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To me most suburbs look alike...cookie cutter homes, strip malls, big box stores, SUV's in the driveway etc.
There are certain cities that look alike as well, and NYC is not excluded. If I were to blindfold you and drop you in the middle of Chicago you might have a hard time seeing a difference between NYC and Chicago with few exceptions. They are very similar. There are parts of Baltimore, Cleveland, Philly, St. Louis and Boston that resemble Brooklyn, Queens and The Bronx as well.
Funny, before I opened your post, the two exceptions that immediately struck me were NYC and SF.
While I wouldn't say that cities look exactly alike, I think there's a lot of justice to your observation, and probably a lot of mid-range cities look alike, with homogenization probably partly due to all all the massive corporations with locations all over. And not just the Starbucks and Target, but even banks that now are permitted to be in multiple states. And it's probably because, sadly, people tend to gravitate toward what's familiar, not what's novel.
All American cities look alike? That is news to me! Do you actually think Cleveland looks like Phoenix? Pittsburgh like Houston? Philadelphia like San Diego? Did you get off the highways when you went through these places?
There are perhaps some cities that look alike on a regional level, but I find substantial differences in my travels to different cities in America.
Now I will concede that American suburbia is not that much different no matter where you are.
All American cities look alike? That is news to me! Do you actually think Cleveland looks like Phoenix? Pittsburgh like Houston? Philadelphia like San Diego? Did you get off the highways when you went through these places?
There are perhaps some cities that look alike on a regional level, but I find substantial differences in my travels to different cities in America.
Now I will concede that American suburbia is not that much different no matter where you are.
Even when comparing "suburbia" it differs. Try comparing a Chicago suburb like Evanston, to a sunbelt one. Same goes with LI and many others. Regions will be similiar, that's about all.
^^^^ Maybe sprawl was the term I should have used. I guess there are "urban" suburbs in the north that are not very common down south.
I agree. Like me and you both said though, it really comes down to "regions" of the country. Most of the sunbelt suburbia looks very similiar. Where the places in the Northeast, NE, some of the Midwest, and Pacific Northwest would differ greatly from all those sunbelt places. The sunbelt suburbia lacks character. They're all new, cookie cutter, carbon copies of each other. In most of those places, you could pull your car into the wrong driveway mistaken for your own!.....
No, it's just you! You think than San Diego and Seattle look alike? Phoenix an Cinnci? Miami and Portland?.... My hometown of Pittsburgh to Tampa?
Actually I just came back from San Diego last month. When I was down town, it sorta felt like I was in Cincinnati, or Denver, or whatever. And if I tried to not pay attention to the beaches, it felt sorta like Miami, and the area along the beach felt a little like Key West. What I kept thinking was, it is just another city with warmer weather, a stretch of beaches (sorta like Santa Monica), a few more joggers, and not much else.
Actually I just came back from San Diego last month. When I was down town, it sorta felt like I was in Cincinnati, or Denver, or whatever. And if I tried to not pay attention to the beaches, it felt sorta like Miami, and the area along the beach felt a little like Key West. What I kept thinking was, it is just another city with warmer weather, a stretch of beaches (sorta like Santa Monica), a few more joggers, and not much else.
San Diego reminded you of Cinnci?... Or Denver?... Whaaaaaat? My man, you see things a lot different than MOST people do! Denver and Cinnci don't look anything alike, and certainly ain't similiar to San Diego. And I don't see the Miami resemblence either, at all! Along the beach in San Diego felt like Key West? Again, I don't have a clue what you mean. Key West doesn't really have too many beaches, and the beaches they do have are VERY small. Are you sure you've actually been to these other place you're trying to compare to San Diego? It almost seems like you cyber travelled instead. Going to Key West for the beaches, you'll be VERY let down and disapointed.
I seriously don't understand you comparing cities that are in different regions of the country and saying they all look alike.
San Diego reminded you of Cinnci?... Or Denver?... Whaaaaaat? My man, you see things a lot different than MOST people do! Denver and Cinnci don't look anything alike, and certainly ain't similiar to San Diego. And I don't see the Miami resemblence either, at all! Along the beach in San Diego felt like Key West? Again, I don't have a clue what you mean. Key West doesn't really have too many beaches, and the beaches they do have are VERY small. Are you sure you've actually been to these other place you're trying to compare to San Diego? It almost seems like you cyber travelled instead. Going to Key West for the beaches, you'll be VERY let down and disapointed.
I seriously don't understand you comparing cities that are in different regions of the country and saying they all look alike.
I agree completely but it is always interesting when we are confronted by people who actually see things totally differently. I have spent fair amounts of time in most major American cities and think they are all totally different for dozens of reasons.I would almost bet that you could blindfold me ,spin me around and drop me into any one of them and I would figure it out very quickly.
It's hard to figure out what other's see or don't see.I have a friend ,who on asking why I like to go to Italy frequently , said "once you have seen one Tuscan hill town you have seen them all! " I think this is the same kind of thing... you either see the differences or you don't.I am glad I see them.
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