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You don't know what you're talking about, and now it's clearly apparent.
I'm sorry that you feel entitled that your opinion outweighs others. Your opinions derived from your experience are not and should not be taken as dogma, as other people have different experiences than you.
Lake "culture," however you're going to quantify it it, wasn't even part of the original criteria, and I never argued that people in Chicago had a stronger lake culture than Minneapolis. However, the original criteria were:
"Things to consider....
Most scenic shoreline
City/lakeside beaches
Downtown lakeside waterfronts
Boating/Marinas
Lakeside parks/recreation/bike trails
Overall Favorite/Best lake that compliments the city"
Nothing about lake culture. Nothing about access via suburbs.
I stick by everything I said, from Chicago have access to Lake Michigan via several million people in the city alone that is, what, maybe 10 to 12 miles east to west? To having a beautiful waterfront with lots of beaches, tons of lakeside parks, and the lakefront strongly being woven into the festivals and urban fabric. There's absolutely no reason Chicago, and other Great Lakes cities, shouldn't deserve to be a very strong contender in this category.
Last edited by Maintainschaos; 06-21-2014 at 07:40 AM..
Again, I have lived in Chicago and Cleveland, and neither city holds a candle to cities like Minneapolis when it comes to having a lake culture. It's not even close! I know you lived around the Northfield area of MN and that makes you feel like you're entitled to judge the Twin Cities or the rest of MN, but you're wrong, and we remind you of that continuously!
Let me give some credit where credit is due, to show that I'm trying to be an unbiased observer: there are no beaches in the Twin Cities that can compare to Mentor Headlands in the Cleveland area (or even Huntington Beach), and there are no lakes the size of Lake Erie in the area either. Cleveland, however, simply is not that infatuated with the water like Minneapolis is, and it's so night-and-day and obvious to me that I can't believe you're trying to make the argument for CLE. There are arguments to be made for CLE, but it cannot compete with Mpls in this regard. It is one of the biggest losses I have experienced by moving to CLE from MPLS. I miss going to the lake to take the kids for a stroll. I miss having easy access to go to the beach if we decide we don't want to do the (boring) pool on Saturday or Sunday -- it's a 30 mile hike to Mentor OR Huntington beaches, and it was a 10 minute drive to one of several beaches when we lived in Mpls.
I'd prefer to see an objective study of the % of boat licences per capita, % of fishing licences per capita, % lakegoers per capita (if that's even measurable), etc.....
I will agree that until I moved to an area close to the lake I didn't take advantage of it, but now that I'm here, I see a huge "lake culture". Every night there are a ton of people out by the Lake fishing, strolling, walking the dogs, taking a walk along the beach, parasailing, etc. If you lived closer to the lakeshore I'm sure you'd feel differently, and I'm sure the story is similar in any area, including Minneapolis.
I cannot believe how many people are saying Toronto. Though Toronto is a world-class city--no doubt--with stellar entertainment, shopping, education, and culture, but their lakeshore is disappointing at best as it's all industrial or built-up with freeways. The city only has one public beach, The Beach, as it's aptly named. The Toronto Islands are nice, but not always accessible. Otherwise, the only other place with public lakeshore access is a park near Billy Bishop.
Chicago and Milwaukee did a much better job developing their respective lakeshores around beauty and recreation.
But, according to the OP's criteria my top five are :
1) Burlington
2) Coeur d'Alene (I was just there two weeks ago )
3) Madison
4) Minneapolis
5) Seattle
Ha! Okay, should I even ask why Detroit and Cleveland rank so low?
Have you been to the other three places?
Chicago and Milwaukee make better use of their lakefronts. Madison does too. It is not to say Detroit and Cleveland rank low; the takeaway should be Chicago and Milwaukee rank high.
2) Coeur d'Alene (I was just there two weeks ago )
I agree about CDA. The way the mountains surrounds the lake remind me of Zurich, Switzerland though the mountains are a bit less impressive than the Swiss Alps and of course the city lacks the charming streetscapes, architecture, etc. of an ancient European city. Plus it's a tiny fraction of Zurich's size. Still, it's a city that benefits from a very beautiful natural setting.
I agree about CDA. The way the mountains surrounds the lake remind me of Zurich, Switzerland though the mountains are a bit less impressive than the Swiss Alps and of course the city lacks the charming streetscapes, architecture, etc. of an ancient European city. Plus it's a tiny fraction of Zurich's size. Still, it's a city that benefits from a very beautiful natural setting.
Chicago and Milwaukee make better use of their lakefronts. Madison does too. It is not to say Detroit and Cleveland rank low; the takeaway should be Chicago and Milwaukee rank high.
True, Downtown Cleveland doesn't make the best use of its lakefront, besides the Rock Hall and Football Stadium (although that's soon to be changing), but there is great lakefront access in the neighborhoods. There is a huge lakefront park with a beach on the West Side (Edgewater), and a decent sized park with a beach on the East Side (Euclid Beach), plus all of the lakeside suburbs have beaches, several marinas, and there are some fantastic homes along the waterfront. I don't think Cleveland should be ranked dead last.
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