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I definitely agree with your top 5 list. Here is how I rank them:
1. London
-Financial capital of the world, by far the best, most charming neighborhoods and markets, best museums and culture, most interesting city layout, most elegant and sophisticated, nightlife, best dressed, most diverse, interesting people from all over the world, mix of old and new, incredible history, center of the English speaking world, world hub, cheap and convenient international travel.
2. New York
-Most exciting city in the world, unrivaled buzz and energy, architectural marvel, American elegance and capitalism, most famous city in the world with a movie set quality, excellent food, sports, museums, diverse, interesting people from all over the world, best nightlife, always something going on.
3. Hong Kong
-Financial capital of Asia, international vibe and large expat community from all over the world, most gorgeous natural landscape, exotic culture, exciting buzz beat only by New York, nightlife, luxury shopping, center of new Asian economic dominance, east meets west, old meets new, British influence, Asian travel hub, everyone speaks English, you can get anything you want in Hong Kong.
4. Tokyo
-Biggest highly developed city in the world, world renowned meticulous Japanese cuisine, art and culture, elegant and sophisticated, global business capital, best food in the world, visually stunning, most impressive metropolis in the world.
5. Paris
-Most beautiful large city in the world, world renowned French luxury, best cooks in the world, everything looks like art - buildings, fashion, food etc, very refined and elegant, diverse, high culture.
1. London
2. Hong Kong
3. New York
4. Tokyo
5. Paris
All very close, but London has the best balance of everything overall. I don't think any of the five come close to summer in London. I also think Christmas in New York is very nice.
Individually, New York for street food, London for atmosphere, Paris for history, Hong Kong for feeling of density, Tokyo for infrastructure and organisation.
100% agree. HK and NY are interchangeable for me. I'm from NY so obviously I prefer to visit HK. HK is London's equivalent in Asia. London is definitely at the top throughout history and is still #1 in my books.
There's far more to London than just sightseeing you know, but even so that's just wrong. There's a mindbogglingly ridiculous amount of things to do in London and its surrounding areas.
I agree, I've lived in London for 2 years and go there twice a year. I have no clue what this guy is talking about. I never even go to the tourist attractions when I go to London, lol.
I must say I am surprised Paris is being voted last, even below Hong Kong. That is absolutely inexplicable to me. Paris, to me, would be #2 at worst.
The only thing HK has on Paris is highrises. There is literally nothing else. It isn't even a more important business center.
HK is much more important in business than Paris. It's the financial hub for Asia and third largest financial center in the world. It's the gateway to the largest economy in the world. Paris is insignificant in comparison from a business perspective.
Paris also lacks the buzz, pace, excitement, modernity, density, beautiful natural scenery, English speakers (which allows HK to appeal to a large global population since English is the universal language) that HK has.
However, Paris is definitely far more beautiful, has more history, is more elegant and has better culture.
As if the finance was everything, Paris has a much bigger economy.
Paris is also much more diverse, Hong Kong is over 90% Chinese. Get out of Central and you will only see people speaking in Cantonese.
And anyway what is this mind of thinking ? Are China, Japan, Germany, France, Spain, Brazil, Russia... unimportant because they don't speak English ?
Is Canada more important than Germany because it speaks English.
All great cities on the list. It really depends on personal preferences. If one have to summarize them:
London and New York are the two most diversified major cities on the planet. Hong Kong captures the best of east and west. (when looking at HK, it's relevant to factor in the rest of the Pearl River Delta such as Macau, as the area is an integrating urban zone)
London, NYC and HK form the so called "NyLonKong" triad of global financial capitals that drive global finance. They're generally more outward looking.
Tokyo is the political/commercial capital of Japan, but it's relatively less "global" than the other three cities above. It's the heart of an ancient country with rich and unique history.
Paris is the political/commercial capital of France. Obviously rich cultural heritage. In many ways, it epitomizes the high culture of Europe and the post-industrialization era.
I am considering moving to any of these cities, except Tokyo because of the language barrier. I think it would come down to either London, Hong Kong. NYC is a cool city but I think the quality of life is bad if you don't work in finance, the holiday entitlements and the lack of universal healthcare are also other disadvantages, but the people and the bustling atmosphere of NYC are incredible. I voted for London because it offers many similar things to NYC, but the quality of life is better, the public transportation works better, and it is a gateway to see other amazing European cities. Hong Kong would be a great experience too, I find it very exotic, I have never been there, but perhaps it would be too overwhelming, and I reckon I would feel too isolated. I also guess that it is the hardest places to get a work visa, but being honest I do know much about how things work over there, but I know that there is a high amount of expatriates living in HK. Paris, Paris, what a beautiful city with fantastic food and places to discover, but I think it is more a city to visit. I don't like the bureaucracy in France, the state of paranoia with terrorism (for enough reasons). Although I speak some french I can't feel that confident to work with French, and I think that Paris offers fewer job opportunities than NYC, London and Hong Kong. Weather is another important detail. HK offers the best overall climate because I do like warm temperatures. NYC has great seasons, Paris and especially London are too overcast and gloomy. Cultural activities? I would say London and Paris??. Anyway, I have to spend more time in those places and ask myself "would I live here?"
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