities in the mid 1900s.
And here is one of my fave neighborhoods in Cleveland
I voted Cleveland in this poll. I'm a native Clevelander who lived in the area the first 34 years of my life, and here is my take: Sure, the city has some enormous problems and challenges, but it also has a lot of great assets... for cultural, recreational and entertainment amenities Cleveland ranks near the top nationally, rivaling much bigger cities... world-class orchestra, world-class art museum, world-class medical facilities (the Cleveland Clinic, to which Arabian royalty has been known to fly from halfway around the world for treatment), second-largest theater district after NYC, one of the best public library systems in the nation, excellent parks and recreational facilities, unique gems like the West Side Market and the Old Arcade and others which really have no counterparts in other American cities, great summer festivals... the list goes on and on. And you can enjoy all that while also enjoying a very low cost of living too, which makes Cleveland pretty unique in that regard.
Sure, it's not the type of city that knocks you off your feet at first glance... to the uninitiated Cleveland might appear underwhelming at first... but the city's treasures are there, waiting to be discovered.
I need to stop. I'm starting to get homesick.
Here's a rather interesting tribute to Cleveland (even if the author does overdo it a bit):
As for San Antonio, I actually passed up a chance to relocate there about ten years ago after the company I worked for went through a merger. I did spend some time down there training people around that time, and during my off hours I did enjoy doing the tourist thing and seeing the sights, but I couldn't see myself living there.
Loved the Riverwalk... very bustling and lively... great views, great restaurants... but thought the rest of downtown was rather sleepy. Somehow it didn't feel like I was in the nation's 8th-largest city... felt more like a small town surrounded by lots of sprawl (the office complex where I did the training was on the edge of downtown, but it felt like a suburban area to me). I did enjoy getting a glimpse of SA's rich history, from the Alamo to the Missions to the Governor's Palace... and there was some great Mexican food to be had. But is the city all that underrated? I'd say not really.
This is exactly the way I feel about Cleveland ... it's a city so often maligned in the media and through word of mouth, yet it retains such
tremendous assets and accompanying strengths.
I now reside in Columbus, a city that holds it's own genuine assets. I enjoy Columbus ... but I often find myself going "home" to Cleveland as
often as possible ...
I love the beauty, the undeniable "grit" of Cleveland ... and all of the aforementioned amenities that were mentioned in the accompanying quote.
Cleveland is a rare "jewel", it truly is. I've rarely encountered a city that holds the same level of assets, as Cleveland does.
Clevelands museums, cultural venues, medical and collegiate institutions rival those found in much more prominent cities such as N.Y.C., Chicago or
Los Angeles.
Cleveland is in "a valley" right now ( to use a metaphor ), but it's brightest days lie in it's already evolving future.
You don't have to be the BIGGEST at everything ... to be ONE OF THE VERY BEST!
I would say San Antonio is underrated and Cleveland is negatively rated.
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but I was down in SA March 13th and downtown was packed with people the Riverwalk was packed and the street level was packed with people.
