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so much of urban beauty comes from waterfronts and IMHO (admit I'm prejudice here), nobody has a waterfront as spectacular as Chicago, an area totally given over to beach and parkland with the dramatic skyline rising above.
indeed, Chicago has two smashing waterfronts….Chicago's riverfront is also remarkable and an architectural gem like no other. It is, by far, the most canonized urban river in america, with towers rising above on both banks like no place else.
Looking at the poll results thus far, homerism abounds. Not talking about Seattle, Seattle deserves to be at least top 3. Just kiiiiinda weird at how low SF, and LA compared to non-Seattle cities.
To me, weather is a part of the scenery. It frames what you see and what you feel. Seattle is one of my favorite places in America, but continual grayness, light rain and obscuring weather often make for something that can be underwhelming.
Personally, I can think of no place in America that has the raw breathtaking geographical diversity and beauty of Southern California - something that is obviated in its own way by basin smog (or massive sprawl). A big part of this is appeal is weather; while Seattle is buried in cold and clouds (and Pittsburgh looks like a barren wasteland) in the winter, southern California is sunny, bright, sharp and surrounded by snow-covered mountains. As the previous poster mentioned, no place really comes close for geographical diversity within a defined area.
Anyways, people are going to vote for where they live. At least I am being honest and not voting for Houston..........
Yes, Coeur d'Alene is beautiful! I used to live there and my husband's family is from Kellogg. We're visiting there later this summer. Would probably move up there if the winters weren't so rough. That and the economy.
IMO, it would've been great to have this poll designed as a "pick 3" to eliminate the homer-ism.
San Diego should land much higher given the proximity to great beaches and to mountains. Clearly Seattle deserves a high ranking, but the challenge is the enormous rainfall is both critical to the greenery, and yet makes it less enjoyable because you can't see the sun hitting it all.
Portland and Chicago should have zero votes. Those are either homer-ism or from people that have never been there. AKA, definitely not the unbiased opinions of someone who has been there without sticking around long enough to vote for it out of knowing nothing else.
I'm sorry, but I don't see San Diego as all that beautiful, really. The water? Chicago, NYC, not to mention San Fran/Seattle and many others have a more attractive waterfront. The brown mountain back-drop simply can't compare to Seattle's green, it is not a lush environment. It has beautiful weather and there are many attractive features in the region, but I wouldn't rank it anywhere near Seattle, San Fran, SLC, or even LA & Pittsburgh for "the most beautiful natural scenery," and this poll reflects that popular view.
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Some pics I snapped in Seattle
