January 2, 20178 yr 1 - Washington D.C - Perfect mix of vibrancy, activity, transit access while not being overbearing like NYC. 2 - Atlanta GA - Perfect weather mix, a lot of stuff to do, but the traffic is AWFUL. 3 - New York City - Loved the vibrancy, activity and transit access but it was too crowded. 4 - Cleveland - Home 5 - Miami - Humidity killed me, made the trip less enjoyable
February 27, 20187 yr In the United States 1. Santa Cruz, CA 2. Chicago, IL 3. New Orleans, LA 4. Indian Rocks Beach, FL 5. San Francisco, CA I haven't been out of the country much so I can't give a full list to say my favorite cities out of the US. I am planning a 3 month trip to Europe this year so this should grow exponentially in the near future.
March 27, 20187 yr Domestic (Not including Cincinnati) 1. Denver (Getting expensive but still love it) 2. Boise (Great underrated city, future Denver type) 3. Portland (Close to so much (nature wise) and near the coast) 4. St. Petersburg (Great city off to the side from Tampa, fewer blue hairs now) 5. Savannah (My home away from home) International 1. Rotterdam 2. Gent 3. Munich 4. Budapest 5. Calgary
April 17, 20187 yr I'll go with... Amsterdam Copenhagen Basel Cincinnati London I'm not generally enamored with Tier-1 or American cities.
April 17, 20187 yr Florence - the ultimate walking city New York - love to buy an unlimited metrocard and cruise the subway all day long Cleveland - greatest city in the world, duh Chicago - incredibly beautiful with the modern skyscrapers and the lake Naples - chaos, density, filth, poverty, wealth, history, and beauty of a stunning natural location, an active volcano looming over the city
April 17, 20187 yr I din't expect anyone to mention Napoli on here, haha. I didn't think it was liked very much, and used only as a way to Capri and Amalfi. In another ongoing UO thread European densities were being discussed, and I thought of Naples. One of the original ultra-dense cities. Even though the current numbers are not that impressive, Naples gives off the densest feeling of any city I have been to, including the go-tos like Barcelona, Paris.
April 17, 20187 yr Napoli is often poo-pooed, most of all by northern Italians, but for those with an appreciation for cities and urbanity, for everything not always being pristine and perfect, (and for southern Italian culture) it's amazing. I think you can tell a lot about somebody's personality by whether or not they're willing to look past the city's flaws and give it a chance. Vedi Napoli e poi muori. (See Naples and die)
April 17, 20187 yr Isn't the Quartieri Spagnoli the densest neighborhood in Europe, or at least it was at one point? I've heard it called the European Kowloon Walled City, although that's still not a really fair comparison given how impossibly dense Kowloon Walled City was. “To an Ohio resident - wherever he lives - some other part of his state seems unreal.”
April 17, 20187 yr There's a really bad lack of green space or parks, so the kids, for hundreds of years, have grown up playing in the very narrow streets. Obviously there's negatives that come along with that but it also leads to very lively streets.
April 17, 20187 yr ^ well...dang! That looks miserable to me. To each his own, though. I don't think I've contributed here, so I'll give a go at my top 5: - New York - Paris - Amsterdam - London - Montreal Honorable mention: Berlin, Geneva, San Francisco Smaller cities: Santa Barbara, Savannah, Newport (RI), Quebec City
April 18, 20187 yr ^ yes, but its not seen as quite so bad in mono-cultural places like china or italy where everybody is generally on the same page culturally versus the usa where people are generally not.
April 18, 20187 yr btw i found the quartieri spagnoli neighborhood density is 17,500k sq km versus for example nyc citywide average at 11k sq km. also, funny enough, despite a much larger population, nyc is less dense than it was in 1970. i wonder how this naples neighborhood has changed over time? i have no idea, but it doesn't look like much has changed there at all.
April 18, 20187 yr The entire city of Naples, while being dense, is not all that dense. The Spanish Quarters are about as extreme as it gets, and only take up a small area. I believe it was founded to house Spanish soldiers when Naples was conquered by the Spanish at one time. The historic core of Naples, adjacent to the Spanish Quarters, is actually older than Rome, having been founded by the ancient Greeks. Search on google images or youtube "Naples Chiaia" or "Naples lungomare" for some less stress-inducing parts of town.
April 18, 20187 yr I need to travel internationally more... US Cities 1. New York 2. New Orleans 3. Boston 4. Cincinnati 5. Pittsburgh Small Cities: 1. Asheville NC 2. Savannah 3. Santa Fe 4. Bardstown KY 5. San Clemente CA
April 18, 20187 yr Small Cities: 1. Asheville NC 2. Savannah 3. Santa Fe 4. Bardstown KY 5. San Clemente CA I like the "small cities" ranking. Small is hard to narrow down (do Savannah and Asheville count?). In no particular order, mine is probably: *Marquette, MI *Asheville, NC *Savannah, GA *Bethlehem, PA *Covington, KY
April 18, 20187 yr Small Cities: -Portland, ME -Charleston, SC -Monterey, CA -Sarasota, FL -Boulder, CO
April 18, 20187 yr I need to travel internationally more... Small Cities: 1. Asheville NC 2. Savannah 3. Santa Fe 4. Bardstown KY 5. San Clemente CA I feel like San Clemente is often overlooked.
April 18, 20187 yr Probably because it's in Orange County, which almost always gets lumped together as one entity in discussions like these. Southern Orange County is very nice and relaxed though, even compared to the other beach cities further north like Newport and Huntington Beach.
April 18, 20187 yr My stab at smaller cities but honestly I haven't spent a ton of time in smaller cities except for a few: Bloomington, IN Iowa City, IA Cedar Falls, IA
April 18, 20187 yr are Madison, WI and Ann Arbor, MI considered small cities? I'd put them on my list.
April 18, 20187 yr Probably because it's in Orange County, which almost always gets lumped together as one entity in discussions like these. Southern Orange County is very nice and relaxed though, even compared to the other beach cities further north like Newport and Huntington Beach. Yeah a few miles up the road in Laguna you see Lamorghini's and Maclarens on the street next to you. In San Clemente you see old hippies in VWs and young hippies in Honda Insights. It has a really nice walkable center spine that runs perpendicular to the beach, a great beach with a pier, and it's linked to the rest of Orange County and Los Angeles via a train that's right on the beach. Despite the stereotype of Southern California, San Clemente would be a relatively easy place to live car free.
April 18, 20187 yr Probably because it's in Orange County, which almost always gets lumped together as one entity in discussions like these. Southern Orange County is very nice and relaxed though, even compared to the other beach cities further north like Newport and Huntington Beach. Yeah a few miles up the road in Laguna you see Lamorghini's and Maclarens on the street next to you. In San Clemente you see old hippies in VWs and young hippies in Honda Insights. It has a really nice walkable center spine that runs perpendicular to the beach, a great beach with a pier, and it's linked to the rest of Orange County and Los Angeles via a train that's right on the beach. Despite the stereotype of Southern California, San Clemente would be a relatively easy place to live car free. Love San Clemente! There is a Mexican restaurant there on the PCH that I guess Nixon used to frequent. I can't remember the name but have been several times. Great stuff!
April 19, 20187 yr Probably because it's in Orange County, which almost always gets lumped together as one entity in discussions like these. Southern Orange County is very nice and relaxed though, even compared to the other beach cities further north like Newport and Huntington Beach. Yeah a few miles up the road in Laguna you see Lamorghini's and Maclarens on the street next to you. In San Clemente you see old hippies in VWs and young hippies in Honda Insights. It has a really nice walkable center spine that runs perpendicular to the beach, a great beach with a pier, and it's linked to the rest of Orange County and Los Angeles via a train that's right on the beach. Despite the stereotype of Southern California, San Clemente would be a relatively easy place to live car free. Love San Clemente! There is a Mexican restaurant there on the PCH that I guess Nixon used to frequent. I can't remember the name but have been several times. Great stuff! It's either El Adobe or Olamendi's. I haven't been to El Adobe, but Olamendi's is pretty good, and has some really crazy stuff on the walls.
April 19, 20187 yr Probably because it's in Orange County, which almost always gets lumped together as one entity in discussions like these. Southern Orange County is very nice and relaxed though, even compared to the other beach cities further north like Newport and Huntington Beach. Yeah a few miles up the road in Laguna you see Lamorghini's and Maclarens on the street next to you. In San Clemente you see old hippies in VWs and young hippies in Honda Insights. It has a really nice walkable center spine that runs perpendicular to the beach, a great beach with a pier, and it's linked to the rest of Orange County and Los Angeles via a train that's right on the beach. Despite the stereotype of Southern California, San Clemente would be a relatively easy place to live car free. Love San Clemente! There is a Mexican restaurant there on the PCH that I guess Nixon used to frequent. I can't remember the name but have been several times. Great stuff! It's either El Adobe or Olamendi's. I haven't been to El Adobe, but Olamendi's is pretty good, and has some really crazy stuff on the walls. Olamendis is the one I think. The crazy stuff goes up on the ceilings as well.
April 24, 20187 yr My turn: > Cleveland (there's no place like home) > Wexford, Ireland (narrow streets where my family came from 270 years ago) > Boston (America's most European city, lacks only the tiny medieval core) > Toronto (the city that Cleveland should have been) > York, England (the most walkable city I've ever walked) Going to Italy in June. My list is therefore subject to revision. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 27, 20187 yr I don't think I've contributed here, so I'll give a go at my top 5: - New York - Paris - Amsterdam - London - Montreal Honorable mention: Berlin, Geneva, San Francisco Smaller cities: Santa Barbara, Savannah, Newport (RI), Quebec City I just got back from my first ever visit to New Orleans, and it is definitely in my top 5. What a wonderful, lively, unique city. If I had to bump one, I'd toss Montreal into the honorable mention category.
April 27, 20187 yr I don't think I've contributed here, so I'll give a go at my top 5: - New York - Paris - Amsterdam - London - Montreal Honorable mention: Berlin, Geneva, San Francisco Smaller cities: Santa Barbara, Savannah, Newport (RI), Quebec City I just got back from my first ever visit to New Orleans, and it is definitely in my top 5. What a wonderful, lively, unique city. If I had to bump one, I'd toss Montreal into the honorable mention category. Just got back from my first New Orleans trip in many years. Have to say it has about the greatest buildings/architecture I've seen in the US and I'm talking only a bit about the French Quarter or Garden District. What floored me most were the fabulous Art Deco and earlier 1900s buildings in downtown/CBD. Exceptional examples on nearly every block.
July 11, 20186 yr International (excluding USA): 1) Toledo Spain (so much history such a great natural setting) 2) Buenos Aires (incredible blend of architectural styles - parisian buildings with italian details, moorish revival houses side by side with english tudors, a bit chaotic and bursting with culture) 3) Kyoto Japan (Japan's most interesting city great blend of pre-modern, pre-war and post-war - has layers of history unlike other Japanese cities) 4) Tokyo Japan (futureworld - better at night than day, awesome train system and Shibuya is the most insane nightlife area I've ever been to) 5) Vancouver (Weird blend of Tokyo and Seattle - natural setting is unbeatable) *Honorable Mention* Melbourne Australia - the laneways, peak British Empire Victorian grandeur and tons of culture like if Boston and Portland Oregon had a kid USA: 1) San Francisco (natural setting, Victorian architecture, cultured and vibrant) 2) Boston (most European of American cities also very vibrant) 3) New York City (diversity, architectural grandeur) 4) Chicago (most livable of these cities not as much character as what's above but enough to be happy with it) 5) Philly (so much history) *Special Mention* Cincinnati - has all the ingredients to be way better than it is, deserves way more love.
August 7, 20186 yr 1. NYC 2. San Fran. 3. Chicago 4. Boston 5. New Orleans Just don't like Boston and New York with sports. Most under rated city Cleveland easily.
August 7, 20186 yr International (excluding USA): 1) Toledo Spain (so much history such a great natural setting) When I went to Toledo many years ago, it felt like a theme park. We entered through a bridge and castle like setting and the town seemed like it had no streets until the occasional car whizzed by and you realized that narrow alley was actually a main thoroughfare.
August 7, 20186 yr Somewhere I have a picture of myself next to the street sign for this street: Calle de Toledo de Ohio 45001 Toledo, Spain https://goo.gl/maps/WTHKtwJgE5P2
October 11, 20186 yr Top 5 US Cities 1. NYC 2. Pittsburgh 3 Cincinnati 4. Charleston SC 5. Albuquerque Top international 1. Rome 2. Sienna 3. Wuppertal 4. Cologne 5. Dusseldorf Edited October 11, 20186 yr by Yves Behar
October 11, 20186 yr Albuquerque? I've never head anyone have a positive opinion of that city and always thought Sante Fe was the place to be in New Mexico (I've been to neither). What makes you say that?
October 11, 20186 yr I'm interested in the choice of Wuppertal. I like the schwebebahn, but nothing else about the city jumped out at me as being unique. Worth visiting, though, and refreshing to go to a German city off the beaten path. It's super blue-collar; I don't know how many other cities in the region are like that, so maybe that's the charm.
October 13, 20186 yr United States: 1. New York 2. LA 3. New Orleans 4. Columbus 5. New York again...or maybe Sante Fe World: *not that I have been to all of these* 1. London 2. Vienna 3. Toronto 4. Valletta 5. Wellington
October 13, 20186 yr ^Valletta is a pretty surreal place. 1) Lisboa - I have been thinking about this city recently, and I haven't been back in quite some time. No place has attached and stuck with me as much as Lisbon. 2) Catania - Another place that has stuck with me, not to the degree of Lisbon but similar. ...too many to decide at the moment
October 13, 20186 yr 1 hour ago, viscomi said: 1) Lisboa - I have been thinking about this city recently, and I haven't been back in quite some time. No place has attached and stuck with me as much as Lisbon. 2) Catania - Another place that has stuck with me, not to the degree of Lisbon but similar. Great picks, I have visited both! Lisbon is an absolutely stunning place. I was there in the height of summer and I just remember blinding sun and bright colors. Deep blues in the sky and the water, buildings pained with reds and yellows and pastel blues, green trees, sidewalks made of slippery white and black tiles with designs in them (a Portugal tradition apparently) and amazing views. Great beaches and even surfing in the south of the country too, Portugal in general is an incredibly underrated destination by Americans. Edited October 13, 20186 yr by mu2010
October 14, 20186 yr On 10/13/2018 at 12:45 PM, viscomi said: ^Valletta is a pretty surreal place. How so?
November 9, 20186 yr On 10/14/2018 at 7:33 PM, Toddguy said: How so? Combination of the location, built environment and history. Looking out over the the port and thinking about what transpired there during The War, you cant help to feel something in your gut. It's pretty touristy though. It doesn't seem like that many people live there other than support the incoming tourists. Malta is general is a unique place.
November 9, 20186 yr @mu2010 Nice photos. I love the walkways there. and the tile facades! https://www.citylab.com/design/2018/10/lisbons-beautiful-dangerous-sidewalks/573643/ Also , I took the same photo as the first one in your set (i think it's a famous view or something ? ) Edited November 9, 20186 yr by viscomi
March 25, 20196 yr On 4/18/2018 at 2:51 PM, freefourur said: are Madison, WI and Ann Arbor, MI considered small cities? I'd put them on my list. yeah i keep hearing college towns are great places to retire in. i have athens, georgia at the top of my college town retirement list, but those two would definitely be in play as well.
March 25, 20196 yr I've been spending a decent amount of time in Southern California recently, and it's quickly risen to one of my favorite cities/metropolises in the country. I think it helps that I get to experience it from "arms-length" and don't have to deal with the traffic and the cost of living on a daily basis, but LA is a way more textured and multifaceted place than people tend to give it credit for. Great architecture to boot too, contrary to the whole little boxes made of ticky tacky thing, although there's plenty of that too. “To an Ohio resident - wherever he lives - some other part of his state seems unreal.”
March 30, 20196 yr On 3/25/2019 at 12:19 PM, BigDipper 80 said: I've been spending a decent amount of time in Southern California recently, and it's quickly risen to one of my favorite cities/metropolises in the country. I think it helps that I get to experience it from "arms-length" and don't have to deal with the traffic and the cost of living on a daily basis, but LA is a way more textured and multifaceted place than people tend to give it credit for. Great architecture to boot too, contrary to the whole little boxes made of ticky tacky thing, although there's plenty of that too. What exactly do you like? What areas specifically? What areas do you feel have great architecture?
March 31, 20196 yr There's something about the scale of the sprawl there that I find really intriguing. I definitely have a different perspective on it as a visitor vs actually living with it every single day, but it still feels exotic to me compared to really anywhere else in America. Weirdly, LA gives off a similar vibe as Detroit, which is a city I really "feel", so it feels homey when I visit compared to the other west coast cities. As for which areas, pretty much anything DTLA westward (aka the "fancy" parts of the metro, although houses in Compton start at $400k now so who knows what's actually fancy in SoCal any more). Particularly Angeleno Heights and West Adams, but I'm also a Silver Lake/Echo Park and Hollywoodland aficionado. The winding hillside streets are so charming and I find them way more interesting than the garbagey boxes built in San Francisco around the same time period. Ktown was pretty interesting, Broadway is a national treasure, Beverly Hills is, well, Beverly Hills, the Sunset Strip is crammed full of random stuff... even Culver City and El Segundo are cute and generally well-maintained and their landscapes and gentle hills add a lot of character to what could be otherwise a fairly bland series of suburban tracts. “To an Ohio resident - wherever he lives - some other part of his state seems unreal.”
March 31, 20196 yr Yes even the 'hood is expensive in SoCal. A buddy's ex-girlfriend grew up in a tiny house in a fairly run-down part of San Diego. When she and her folks sold the house and moved to Pataskala they were able to buy an 82-acre farm (complete with farmhouse and pond) with the money.
Create an account or sign in to comment