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Seattle is void of a good candidate, which is one of my major gripes with Seattle. Bellevue is nice, but trendy/cool? Not so much. Rest of the suburbs are prettttyyyy between the curve.
Austin is like Seattle in this way. Keep Austin weird only applies to Austin itself.
ATL's East Side is within city limits, and i'm not familiar with any sister cities that would apply.
New York has Jersey City, but with annexation and the collective Burroughs, not a lot of others to name. Surprising for a metro of that size, but it's always been all about NYC. Maybe NJ has more that I don't know about? But nothing with a brand.
For Chicago, Evanston and Oak Park are nice, and deliver everything from elegance to edginess within city limits. But neither are hip/cool - Not a strong bar scene, lot of chain restaurants, no real notable venues, not artist driven communities, etc. Neither are overly vibrant or in demand enough within the young demographic to stay overly current and intriguing to the alternative crowd. They're more "classic" Northern inner ring.
Though small, I think Conshohoken in Philly is one I'd point out.. Has that "gentrified feel" (hate saying that), good/local food scene, some eclectic bars, etc.
How about Coconut Grove near Miami? Haven't spent enough time.
The shining stars, to me, are the Bay Area, LA, and Boston. Probably not a lot of explaining needed. The Bay has Berkeley and the evolving areas in Oakland that are great candidates for this conversation. LA has, well, a dozen spots to note. Boston- though i'd argue they feel like more of a city extension - has Cambridge and Somerville.
Seattle is void of a good candidate, which is one of my major gripes with Seattle. Bellevue is nice, but trendy/cool? Not so much. Rest of the suburbs are prettttyyyy between the curve.
I think Bellevue is not bad and it's a pretty quick drive from downtown Seattle. Lots of Asian restaurants, some decent nightclubs prior to Covid. It's growing rapidly too. In fact, since the pandemic, I've found myself going to Bellevue more for errands and food than downtown Seattle and I live in Seattle proper. I think in the next 10-15 years, Bellevue will be a lot more hopping than it is now. Amazon is already expanding rapidly there. It's not "Portland weird," but it's super clean, safe and shiny; there are no tent cities nor graffiti.
Bellevue skyline, not bad for a suburb of Seattle.
I think Bellevue is not bad and it's a pretty quick drive from downtown Seattle. Lots of Asian restaurants, some decent nightclubs prior to Covid. It's growing rapidly too. In fact, since the pandemic, I've found myself going to Bellevue more for errands and food than downtown Seattle and I live in Seattle proper. I think in the next 10-15 years, Bellevue will be a lot more hopping than it is now. Amazon is already expanding rapidly there. It's not "Portland weird," but it's super clean, safe and shiny; there are no tent cities nor graffiti.
Bellevue skyline, not bad for a suburb of Seattle.
Lived in Bellevue and would live there again. It's cool, but I don't think of it as hip or trendy. It's pretty white collar and stuffy imo.
Seattle is void of a good candidate, which is one of my major gripes with Seattle. Bellevue is nice, but trendy/cool? Not so much. Rest of the suburbs are prettttyyyy between the curve.
Austin is like Seattle in this way. Keep Austin weird only applies to Austin itself.
ATL's East Side is within city limits, and i'm not familiar with any sister cities that would apply.
New York has Jersey City, but with annexation and the collective Burroughs, not a lot of others to name. Surprising for a metro of that size, but it's always been all about NYC. Maybe NJ has more that I don't know about? But nothing with a brand.
For Chicago, Evanston and Oak Park are nice, and deliver everything from elegance to edginess within city limits. But neither are hip/cool - Not a strong bar scene, lot of chain restaurants, no real notable venues, not artist driven communities, etc. Neither are overly vibrant or in demand enough within the young demographic to stay overly current and intriguing to the alternative crowd. They're more "classic" Northern inner ring.
Though small, I think Conshohoken in Philly is one I'd point out.. Has that "gentrified feel" (hate saying that), good/local food scene, some eclectic bars, etc.
How about Coconut Grove near Miami? Haven't spent enough time.
The shining stars, to me, are the Bay Area, LA, and Boston. Probably not a lot of explaining needed. The Bay has Berkeley and the evolving areas in Oakland that are great candidates for this conversation. LA has, well, a dozen spots to note. Boston- though i'd argue they feel like more of a city extension - has Cambridge and Somerville.
Really? Tacoma is super cool I think. It has a gritty artsy feel, lots of good/ affordable restaurants, different neighborhoods with their own personality, beautiful views, museums, historic architecture....
Really? Tacoma is super cool I think. It has a gritty artsy feel, lots of good/ affordable restaurants, different neighborhoods with their own personality, beautiful views, museums, historic architecture....
Seattle is void of a good candidate, which is one of my major gripes with Seattle. Bellevue is nice, but trendy/cool? Not so much. Rest of the suburbs are prettttyyyy between the curve.
Austin is like Seattle in this way. Keep Austin weird only applies to Austin itself.
ATL's East Side is within city limits, and i'm not familiar with any sister cities that would apply.
New York has Jersey City, but with annexation and the collective Burroughs, not a lot of others to name. Surprising for a metro of that size, but it's always been all about NYC. Maybe NJ has more that I don't know about? But nothing with a brand.
For Chicago, Evanston and Oak Park are nice, and deliver everything from elegance to edginess within city limits. But neither are hip/cool - Not a strong bar scene, lot of chain restaurants, no real notable venues, not artist driven communities, etc. Neither are overly vibrant or in demand enough within the young demographic to stay overly current and intriguing to the alternative crowd. They're more "classic" Northern inner ring.
Though small, I think Conshohoken in Philly is one I'd point out.. Has that "gentrified feel" (hate saying that), good/local food scene, some eclectic bars, etc.
How about Coconut Grove near Miami? Haven't spent enough time.
The shining stars, to me, are the Bay Area, LA, and Boston. Probably not a lot of explaining needed. The Bay has Berkeley and the evolving areas in Oakland that are great candidates for this conversation. LA has, well, a dozen spots to note. Boston- though i'd argue they feel like more of a city extension - has Cambridge and Somerville.
Decatur, GA is it’s own municipality. It is not apart of Atlanta and would most certainly qualify for this thread. Marietta, GA would qualify as well on the NW side of the metro.
I will go off the limb and say, for Chicago, it's Rosemont more so than Evanston or Oak Park. It can be accurately described as the entertainment hub of the region or county outside of Chicago itself. It's missing a sizable population(only 4,000 permanent residents), but it's packed with hotels, restaurants, convention centers, and bars that opened til the sunrise hours( pre-Covid), all within a less than 2 sq. mile area. Depending on how you define hip/trendy/cool, it has that going for it.
I will go off the limb and say, for Chicago, it's Rosemont more so than Evanston or Oak Park. It can be accurately described as the entertainment hub of the region or county outside of Chicago itself. It's missing a sizable population(only 4,000 permanent residents), but it's packed with hotels, restaurants, convention centers, and bars that opened til the sunrise hours( pre-Covid), all within a less than 2 sq. mile area. Depending on how you define hip/trendy/cool, it has that going for it.
River North West
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