Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Which of these two Spanish-Speaking cities feels grander at the core? It's clear that on a metropolitan level, Mexico City is a MUCH larger place. However, when just isolating it to each city's core- which feels like the grander place? Which has more foot traffic in its core?
Mexico city has that energy that only cities like New york, Hong kong or Tokyo have (megalopolis feel to it), in Mexico city you go from areas completely covered in modern skyscrapers to busy avenues with thousands of pedestrians, to non-stop shops, bars, movie theaters 24/7, to seedy areas that resemble the bad spots of NYC, to suburban areas that extend as far as the eye can see, to metro/subway systems busy with millions of passengers each day coming into the city to work.
Madrid is more like Rome, or Berlin or Amsterdam (A nice pleasant European city with pretty buildings and outdoor cafes)
From all the pictures that I've seen, inner Madrid looks much more dense than Inner Mexico City. Inner madrid feels about as compressed as Manhattan. Mexico City certainly maintains good density over a larger area, but in the immediate core, Madrid feels MASSIVE.
Does it feel this way even in the very center of both cities? Or does Mexico City feel grander after going through many of its neighborhoods and realizing how much ground you've covered?
Not to derail from your actual quest, and maybe not related to it but; flying above Madrid, the city looks quite small in contrast to Mexico City which seems endless.
I once flew from Madrid to MC and when we were approaching the city one of the flight attendants -spaniard guy- was completely speechless while looking tru the window, he actually mentioned how amazed he was of such massive city.
Say what you want about Mexico, one thing no one can deny is how big it is and feels.
Agreed - been to both and while Madrid has really splendid architecture and is beautiful and amazing imo, Mexico city is just one of the worlds most dense, grand and vibrant cities. The energy of the place few can match..
Agreed - been to both and while Madrid has really splendid architecture and is beautiful and amazing imo, Mexico city is just one of the worlds most dense, grand and vibrant cities. The energy of the place few can match..
fusion2, you always have great posts, so I'd love to hear more on your experiences. Did Mexico City feel bigger just considering the *cores alone*? Or did it feel vast/endless when you took into account how far the density stretches?
Also Central Madrid (including the districts of Retiro, Salamanca, Chamberi, Tetuan, Centro, and Arganzuela) has 873,323
in 12.6 sq mi (at a density of 69,311 ppsm) and is blanketed by 60-70 metro stations; so Madrid's core peak intensity is definitely comparable to Manhattan's, but it maintains it for roughly half the area of Manhattan. The next ring of neighborhoods surrounding this core have densities of 35,000-45,000 ppsm.
Not even sure why this is a question. Drop a pin in the centre of Mexico City on Google Maps if you haven't a clue. It's an enormous place and naturally the centre is pretty dense with a lot of stuff going on in all directions. There's probably way less zoning laws and restrictions in MC, so on top of that there's people selling anything and everything in every possible nook and cranny. It's a very lively place.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bballniket
From all the pictures that I've seen, inner Madrid looks much more dense than Inner Mexico City. Inner madrid feels about as compressed as Manhattan. Mexico City certainly maintains good density over a larger area, but in the immediate core, Madrid feels MASSIVE.
You probably looked at a photo of Gran Via. It tapers off quickly after you leave that iconic little strip. I've been to Madrid a couple of times and it's not what I would describe as massive or grandiose, as much as I do love it.
Madrid is alot more compact and manageable, but D.F. just goes on forever it seems. Each neighborhood is a very messy continuation of the one before and I mean that in the most complimentary way.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
