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I seriously hope you do not act this way in "real life", you come across as very douchy. Im guessing this is an internet personna you are trying to portray. Good luck to you.
I act the same in "real life" as I do here. This is DC and we don't have time to sit around podunking about how terrific our city is, most of us don't care about 90% of the country nor the world. Places like NY, DC, SF, Boston that have a reputation for smug attitudes do so for a reason, we know we live in great cities and what others from inferior crime ridden over talked about holes say make no difference. Chicago is cheap, its poor, its crime ridden, its frigid, its uninteresting, its decaying, and its becoming irrelevant. Its a has been city just like Philly, Baltimore, Saint Louis, Cleveland with nothing of interest carrying it up.
Sorry that you cant take the truth chief but Chicago is a dying city, not comparable to NY. When your city decides to take human life more seriously rather than sitting around chopping political corruption across media outlets and starts saving innocent lives and public servicemen from the gangland that its become then come back and talk about how its a great city. 5 year old children being killed often in Chicago makes me sick, they have the audacity to put those stories on national media. I guess some fame is better than no fame?
I act the same in "real life" as I do here. This is DC and we don't have time to sit around podunking about how terrific our city is, most of us don't care about 90% of the country nor the world. Places like NY, DC, SF, Boston that have a reputation for smug attitudes do so for a reason, we know we live in great cities and what others from inferior crime ridden over talked about holes say make no difference. Chicago is cheap, its poor, its crime ridden, its frigid, its uninteresting, its decaying, and its becoming irrelevant. Its a has been city just like Philly, Baltimore, Saint Louis, Cleveland with nothing of interest carrying it up.
Sorry that you cant take the truth chief but Chicago is a dying city, not comparable to NY. When your city decides to take human life more seriously rather than sitting around chopping political corruption across media outlets and starts saving innocent lives and public servicemen from the gangland that its become then come back and talk about how its a great city. 5 year old children being killed often in Chicago makes me sick, they have the audacity to put those stories on national media. I guess some fame is better than no fame?
Chicago isn't my city, i've only lived here since June, I am born and raised in Manhattan (Washington Heights). I could care less what you have to say about it, but if you can't see Chicago is a great city, that is your problem, not Chicago's.
Perhaps you should watch your local news in DC, as there are killings going on there as well (along with NYC, Philly, SF, etc...). Chicago is probably more relevant today than at any point in it's history, and is safer than it has been in decades.
DC is a great city as well (I own a small row house on T street NW), I have an awesome time every time im in town.
So, you're asserting there's no wealth in two of the largest metro areas in the country? Pretty bold claim.
Those are fund raisers, don't confuse them with loans. Obama goes to practically every big city and collects money just this year he's collected from SF, Austin, Chicago, NY, LA, and El Paso of all places. Raising $1, $2, even $5 million is irrelevant in a fund raiser. The president personally goes to WS, SV, O/G with his hand in his mouth begging Zuckerberg or Bloomberg for a loan during his presidency.
If you are talking about the overall "big city" experience, don't think any other US city can quite match New York. But if you want certain aspects, there are many places that can compete with, or beat New York for certain things:
From the original post:
Excitment: New York is certainly exciting, but many people would find LA, Miami or Vegas just as exciting.
Arts: Again, New York has an awesome arts scene, but you can also find fantastic museums and galleries in a number of cities such as San Francisco, Washington, Chicago, LA, etc.
Transportation: Chicago and DC have excellent public transportation.
A few other categories:
Education: Boston probably has the most impressive collection of higher educational institutions in the country. San Francisco, Chicago, LA, and Philly are also up there.
Weather: IMO, cities like San Diego, LA and Miami have much better weather than New York. Heck, I even prefer Atlanta, Charlotte and Washington, DC.
Cost of Living: For all of the great things in New York, it is a very expensive place. For some people, they would rather be somewhere that they can actually enjoy some of the finer things in life for a lower price in cities like Atlanta, Houston, Philly, Dallas, etc.
History: Cities like Boston and Philly have just as much, if not more, historical importance as New York.
So yeah, I think a lot of cities can be compared favorably with New York, it just depends on which bundle of aspects a particular person values.
Chicago isn't my city, i've only lived here since June, I am born and raised in Manhattan (Washington Heights). I could care less what you have to say about it, but if you can't see Chicago is a great city, that is your problem, not Chicago's.
Perhaps you should watch your local news in DC, as there are killings going on there as well (along with NYC, Philly, SF, etc...). Chicago is probably more relevant today than at any point in it's history, and is safer than it has been in decades.
DC is a great city as well (I own a small row house on T street NW), I have an awesome time every time im in town.
DC has high crime, no way around that. Higher murder rate than Chicago but still lower than Philly. I commend Chicago for lowing its murder count annually as its a step in the right direction, DC is a third of what it was in 2003 and all less than 10 years only getting safer each year.
However there are no constant headlines of five year old children being gunned down in DC the way there are in Chicago. DC's city is much taken care of in comparison to Chicago which let the south and west sides rot like a post Hiroshima catastrophe. That's half your city's land area and at least 40% of your city's population. If thats what it means to you to define a great city then you have your standards set low, IMO.
DC has high crime, no way around that. Higher murder rate than Chicago but still lower than Philly. I commend Chicago for lowing its murder count annually as its a step in the right direction, DC is a third of what it was in 2003 and all less than 10 years only getting safer each year.
However there are no constant headlines of five year old children being gunned down in DC the way there are in Chicago. DC's city is much taken care of in comparison to Chicago which let the south and west sides rot like a post Hiroshima catastrophe. That's half your city's land area and at least 40% of your city's population. If thats what it means to you to define a great city then you have your standards set low, IMO.
I will be the first to admit I dont know much about the South and West sides of Chicago, as I am a temporary resident in Chicago, and I dont read local news, so not sure about "constant headlines of 5 year olds" However, in my short time living here, It is my opinion that Chicago is a great city.
I grew up in one of the poorest areas of Manhattan to immigrant parents (Father from Italy, Mother from Russia), and I have seen all sides of NYC. The city is not all fashion and money the way you paint it out to be. Of course that side exists, and I know if very well too. I worked at Lehman Brothers for 6 years until their collapse in 2008, then stayed on with Barclays for another year before moving to a more boutique trading firm. I am 29 years old, and know NYC like the back of my hand. Much of hte city is poor immigrants living 5 or 6 deep in a 1 bedroom apartment, nothing glamorous about that lifestyle, but once I moved out on my own to SoHo, I vowed to never go back to that lifestyle. I know Chicago has tons of issues with crime, etc, but the Chicago I currently live in is great. Ask a poor family in SW DC how great and powerful their City is, Im sure you'll get a different answer than somebody living in the Palisades.
DC has high crime, no way around that. Higher murder rate than Chicago but still lower than Philly . I commend Chicago for lowing its murder count annually as its a step in the right direction, DC is a third of what it was in 2003 and all less than 10 years only getting safer each year.
However there are no constant headlines of five year old children being gunned down in DC the way there are in Chicago. DC's city is much taken care of in comparison to Chicago which let the south and west sides rot like a post Hiroshima catastrophe. That's half your city's land area and at least 40% of your city's population. If thats what it means to you to define a great city then you have your standards set low, IMO.
Not true at all. DC has always had a higher murder rate than Philly with the exception of this year so far. Check the stats.
Not true at all. DC has always had a higher murder rate than Philly with the exception of this year so far.
I don't disagree, it bugs me to see how crime ridden DC can be at times. However I then look at the bigger picture, decreasing crime rate + 50 square miles of land area and only a population of 600K compared to over 1.5 million for Philly and 2.7 million for Chicago. Chicago is doing good with lower murder, not exactly 400 lives shed annually anymore but Philly is still flirting with its 2010, 2009, and 2008 rates. Philadelphia Police Department | Crime Statistics
DC's crime is being pushed out, as DC prices out that leaves the doors open to crime to leave and go some place else. DC in 2011 has a lot to be proud of compared to what it was in the past, which was a bloodbath. The crime is leaving and DC is becoming better, its murder rate this year YTD is 12/100,000, Chicago is 9.8/100,000 and Philly is 19/100,000. DC has a higher rate than does Chicago but its a much smaller city, the metro is safer than Chicagoland and Philly. DC's crime in the metro is in PG and its beginning to contain there.
I will be the first to admit I dont know much about the South and West sides of Chicago, as I am a temporary resident in Chicago, and I dont read local news, so not sure about "constant headlines of 5 year olds" However, in my short time living here, It is my opinion that Chicago is a great city.
I grew up in one of the poorest areas of Manhattan to immigrant parents (Father from Italy, Mother from Russia), and I have seen all sides of NYC. The city is not all fashion and money the way you paint it out to be. Of course that side exists, and I know if very well too. I worked at Lehman Brothers for 6 years until their collapse in 2008, then stayed on with Barclays for another year before moving to a more boutique trading firm. I am 29 years old, and know NYC like the back of my hand. Much of hte city is poor immigrants living 5 or 6 deep in a 1 bedroom apartment, nothing glamorous about that lifestyle, but once I moved out on my own to SoHo, I vowed to never go back to that lifestyle. I know Chicago has tons of issues with crime, etc, but the Chicago I currently live in is great. Ask a poor family in SW DC how great and powerful their City is, Im sure you'll get a different answer than somebody living in the Palisades.
ALL cities are like that (aside from places like Monaco -- which isn't even really a city). The point is -- Philadelphia and Chicago don't compare at all to New York when it comes to glamour and big industry. Practically nowhere does.
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