Is New York City Still The 1st City, Or Did Chicago Just Leap Frog It?

[malik flavors]

The other day Chris Matthews said on Hardball that he thought the 2nd city was now the top ranking city in America, and I was curious if others felt that way.

In my opinion NYC is still the most exciting and coolest city in America, but maybe others disagree. I just think it's hard to compete with all the boroughs of NYC, and all of their individual differences that make them all unique and interesting. The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island...the way the city is split like that is just awesome.

Chicago is really cool also though. There's the North and Southside, and there's the "Chicago Way" sorta gangsta, tough guy mentality. There's also a lot of history surrounding Chicago. Maybe not as much as NYC, but it holds it's own. The thing that makes Chicago special now is that it's biggest political stars are taking over Washington. Chicago is taking the country's steering wheel, and it's leaders are gonna be the one driving us into the next great chapter in U.S. History.

So which city reigns supreme? I gotta stick with the big apple, but i'm curious to know what everyone else thinks.

[BeyondGeography]

1. Is Chicago a city?

[malik flavors]

7. Serious?

Yea, it's a city.

[BeyondGeography]

11. You needed a sarcasm thingy?

Serious?

[WeDidIt]

12. Chicago is a city, ...

and so much more.

Chicago is a mindset. Once you've become a Chicagoan, the rest of the world is somehow lessened.

:evilgrin:

[Maven]

100. Hehe.

:)

[WeDidIt]

2. Come to Chicago, check out Federal Plaza, and realize where the center of the universe

now resides.

For most people, they won't be able to get past the cops exncircling the building housing the office of the President Elect. If you can somehow get past that, then comes Homeland Security and finally the Secret Service.

Chicago is now the center of everything. Get used to it.

:evilgrin:

[malik flavors]

13. You really think Federal Plaza eclipses Times Square?

[WeDidIt]

16. You haven't walked past Federal Plaza today. I did.

Yes, it eclipses Times Square.

You do not have the massive presence of federal officials in Times Square.

You don't have a major Homeland Security command and control vehicle in Times Square.

You don't have Secret Service crawling all over everybody's ass in Times Square.

Put succinctly, there is a bigger security presence in Federal Plaza Chicago than at the White House right now.

[malik flavors]

19. Hah, so when Obama goes to Washington, what will Federal Plaza be?

[mucifer]

24. Chicago, like other cities is more about it's neighborhoods than its Federal Plaza and Times Square

[Essene]

80. Neighborhoods? Brooklyn and Queens are the most diverse, most interesting places ON EARTH

Brooklyn by itself is literally the most diverse place in human history. Places like Flushing are right out of science fiction.

1/3rd of NYC is 1st generation immigrant, and they tend to pop into boroughs like Queens and BK. Walking around parts of these boroughs is like hopping from peaceful country to peaceful country. Multiple languages, cultures, etc... and it's the most peaceful city in america.

There are also endless quiet neighborhoods filled with young americans and younger american families mostly from around the country who've moved to NYC over the last 20 years.

Not to take ANYTHING from Chicago... but NYC is a lot more complicated, nuanced and mellow than folks realize.

This is because most people equate NYC with center and lower manhattan.

[ContinentalOp]

116. That kind of depends on how you measure it though.

New York has more different ethnic groups than Los Angeles but L.A. has a higher percentage of foreign born residents and is a minority-majority city while NY is not. Also, according to wikipedia, New York residents speak about 170 different languages while L.A. residents speak 224 different languages. I can't find a number for how many different countries are represented in N.Y. but it says 140 for LA. Anyway, it's tough to measure, and I'm not sure that it's fair to say that "Brooklyn by itself is literally the most diverse place in human history."

[Essene]

143. Diversity as measured by... diversity. 36% is foreign born. 35% is white (including jews)

I'm gonna be nice... but do you REALLY think more languages are spoken in LA than NYC? B-)

First of all, you claimed that "LA is a minority-majority city while NY is not."

36% of NYC is foreign born (48% in queens, 38% in brooklyn)
35% is White. This includes the largest jewish population outside Israel.

SO, I'm gonna wager you really just love LA and haven't really considered the reality of NYC...

I'm not trying to take away from LA, but while nobody would dispute it being a diverse city... none compares to NYC as one of the most international hots spots on the planet. Instead of

[karynnj]

142. Chicago is also incredibly diverse

I grew up outside Chicago and now live outside NYC. I visited both both often. Read any book about Chicago - it, like NYC, has hundreds of ethnic neighborhoods. Having walked miles around both - using both of their transit systems, you are just wrong. Also, Chicago (and Boston) are both less frenetic than NYC.

[WeDidIt]

44. D.C.

:evilgrin:

But right now, the center of the universe is in Chicago.

And I, for one, am going to savour it for the next 70 days.

:evilgrin:

[azmouse]

3. Well according to Palin neither city is the 'real' America.

[bigwillq]

4. NYC still rules in my book!

:bounce:

[BklynChick]

5. NYC will always be the first city

[Essene]

84. IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT NYC =)

1. It's the most diverse city in human history, with 1/3rd of the population being 1st generation immigration.

2. It ranks about #5 in the world in terms of real population (although it's hard to calculate because these counts dont include the general tri-state metro area)

3. It has the lowest crime rate of any major city in the USA

4. Once you get outside of central and lower Manhattan, it's filled with mellow neighborhoods. Brooklyn has huge neighborhoods filled with ultra-hip 20-and-30-somethings from around the world. Queens, Brooklyn and some parts of the Bronx are scattered with countless neighborhoods of immigrants where original languages are spoken. You can walk around and literally feel like you are changing countries as you cross streets. It's a beautiful mixing pot as it's been for centuries. Did i mention it's the safest city in America?

5. It has 1.1 million public school students who speak +180 languages. Over half a million kids are bused and fed every day by the school system, a feat only dwarfed by the US Military. Some of these public schools rival the best private schools in America... although obviously many do not.

6. With a 45 minute train or car ride you can be in quiet, green woods of outer suburbia. NYC has the most complex, varied and massive suburbia of any area in the world. The greater "tri-state" region of NY, NJ and CT extends one huge metropolitan area.

7. It was the original Capital of the USA. Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton and the crew all chilled out in the first government from NYC. Hamilton's estate is still around. The area is called Hamilton Heights. It's a chic area of Harlem sitting up on a hill best known for the main City College of NY and Sugar Hill.

8. The "best pizza in NYC" top contestants are:

Grimaldi's (brooklyn, just under the bk bridge next to the park)
Lombardi's (little italy)
Joe's Pizza
Patsy's
Di Fara (bk)
Lucali's (bk)
Ray's

[parabolabear]

85. queens HS student here...

that list made my heart happy. i love my city so, so much...i love my school, my teachers, the MTA, the pizza, the local precinct, my international friends...gah!

[LisaM]

6. New York hands down

Chicago has always had a complex about this.

[malik flavors]

10. Lol.

[Clio the Leo]

8. The first city is wherever Barack is ... it's kinda like Air Force One. :-) NT

[Essene]

9. Oh please... no contest. NYC is one of the greatest cities in history

Not to take away from Chicago but... get real.

[AyanEva]

14. I said "Other"

...because I'm from Philadelphia.

[THUNDER HANDS]

15. you judge a city by its pizza

and on that front, there is no contest.

[Occam Bandage]

23. Yes. Chicago has pizza. NYC has greased cardboard with ketchup smeared on it.

[malik flavors]

28. Somebody's never been to Little Italy.

[Chovexani]

30. Or any corner in Brooklyn.

[musette_sf]

43. PIZZA WAGON!!!!

86th & 5th

[nyc 4 Biden]

89. Hey that's my neighborhood.

I prefer Nino's Grandma and Vodka pies on 91st Street and 3rd Ave.

[musette_sf]

133. Nino's rates high on the local message boards

and indeed, i really enjoyed my visit there during my last trip back home. but the Wagon... lots of memories...

don't know if you are old enough to remember, but there was a GREAT pizzeria on 86th just up from 4th Avenue... it's been long gone, but man, that place had FANTASTIC slices.

[Radical Activist]

65. Is that some kind of pita their eating?

A falafel? I'm sure its not pizza.

[DangerousRhythm]

83. Or ANYWHERE in the Bronx.

Seriously, there were about ten competing pizzerias in my small neighborhood, none of them chains, all family owned... and all outstanding in various degrees.

*still shaking her head in disbelief over "ketchup"*

[Chovexani]

105. There's one over by Montefiore Hospital

That used to fuel our D&D games every weekend.

Five out of five nerds can't be wrong! :rofl:

[DangerousRhythm]

147. Since you bring up Montefiore...

I kinda miss Kennedy Fried Chicken. :O

[Chovexani]

149. lol! We have one in my hood.

Best damn chicken north of the Mason-Dixon line.

[DangerousRhythm]

151. Hah, nice!

Damn. Now I have a massive craving I can't take care of... I guess Popeye's will have to do. :rofl:

[Essene]

78. you must be from ALASKA... because you've obviously never had good NYC pizza

[Occam Bandage]

96. Or, rather, am from Chicago, and think that NYC's "pizza" is not pizza at all.

[NoGOPZone]

115. A casserole is real pizza? nt

[Essene]

139. tsk tsk tsk

[DangerousRhythm]

82. As a girl from the Bronx, I gotta say...

Cardboard? Ketchup?! Oh no you di'nt!



:rofl:

[biermeister]

17. there's NYC and also rans, that's it

[World Citizen]

18. Even the Pope...

called NYC the capital of the world. LOL

[Essene]

81. which pope? the cool one or the little weird prada shoes one?

[3dogday]

20. Philly!!

Delurking for my hometown.

[BumRushDaShow]

32. w00t!

Where the nation began! :applause:

[DeepBlueDem]

21. 2016 Summer Olympics=Chicago

[mucifer]

22. All I know is I'm so proud to be from Chicago. But, you New Yorkers and everyone else

can and should be proud, too. However, You guys got to admit last Tuesday Grant Park in downtown Chicago, for just a few hours, was the capitol of the nation. I'm so glad I was there.

[Uzybone]

25. NYC

Chitown is a distant 2nd.

[NoGOPZone]

26. The real question is not whether NYC is the top ranking city in America

It's whether it's the top ranking city in the world.

The answer is yes, with all due respect to London, Tokyo, Paris, Toronto, Seoul and a few others.

[lolamio]

27. Grew up in the Bronx, but lived in Chicago as an adult. NYC hand's down.

Chicago is a beautiful, livable, and very cool city. But there is something about NYC that cannot be found anywhere else. The neighborhoods, the people, the history, the culture - all give NYC an edge of Chicago.

That said, I told my husband that I wish we were living in Chicago right now. What a great time to live there! :)

[Chovexani]

29. The murder capital of America? lol no

Sorry, Chi-town. You've got a lot more going for you than in the past, but no.

[MellowDem]

31. New Amsterdam is old news

Chicago is the American city. New Amsterdam wishes it was in the Netherlands.

[DU GrovelBot]

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[SemiCharmedQuark]

38. Grovelbot votes for Chicago

...if he knows what's good for him!

[BlooInBloo]

34. Um, NYC is the capital of the fickin *world*. I love Chicago, but facts are facts.

[Genevieve]

35. NYC is the center of the universe.

eom

[ecstatic]

36. I didn't like Chicago. There doesn't seem to be a unique or even

northern culture there. It was a lot like the south, minus the big buildings of course.

[jonnyblitz]

37. i have only passed through Chicago but I I know people that love

it there. I wouldn't mind having an extended visit. that being said, NYC is my most favorite place ever. I like it much better than LA or San Francisco and I have lived in both of those places.

[ddeclue]

39. Premise is wrong...

If judged by population then Chicago would be the "Third City" behind NYC and LA.

The reason it is called the "Second" City is NOT because of it's size or political importance or other such metric.

It is because the FIRST city of Chicago burned down... did you never hear of Mrs. O'Leary's cow?

Doug D.

[Number23]

47. Good info. Thanks for that!

The reason it is called the "Second" City is NOT because of it's size or political importance or other such metric. It is because the FIRST city of Chicago burned down

My hometown (Atlanta, GA BABY!!) has also taken an historical beating. One of the reasons that the Phoenix has a prominent place in the old downtown area.

[ddeclue]

50. I lived in Atlanta for 12 years (1984-1996) and consider it my hometown

although I now live in Orlando and will be relocating back down to Fort Lauderdale soon...

Atlanta is my wife - Florida is my mistress.

Doug D.
Georgia Tech Alumni.

[Number23]

51. Atlanta is and always will be my hometown

I have lived in Atlanta and the metro Washington D.C. area (in the States) and several cities outside of the U.S. And none of them will ever come close to my hometown.

I miss the dogwoods, the cherry blossoms, the heat, the music, the proud black culture, the food. I even miss the Big Chicken! lolol

I completely understand what you mean when you say "Atlanta is my wife." To me, Atlanta is like a favorite relative. She may get on my nerves sometimes (the traffic and some of the rampant over-development is a bit depressing) but my love for her is true and lasting. I am feeling very nostalgic and a little sad right now. Thanks for stirring up these lovely memories, Doug.

#23
University of Georgia Alum! (Go Dawgs!) :)

[ddeclue]

52. Sting'em Jackets!!

:rofl:

[cemaphonic]

124. Heck, citiies burning to the ground is as American as apple pie. On fire.

Seattle was leveled by a fire in 1889, thanks to an overturned glue pot, a totally inadequate privately-owned water infrastructure, and a city built entirely of timber.

But it all worked out ok. They took the opportunity to rebuild the city at a higher level, so that everybody's newfangled "water closets" wouldn't back up when the tide came in. And rebuilt everything in brick.

[ContinentalOp]

112. Wow, I never knew that!

Thanks for the history lesson. I always thought it was some kind of weird inferiority complex.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

40. I prefer Chicago, BUT it's not because I dislike New York. New York is wonderful.

I just like the smaller feel of Chicago. I always feel like...we're the small town-big city. If that makes any sense at all.

[Essene]

79. "I just like the smaller feel of Chicago" - have you ever been outside busy manhattan?

Because Brooklyn, Harlem, etc... are very mellow places.

Not to mention lots of immediate suburbs in the tri-state region.

[yodoobo]

41. You can keep them both

Nice places to visit. Wonderful places to visit.

but WAY WAY too many people in one place. completely unsustainable.

[girl gone mad]

57. I agree with that.

I love Chicago and I have lived there for months at a time. However, something about the extreme population density gets tiring after a while. It's ironic, but living and working around that many people is almost dehumanizing.

[Withywindle]

70. I feel exactly the opposite.

I grew up in a rural area. (Well, a "town" - pop. 260 according to Wikipedia), and I used to live in New York (wish I still could but it's unaffordable) and live in Chicago now (love it) and after my childhood/adolescent rural/small town experience....

I wouldn't live in a city of less than a million if you paid me 20$ an hour to do so. I LOVE the energy of a lot of lives going on around me all the time. I LOVE the fact that I don't need to drive because there is mass transit and cabs. I LOVE being able to just walk and see, not endless dirt roads and speeding rednecks, but actual people also walking, with diners and bookshops (nearest one of those was a 2-hour drive where I grew up) and all of that...humanity.

I like density. I like pedestrian-scale living. I like feeling relatively safe late at night coming home because there are a lot of potential witnesses.

[mwooldri]

42. Does Los Angeles get a say in the matter?

If you look purely at radio markets rather than cities themselves...

New York: 15,344,600
Los Angeles: 10,902,400
Chicago: 7,788,400 ...

As a comparison: London UK would have 10,785,000...

[Arugula Latte]

101. Yabbut ... it's L.A.

It's sort of a collection of sprawl more than a real city, IMO.

*ducks and covers*

[Number23]

45. Well, damn. This is news to me. I didn't realize NY ever was the "First City"

And I been an American for 37 years!!! LOLOL

NY is cool but incredibly overrated. I do love the theater there. Living in Australia, I can't tell you how many folks here practically had orgasms on the plane going to NY and then got there and were like "why is it so crowded/polluted/expensive here??!"

Chicago is great but the winters are killer. Shoot, even the springs are killer there sometimes.

Having said all of that, I completely understand why Washington D.C. is the REAL First City (err... District). Good theater, good culture, good schools, lots of history and somewhat decent weather if you don't mind sweating to death in 60% humidity in the summer and freezing to death in winter.

[LittleBlue]

46. LA... who the hell wants to live in some wet and cold city

for 8 months out of the year!

Plus our girls are prettier!

:evilgrin:

[Warren DeMontague]

48. LA? That's not a city, it's a series of traffic jams.

San Francisco, now that's a city.

[carnie_sf]

104. Yup

San Francisco baby

[ContinentalOp]

120. Ha! Like San Francisco traffic is any better.

This report says it's right behind L.A.
http://www.forbes.com/2006/02/06/worst-traffic-nightmares-cx_rm_0207traffic.html

Although they're comparing SF/Oakland to LA/Long Beach/Santa Ana, which is hardly fair. They should have added San Jose into the mix for it to be a real comparison.

[carnie_sf]

127. I agree about our traffic

it sucks big time. The city itself though, is beautiful, cosmopolitan, diverse and tolerant. There's no other place on earth quite like it.

[olkaz]

117. Bill Hicks said otherwise.

I don't take all of his advice, but he had some particularly interesting things to say about LA.

[Warren DeMontague]

49. Between NYC and Chicago, I'll take Chicago for sure.

I love Chicago. Too damn cold in the winter, but other than that it's a wonderful place.

I don't have much patience for NYC, or most of the East Coast for that matter. ... I see the appeal of New York, but it's not my speed.

[bridgit]

53. I interned in both, did theater in both, danced in both & NYC...

isn't just the big apple it can't be beat imo

[girl gone mad]

58. Well, the new Batman movies were filmed in Chicago.

I had fun watching them shoot all over town last summer. Chris Nolan said he picked Chicago because it was more futuristic in feel with tri-level streets and the good mix of modern and gothic architecture.

[bridgit]

103. Sure I hear you, good stuff in ChiTown but when I think future/goth I'm able to see Berlin...

Batman is an American dude, we couldn't really truck him off to Berlin

[Chovexani]

106. And NYC was known as Gotham before Chris Nolan was even born.

:)

[saltpoint]

54. SpiderMan and Daredevil are both in New York, so it's still top dog.

[ACTION BASTARD]

55. Bronx resident checking in...

Spiderman, Daredevil, King Kong, Fantastic 4, the Punisher blah, blah, blah.

NYC is the straw that stirs the drink, baby!

[saltpoint]

56. There it is.

I grew up with those characters and as far as I was concerned, they were as real as it gets.

New YORK!

[JeffR]

59. I love Chicago

but New York is in a league of its own.

What other town could give the world Lou Reed, Pete Hammill, the Chrysler Building and Nancy Greggs?

[Hieronymus]

60. Los Angeles replaced Chicago as the second city years ago.

[Zynx]

61. L.A. is a cultureless shithole.

[Hieronymus]

64. Wow, ratings depend on population. Wisconsin is a center of culture?

[MadBadger]

94. Well Wisconsin isnt a city, but Madison is a center of Culture

[cherokeeprogressive]

111. Cheesehead culture? n/t

[Hieronymus]

138. Sure, it is. LOL

[ContinentalOp]

109. Haha, yeah...

Despite being one of the most diverse cities in the world, the center of the entertainment industry, home to a ton of world class museums, and one of the best collections of important architecture in the world (primarily residential), L.A. still somehow manages to be a "cultureless shithole." Right. :eyes:

[cherokeeprogressive]

114. The city of Los Angeles proper isn't the whole of the equation.

Having been born and raised in Los Angeles County, I think of L.A. as extending from Santa Monica to south Orange County and as far east as Ontario.

This area is home to the largest Vietnamese population outside of Southeast Asia. That's just ONE influence on our culture. We also have one of the largest latino populations north of the US/Mexico border.

You're funny.

[Radical Activist]

69. Call me when LA has something resembling a real public transportation system

and maybe the rest of the country will start taking statements like that seriously.

[Hieronymus]

73. Ratings are by population ... not some popularity contest. Have you been to

Los Angeles.
I worked with a woman who put L.A. down constantly. She said she had lived there. I turns out she had lived in a small town in Orange County, in a trailer park... miles from Los Angeles.

[Radical Activist]

74. No. The term "Second City" has cultural significance

that goes beyond population.

[ContinentalOp]

108. And L.A. is by far more culturally significant than Chicago.

I mean, this isn't really controversial. Chicago is nowhere near the second city.

When people rank "global cities" or "world class cities" L.A. consistently ranks above Chicago.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_city

[Occam Bandage]

95. Nobody rates cities by pure size.

Nobody, for instance, thinks San Jose is more culturally important than San Francisco, or that Fort Worth is a bigger deal than Boston, or that Omaha is more significant than Miami.

[mwooldri]

128. Tell that to Nielsen or Arbitron.

When it comes to rating by size, they have it. By their rankings, Chicago is #3. LA is #2, NYC is #1.

As for the others: San Jose is #35, San Francisco is #4.
Ft Worth is lumped in with Dallas (#5) and it's a bigger deal than Boston (#10)
Miami is lumped in with Ft. Lauderdale and is #12. Omaha is #72.

But then again this isn't ranking single cities though, because Boston on its own is probably bigger than Dallas on its own. And culturally it's a whole different ballpark. Just take NC towns/cities - is Cary more culturally significant than Chapel Hill, with CH being well known for being the home of the University of North Carolina and Cary more famous for being outside Raleigh and growing because of its railway connections?

[Occam Bandage]

132. Um...yes. For media market size. Obviously media market size by definition

is entirely based on the population of the area served by that city's media outlets. What, exactly, is your point?

[kerry-is-my-prez]

62. I lived in Chicago for 12 years so I'm going to say Chicago!

n/t

[nomorewhopper]

63. chicago is a fine city, but it's no New York and only somebody from IL would even suggest otherwise

i love chicago

but new york is one of the world's greatest cities. lots of people may even prefer chicago to new york, but nyc sets the stage for all the world's affairs. chicago is just another big city in the US.

(great senator though!)

[Withywindle]

66. NYC was my first love among cities.

I'd be there now if recent college grads (er, English major, I admit) like I was in the early 90s could have found a way to live there without having six roommates in a 1-bedroom or having to commute 3 hours each way every day.

NYC WAS the cultural center of the world up until the point where it became unaffordable to everyone who wasn't a stockbroker, a crackdealer, or the heir of 3 generations worth of rent control. Manhattan was pretty much done after the late 80s; even most of Brooklyn still looks hopeless to people who are just weird and talented but not particularly hip, well-connected or good-looking.

Our underground music scene has been at least as good as NYC's for about 15 years now.

[Radical Activist]

67. Hyde Park is the new western white house

Chicago has amazing and far more than five distinct neighborhoods, and they don't need to be constantly propped up on New York based TV shows to have a sense of their own identity.

The new Producers started in Chicago. Not Broadway. So do many other top shows.

Politics? Chicago has Obama, the Daley's, the focal point of 19th century socialism and the radical labor movement, Saul Alinksy and the birth of modern community organizing. Chicago has been leading the progressive movement for a long time. At least the part of the movement that gets things done.
New York? Tammany Hall, Giuliani, and once in a while somebody good moves in from out of state to get elected Senator.

The greatest pizza in the world. And Chicago has a bigger one than New York (Sears Tower). Chicago is the greatest city in America. Suck it NYC.
:)

[nyc 4 Biden]

91. New York vs. Chicago??

Brooklyn vs. Chicago would be a more even playing field.

Chicago has more than five neighborhoods? Impressive!

New York will always win with one word... Diversity.

Not to mention sports. You have a choice of two teams in football, baseball and hockey.


ETA:

Sears Tower: 1,730 ft
Freedom Tower: 1,776 ft (Open 2013)

[Radical Activist]

131. Diversity?

Obviously you haven't been to Chicago's many ethnic neighborhoods. Its the first place many immigrants locate to when they enter the country, just as New York. There are plenty of neighborhoods where people still speak polish, chinese, spanish and so on. Chicago has all the diversity of New York.

Chicago Spire: 2000 feet (Open 2012)

[nyc 4 Biden]

134. You win in the tallest building contest.

:)

[Tatiana]

68. I vote for Chi-town! But unfortunately, we'll always be seen as the "Second City."

:(

[Norrin Radd]

71. The Emerald City is the best.

[eshfemme]

72. Sorry, as much as I love Chicago for giving us Obama, it's still NYC forever

Once a New Yorker, always a New Yorker.

[Tom Rinaldo]

75. San Francisco is my first city but that's in an alternative universe

In the conventional universe it's NYC. New York is a world capital, with no disrespect to Chicago.

[CarbonDate]

76. New Orleans

:beer:

Sorry, you New York/Chicago/L.A. folks can have your chocolate/vanilla/strawberry debate... some of us have tastes that are a bit more distinct.

[PretzelWarrior]

77. Chicago is cooler and better than 17 years ago when I was there

WOW. 17 years ago?? Anyway, made some improvements based on what I've seen. But they are NOWHERE as cool and awesome as Manhattan. I love Queens and Brooklyn too.

[salguine]

86. You evidently haven't been to King Of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

[frickaline]

87. My ignorant vote counts as much as all of yours!!! muahahah!!!

I cast my highly-biased, New Englander vote for New York because I've only ever driven through Chicago on my way to my parent's house in Minnesota from Baaaahston.

lol. Maybe someday I'll get to visit the windy city.

[Onlooker]

88. New York

Chicago's a great city, but it does not compare to New York. New York is the most diverse, exciting, vibrant, and storied city in the country. It has the greatest museums, the best theater, the best galleries, the finest restaurants, and some of the most beautiful architecture. For anyone who likes cities, there are only a few truly great ones in the world, and New York is the only one in the US.

[Crankie Avalon]

90. In terms of sheer importance, obviously New York is far and away the lead city...

...just electing a President doesn't make his hometown suddenly the most important place in America. After all, if that were the case, then I suppose Crawford Texas should have been the most important place in America the last eight years.

In terms of liveability (which is something completely different), everyone is going to have their opinion, legitimately so. I perfectly understand why someone would say a world-class city like New York or even just a very large American city like Chicago are unliveable. I'm that rarest of things--a native Manhattanite--and, frankly, now that I'm sinking into cranky middle age, actually living a lifetime in a metropolis of carpetbaggers seeking adventure, fortune, or both doesn't hold the same romance to me it once might have. My parents retired to a small town a number of years ago and whenever I visit them the place seems wonderful. My mate (she's a native New Yorker, also) and I often dream about the time we'll be able to leave New York (which seems very different these days from the city we knew as children and young adults, anyway) and move to just such a balmier, more stable, and more serene place.

The most liveable place is wherever you choose it to be depending on the individual things you most need from a home. Everyone is different.

[alwysdrunk]

92. New York is the capital of the world

And the first city in America.

[jeffrey_X]

93. There is only one NYC. I live in Chicago 1/2 of the month and the other half in NYC

I'm from Chicago, but now spend 10 to 15 days living in New York.

There is no comparison.

[Renew Deal]

97. NY always is and always will be the greatest city in the world.

[Occam Bandage]

99. Always?

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand,
Half sunk, a shatter'd visage lies, whose frown
And wrinkled lip and sneer of cold command
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamp'd on these lifeless things,
The hand that mock'd them and the heart that fed.
And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

[Occam Bandage]

98. Chicago will always be the Second City. And I like it that way.

Let NYC get the attention they so obviously require.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

146. ...

:rofl:

[Arugula Latte]

102. Chicago is great, but nothin' beats New York City, baby.

[BurtWorm]

107. Lewiston, Maine rules!

:headbang:


(not really)

[carnie_sf]

125. Hey do they still tell

Lewiston jokes in Maine? I'm a transplanted Aroostook County boy and miss my old home state sometimes...

[BurtWorm]

130. I'm also transplanted.

To NYC. So I don't know the answer. I still make them. ;)

(I miss ME too. :patriot: )

[WritingIsMyReligion]

145. Hells yes we do.

Makin' fun of Lewiston: It's the Maine way. :)

[ContinentalOp]

110. I think it's fair to allow Chicago to keep its #2 ranking.

Just behind the #1 city, Los Angeles. :P

[budkin]

113. I love Obama, but I will always love New York!

[ClarkUSA]

118. New York City is the premier American city in the eyes of the world and is #1 in my eyes, too.

Of course, New Yorkers always feel this way. :)

Chicago is a very nice city, but it does not match the immense cultural breadth and sheer global reach of New York City.
Everyone in the world knows about New York City... Chicago, not so much. One presidential win does not a First City make.

[Bread and Circus]

119. Chicago is called the Second City because the first Chicago, the wood one, burned down

[LynneSin]

121. Oh come on, everyone knows that Wilmington Delaware is the #1 city

nuff said!

[Beacool]

129. Having been to Wilmington, I can only say:

:wow:

[LynneSin]

136. You were impressed too - so was I

:woohoo:

[Beacool]

148. If you say so................

:eyes:

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

122. Oh God NYC By A Longshot.

[knixphan]

123. Obviously biased!

EnYCee!

But I love Chi-town, and Adore San Francisco!

[Beacool]

126. You listen to Matthews?

Tweety is an idiot, aside from being a sexist creep.

Of course NY is the number one city in the country, that's not to say that Chicago isn't a great city too, but the Big Apple rules.

:headbang:

[NYDem Observer]

135. NYC and its not even close

[leftist.]

137. NYC. Also, this thread is a lot of fun!

I'm biased though given that I'm from Queens.

[Phoonzang]

140. Half of New York isn't a segregated ghetto, so it wins. nt

[Bicoastal]

141. HEY! LOS ANGELES OVER HERE! HELLO?!

What are we, chopped liver? COME ON!!

[WritingIsMyReligion]

144. Never been to NYC. Been to Chicago several times.

I love Chicago--great place. NYC I don't know.

[DainBramaged]

150. One question, is the Village in Chicago or NYC?

I rest my case.