NationStates Jolt Archive

Unnecessary gun-smilie in your very first post... wow. I foresee a great future for you on NSG. :rolleyes:

Are we talking large cities or just any city?

Undoubtedly Berlin, Berlin, Germany. It's so great, it's the first city to be mentioned, even before the OP.

Cities are almost the worst things there are in the world.
I don't see the point in choosing the least bad thing and calling it "the best".

\fight for your city!
or some other city...
that you think is the best

IN THE WORLD :sniper:

(i think it's Melbourne, Australia, (and i don't live there)

It surely must be Fucking, Austria :D

It surely must be Fucking, Austria :D

Well, then I guess Kut Bak in Thailand should sound good to you, too. ;)

Oulu, Finland (no, not a resident)

It surely must be Fucking, Austria :D

Just curious: What is a "blaatschapen"? :confused:

Just curious: What is a "blaatschapen"? :confused:

It's my name ;)

Well, then I guess Kut Bak in Thailand should sound good to you, too. ;)

Yes, it does :)

But Sexbierum in the Netherlands is also nice :D

It's my name ;)

Ah.

Btw, I hear the Netherlands is nice. My grandma went there, and loved it.

Ah.

Btw, I hear the Netherlands is nice. My grandma went there, and loved it.

It's not true :p Unless you like pancakes, because our country is just as flat ;)

It's not true :p Unless you like pancakes, because our country is just as flat ;)

lol

Oviedo is the best city in the world!

Quito, Ecuador.

Nice city, close to the equator line, at 2500m high, in the Andes. Being close to the equator but in altitude gives a permanent spring, neither too cold nor too warm. The mountain around makes the city beautiful, and makes it very easy to escape the city and be lost in the beautiful wilderness of the Andes.

The people are very nice, and the strong presence of indigenous people gives to the place a local charm and freshness. The indigenous people philosophy of respect of Mother Earth (Panchamama) is also refreshing.

And they have a great president, Viva Rafael Correa !

Cities are almost the worst things there are in the world.
I don't see the point in choosing the least bad thing and calling it "the best".

Ridiculous statement. Without cities, where would we put everyone?

Has anybody actually visited enough cities to make a reasonable comparison?

Umm, no, I could say it for Dutch, Belgian, Luxemburgian and French cities, but I'm already in doubt for Germany&Spain, let alone the rest of Europe or even the world.

New Orleans, the Chocolate City. ...mmm...chocolate.

San Diego.

Has anybody actually visited enough cities to make a reasonable comparison?

Prague, Czech Republic

New Orleans, the Chocolate City. ...mmm...chocolate.

Imagine my disappointment when i visited and found out it actually wasn't made of chocolate ;)

Imagine my disappointment when i visited and found out it actually wasn't made of chocolate ;)

Imagine my disappointment when I visited after Hurricane Katrina, and saw 600 school buses sitting in a parking lot that they could have used to evacuate civilians.

Has anybody actually visited enough cities to make a reasonable comparison?

Maybe not, but who cares?;) I guess I've been to enough to form a pretty good idea.:D

Prague, Czech Republic

I do have a fondness for it, but I've got to say Sheffield. Sirrusly.:D

I don't like cities. Nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.

That said, I like Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota.

And gun smilies are fun! :sniper::mp5:

And gun smilies are fun! :sniper::mp5:

So is my hammer smiley.
http://www.quicknet.freeserve.co.uk/HammerVSmilie.gif

Undoubtedly Berlin, Berlin, Germany. It's so great, it's the first city to be mentioned, even before the OP.

It may be great, but it's ugly.

My vote would be Wien (Vienna). Beauty, international appeal, music, art, the best food from many cultures -- a European crossroads.

So is my hammer smiley.
http://www.quicknet.freeserve.co.uk/HammerVSmilie.gif

Thanks! I'll put it to use, I think....

Metropolis: Berlin
Mid-sized: Praha
Small-sized: Mantova

It's obviously Coruscant, duh :rolleyes:

Oh, no, Naboo is better!:D

Mos Eisley's got a better night life.

Oh, no, Naboo is better!:D

Not if the women have to wear those freaky outfits.

That, and I would strangle Jar-Jar on sight.

Mos Eisley's got a better night life.

Well, yeah. But in Naboo you can go water skiing and diving, plus, those Gungan ships were über cool!

It isn't Birmingham but at least they have a sense of humour about it.

http://www.birminghamitsnotshit.co.uk/

It's not true :p Unless you like pancakes, because our country is just as flat ;)

*Drool* Best...pancakes...ever!! :D

Amsterdam is a damn fine city! I rank it ahead of my home town of Toronto, which I love.

Not if the women have to wear those freaky outfits.

That, and I would strangle Jar-Jar on sight.

Forget Jar-Jar, those kimono-like outfits are rad!!:D

It's obviously Coruscant, duh :rolleyes:

Oh, no, Naboo is better!:D

Best City: Norwich. It's like a town only with more sex shops etc.

I would definitely have to say Calgary Alberta, because it is the place of the HQ's of many Albertan Oil Compaines in Canada.

I haven't traveled enough to say, but I'm willing to accept funding for such a scientific undertaking.

Just curious: What is a "blaatschapen"? :confused:I'm told it means "baa sheep"

I'm going to be very biased and say New York City is the best city in the world.

No doubt BERLIN

Has anybody actually visited enough cities to make a reasonable comparison?

Yes, I'd like to think so. At last count, I'd visited the following nations or autonomous territorial jurisdictions:

Europe - United Kingdom, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Federal Republic of Germany, German Democratic Republic (just because it doesn't exist anymore doesn't mean I can't list it), Denmark, Iceland, France, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Monaco, San Marino, Vatican City, Greece, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Italy.

Africa - Kenya, Rwanda, DR Congo, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger, Algeria, Morocco.

North America/Caribbean - USA (more than half of the individual states, including AK), Canada (Ontario, Quebec and Maritimes only), Jamaica

Asia/Pacific - Australia (all states/territories except WA), New Zealand, Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, Japan, South Korea.

I've also been through Dubai and Singapore, but without leaving the airport.

So while I can't claim to be able to offer a comprehensive comparison - and have missed South America - I can offer a better comparison than most.

And my favourites are, picking three from each main area....

UK (listed separately only because I currently live there): Edinburgh, St. David's, London

Continental Europe: Brussels, Prague, Sighisoara

North America: Washington DC, Quebec, San Francisco

Asia/Pacific: Bangkok, Melbourne, Hong Kong

Africa: Nairobi, Kisangani, Marrakech


My favourite city anywhere in the world is St. David's, Wales, which is by far the smallest city on the list. 1,800 residents and one of the most extraordinary cathedrals and coastal environments you could hope for. If I had to pick a large city, it would come down between Brussels (food and beer) and Hong Kong (food).

*Drool* Best...pancakes...ever!! :D

Amsterdam is a damn fine city! I rank it ahead of my home town of Toronto, which I love.

Seconding that. Amazing city ;)

for me Lincoln

I have no care for cities, they're full of people and people as we all know are bad.
But if you really wanted me to choose one i'd tell you to get lost, so meh i guess i haven't had a good experience in a city to date, but i do really hate Edinburgh for personal reasons not public ones.
mur and some advice is you only use gun smilies when you're trying to be funny, or want to irritate the oldies here.:p

New Orleans, the Chocolate City. ...mmm...chocolate.
edit - forgot to add this part: New Orleans mostly sucks. It was like a third world country BEFORE Katrina. Supports my theory that the best art comes from places that really suck to live in.

I don't like cities. Nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.

That said, I like Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota.I'll second St Paul, MN, but I'm biased because I lived there for a year and a bit. I'll also add Chicago, IL. Paris would be cool if you spoke French.

I would add my current habitat of Juneau, AK but it's not really big enough to be called a city, and it lacks the cultural diversity of one (although it certainly has more to offer than any other 30,000-person town I know of).

Some cities I want to go and think would be cool but haven't seen yet:
Montreal, Vancouver, Sao Paulo, NYC, Manilla

San Diego.
The fuck?
Has anybody actually visited enough cities to make a reasonable comparison?

Nahhh. Sure, people have been to lots of cities, but to be able to judge a city on more than first impressions, that takes some time.

Obviously this question is massively subjective but in my opinion London is by far the greatest city in the world although I have a soft spot for a lot of European cities, New York, San Francisco and Sydney.

...which is why you're leaving to gain citizenship in another country?


True :D

But we can't always have what we want in life, there are often practical considerations that we have to respond to and sometimes that means we have to move to traffic filled hell holes.

Obviously this question is massively subjective but in my opinion London is by far the greatest city in the world although I have a soft spot for a lot of European cities, New York, San Francisco and Sydney.

...which is why you're leaving to gain citizenship in another country?

I've done this exercise before, I realised I could move to any country in the world so I did. I narrowed it down using certain criteria.

1. On the ocean - frankly I need the sea nearby.
2. Warm, if not hot - I can't stand being cold.
2. International city - I want to be connected to the world in terms of trends and information
3. Connected - I want to fly anywhere easily, to decent places.
4. Within my language capabilities - English, French, Mandarin, could get back to speed on Spanish pretty quickly.

So anyway, it was narrowed down to:

San Fransisco
Sydney
Hong Kong
Singapore
The last one was a bit bizarre, I like Sevilla for some reason.

Anyway, Sydney was too far away from everywhere in terms of families though I think it's the nicest city and I have lived there for 2 years so I can accurately judge.

San Fransisco was just too much of a culture leap to be honest, it was also the hardest in terms of moving there but I'm not overly sure on that, I have a few friends who moved there and they love it. My other problem is that I don't have a car and, although public transport in SF isn't bad, to get around one really needs a car.

For Singapore, I just preferred HK between the two cities.

Sevilla was a long shot anyway, I couldn't really find anything to really do given my currently poor Spanish

So I chose HK and I certainly haven't regretted it.

My vote would be Wien (Vienna). Beauty, international appeal, music, art, the best food from many cultures -- a European crossroads.

It can be quite boring though, mainly because it has no nightlife worth speaking of.

I recently asked a Culture Vulture - for various reasons, her job is to essentially go around the world and study street culture, arts and fashion for emerging trends - which city was currently the most exciting.

She said Berlin.

I think Berlin is absolutely emerging as one of Europe's finest cities, it's certainly been "hot" for the past couple of years.

Although I'm not quite sure what that has to do with Vienna

It can be quite boring though, mainly because it has no nightlife worth speaking of.

I recently asked a Culture Vulture - for various reasons, her job is to essentially go around the world and study street culture, arts and fashion for emerging trends - which city was currently the most exciting.

She said Berlin.

It can be quite boring though, mainly because it has no nightlife worth speaking of.

Nightlife is overrated.

It was vaguely in agreement that Vienna can be boring and juxtaposing it with a recent conversation over what was the most exciting city.

Not a lot really, just saying I suppose...quit oppressing me!

Payback for the biting jibe about me abandoning the city I purport to support.

I think Berlin is absolutely emerging as one of Europe's finest cities, it's certainly been "hot" for the past couple of years.

Although I'm not quite sure what that has to do with Vienna

It was vaguely in agreement that Vienna can be boring and juxtaposing it with a recent conversation over what was the most exciting city.

Not a lot really, just saying I suppose...quit oppressing me!

Ridiculous statement. Without cities, where would we put everyone?

In Soylent Green?

NOT Tokyo! Yes, it is the largest city on the planet and currently the only megacity out there, but dear God that thing will gnaw on your soul then spit it back out.

Toss up between Monterey, California (One of the few places in California I'd be willing to live in) and Kyoto. I was only in Kyoto for a few days on a trip with my kids, but just the feeling of history in that city, it takes your breath away and makes you feel that every turn around the corner will lead you back to the Heian Era.

\fight for your city!
or some other city...
that you think is the best

IN THE WORLD

(i think it's Melbourne, Australia, (and i don't live there)

I don't know as that I say its the best city in the world (or for that matter even in North America) but of the cities I've been to the only one I've really liked (not fond of large concentrations of people) is Quebec City, Canada.








It's my hammer smiley now too...
http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff315/Sarothai/HammerVSmilie.gif

I might as well put down the reasons why I said London:

A mixture of old and new: you've got S.t Paul's looking over the millennium bridge, Big Ben and the London eye, Tower Bridge and the Gherkin.

It's very diverse, with lots of languages and lots of different cultures.

An incredible variety of things to do - lots of live music, lots of resturants and cafes and a massive number of pubs and bars.

Great public transport system, despite what the local whiners say.

Great food (Don't laugh 'mericans. If you're willing to pay/ know where to go, this is certainly true.)

Arguably the greatest theatre in the world, lots of indepedent cinemas and lots of interesting cultural events all year round. And much like the internet, if you've got a niche, London probably covers it.

It's big enough so that you can never really know all of it and there will always be gems to discover.

The problems are that it's very expensive and it doesn't have a great climate but I think those are prices worth paying.

Except for Sirmomo, who's leaving...

Oops I did it again.

SOME PEOPLE HAVE JOBS!!!! :upyours:

...but I think those are prices worth paying.

Except for Sirmomo, who's leaving...

Oops I did it again.

I thought you were a scriptwriter?

Shhh, that's almost like a job ;)

SOME PEOPLE HAVE JOBS!!!! :upyours:

I thought you were a scriptwriter?

I thought you were a scriptwriter?

I always thought that was a job. Are you saying that money I thought I was being paid was just money I was stealing?

On an unrealted note, does anyone know of any cheap flights to Cambodia?

I always thought that was a job. Are you saying that money I thought I was being paid was just money I was stealing?

On an unrelated note, does anyone know of any cheap flights to Cambodia?

If from London, try Oasis Airlines, a budget long haul airline, to HK from where you can get a cheap flight to Phnom Phen. I'd almost guarantee it's cheaper than flying direct.

While in HK you can track me down and punch my lights out :)

I always thought that was a job. Are you saying that money I thought I was being paid was just money I was stealing?
Yep ;)
On an unrealted note, does anyone know of any cheap flights to Cambodia?

Yes (http://www.cheapflights.com/flights-to-pochentong/los-angeles-intl/)

Yes (http://www.cheapflights.com/flights-to-pochentong/los-angeles-intl/)

Much obliged. Sorry Baringtonia, no can do but I can e-shoot you.

:mp5:
:sniper:

Although obviously at least one of those two has real problems with his aim.

Much obliged. Sorry Baringtonia, no can do but I can e-shoot you.

Although obviously at least one of those two has real problems with his aim.

My wings of steal will protect me,

Whatever happened to Batfink :(

Christchurch, New Zealand

Honkers

I do want to point out that while the advice and link were nice, the Cambodia thing was just a lame joke about running from the law.

Honkers

It's got Weecocken beat, for sure.

I do want to point out that while the advice and link were nice, the Cambodia thing was just a lame joke about running from the law.

Ah, where Gary Glitter went.

:eek:

Bangor, just cause of the name ("What are you doing for your honeymoon?" -"Going to Bangor", hardy har har)

Seriously, I still haven't seen a city I like as much as San Francisco

Ah, where Gary Glitter went.

:eek:

Not the first time I've been compared to Gary Glitter...











... I do a good karaoke Leader of the Gang.

Cities are almost the worst things there are in the world.
I don't see the point in choosing the least bad thing and calling it "the best".

I agree. I generally find cities to be hell holes-too loud, too many people, too many cars, too much crime, too much noise, and too ugly.
Visiting a city for a few hours is bearable, but more than 4 hours in any city and I start getting fed up with it.

Of the cities I've been too, Kansas City seems to be ok. It has great food, and smaller than many other cities.

I'm partial to Colorado Springs. Blue sky, clean air (relatively), trees all over, Pike's Peak. The only problem is that it seems to be the western hyper-Christian Central, but I can ignore that.

Well, its a toss up between Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis. All are pretty nice places in my book. Well, st. louis isn't nice in the normal sense...It just feels like home to me.

I am going to say Seattle WA, don't know why nobody else has brought that one up yet though. I have lived or been to several cities (west coast us and Canada). Would like to pick Edmonton AB Canada but as that i am not a Canadian (would love to be though) Ill stick with Seattle.

No one listed Venice yet? *mentions it* That and Berlin.

I really think Vancouver BC, Canada is quite a stunning city. We're so close to the mountains that you can go for a daytrip to Whistler/Grouse/Seymour and enjoy the rest of the city at night.

The nightlife is very good if you know where to look too. Which isn't hard... Granville is where it's at. I guess you can steer clear of skid row if you want to. Not very Nice down there.

Stanley park is visually stunning and you can walk around the 5km perimeter(Although it's been shut down due to wind storms messing it up). Vancouver also boast some of the best and most diverse cuisine you can think of. Most anything is around town whether it's the downtown core or commercial drive. Or Chinatown etc. It's a very active town so there's more healthy choices and a lot of the restaurants are vegetarian/vegan. With a lot more Vegetarian stores.

The downtown core is very easy to get around seeing as it's about 1km squared and the city's streets are grid based.

Vancouver also posts some killer beaches too. 1st,2nd, English bay, Jericho. and if you know your way around some more inland that are on lakes. Drug policies are pretty lax too so if you feel like smoking up you can. There's places where you can buy/smoke in the safety of an establishment(Amsterdam Cafe, Vapour Lounge).

There are a lot of coffee places around here too. So I dunno, if you like coffee enjoy. Oh and if you're a hipster go down to Commercial drive, you can feel right at home. ^_^

I'm quite biased, but I can't believe no one has mentioned this before.

No one listed Venice yet?.

Obviously a stunning place but I don't know if I could ever live there.

I really think Vancouver BC, Canada is quite a stunning city. We're so close to the mountains that you can go for a daytrip to Whistler/Grouse/Seymour and enjoy the rest of the city at night.


Nice place. Used in a lot of movies which lends it a slight filmic air (slight because it's nearly always pretending to be somewhere else) which never hurts a city.

Taipei or Rome

I've only been to Venice once, but it was disappointing. In one word, 'decay'. Bad smells in the streets, an awful hotel and everything seemed like it was mouldy and falling down.

My vote goes to Melbourne, maybe Singapore.

Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne
<-----

Not being rich, I've never traveled abroad, so I can't say.

Not being rich, I've never traveled abroad, so I can't say.

You don't have to be rich to travel

You don't have to be rich to travel

Travelling is fucking expensive.

You don't have to be rich to travel
Maybe not by your standards.

Indeed, I worked the most unimaginably boring jobs every Summer to pay for a month traveling round Europe and more during my teens.

How do you think pins are put in electrical plugs, I spent a month placing 3 pins each minute into slots for 8 hours a day.

You know those temporary rubber caps for gasoline tanks? I stuck a square piece of rubber onto a mold every 3 minutes, took it off, on goes another - 2 weeks of that shit.

Tony Jacklin's PC Golf Game - ever played it? I packed the CDs into a box, not the instructions, not the guarantee, those were done by specialists, I was in charge of the CDs.

See that 80 acre field, you need to pick up all the weeds.

These and many more soul-crushing jobs so as to save enough for a month's tramping around Europe every Summer, and worth every moment.

It doesn't cost too much to travel on a budget and you just need to work a little.

Maybe not by your standards.

I don't think I have any special standards of wealth. And even if I do, plenty of people manage to travel cheaply by using a bit of willing and a bit of initiative. Travelling is expensive with first class seats and fancy hotels. Travelling is cheap with smelly buses and overcrowded hostels.

Travelling is cheap with smelly buses and overcrowded hostels.You still have to pay money for all that, and food too. Plus you're not getting paid from your regular job while you're away unless you're lucky enough to get vacation days and stuff. And if you get sick while travelling, well, that can cost a lot of money to. Also, if you want to go "abroad" from America, that usually means you're shelling out major dough for a plane.

Also, if you want to go "abroad" from America, that usually means you're shelling out major dough for a plane.

Exactly.

You still have to pay money for all that, and food too. Plus you're not getting paid from your regular job while you're away unless you're lucky enough to get vacation days and stuff. And if you get sick while travelling, well, that can cost a lot of money to. Also, if you want to go "abroad" from America, that usually means you're shelling out major dough for a plane.

Sure you do, but you can save up and you can often make money while your travelling. Okay, a transatlantic flight might hit you a bit more but it's still doable and that's not mentioning all the places to see that can be reached by land.

Sure you do, but you can save up and you can often make money while your travelling. Okay, a transatlantic flight might hit you a bit more but it's still doable and that's not mentioning all the places to see that can be reached by land. Well sure you can do that. I could probably do it too if I moved in with somebody else to cut down on the rent, or sold my car that I don't really need. But poor people generally can't, particularly when they're trying to raise a family or pay off debt or whatnot.

If you absolutely cannot save up the money or collect it from relatives, take out a small student loan and use the money to travel once.

You won't regret it, and it is the cheapest way to borrow money.

It is possible to travel with limited means, if you work as much as you can and spend as little as you can. I have a friend who travels to germany every few months this way. (he's been...2 or 3 times in the last year)

Well sure you can do that. I could probably do it too if I moved in with somebody else to cut down on the rent, or sold my car that I don't really need. But poor people generally can't, particularly when they're trying to raise a family or pay off debt or whatnot.

True. I didn't really interpret "not rich" as "trying to raise a family in poverty" though.

San Diego, California

San Diego, California

Why do you people keep saying that?! :p

Why do you people keep saying that?! :p

They're trying to convince themselves?

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, North America.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, North America.

You like filthy, run-down cities?

I would say that Singapore is.

They don't tolerate scum and it shows.

Chicago

Tokyo, Amsterdam, Madrid.

i gotta say Cumming, Georgia

they even got t-shirts that say aloud

"I Love Cumming" :)
"Georgia"

Swastika, Ontario

Chicago

Chicago is a bitch to drive through, though.

We once drove out to South Bend, Indiana to visit someone (on the way there, we passed through Chicago). Going back home, we took a different, longer route (175 miles longer). We got home 2 or 3 hours sooner than we would have had we taken the route we originally took to get to South Bend.

Chicago is a bitch to drive through, though.

Especially if you're in a tractor-trailer.

You like filthy, run-down cities?

Have you been there recently?

Chicago is a bitch to drive through, though.

I handled it fine in Midtown Madness. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midtown_Madness)

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, North America.

Seconded ;)

Chicago is a bitch to drive through, though.Nuh-uh Chicago is awesome to drive through. In the suburbs, all the slow people get in the middle lane, and all the not quite as slow people get in the left lane, then everybody else waits impatiently in line, and the really impatient people get in the left lane and tailgate for a little bit, then pull a "chicago lane change" by zipping between the following distance of a couple cars in the middle lane to get in the right lane (without a turn signal of course) where they will accelerate to Mach 8, and have to swerve off the shoulder to avoid somebody entering at 40 mph on one of those short, abrupt on-ramps closer in. All the while traffic is doing the thing where everybody slams on their brakes every 20 seconds in order to make a really fast "wave" of brake lights (This probably looks really cool from space at night).

Actually, that's all the lame parts of Chicago driving. But it's all made up for by Lower Wacker Drive.

It may be great, but it's ugly.

My vote would be Wien (Vienna). Beauty, international appeal, music, art, the best food from many cultures -- a European crossroads.

Berlin is a great city, but way too crowded.

East German cities "blue collar" / "industrial" feel is actually part of their appeal.

That said, I'm gonna nominate Salzburg Austria as the city I would most like to retire to. :)

There is little doubt in my mind that Austria has a number of beautiful cities and I'd like to encourage non-Austrians to seriously add the country to their short-list of places to visit!

Have you been there recently?

I was about 2-3 years ago. It was run-down then. The museums and historic parts were well kept, but the rest needed a bit of fixing up. Plus, all those horrible one way streets suck. Though every city has a few of those, Philly has tons.

You like filthy, run-down cities?

I do. They tend to have a strong historical / cultural significance that still lives on very strongly in some plush and nice quarters. Even the cities that are generally considered jewels have some ghetto like places: take San Francisco. Nice and *historically* the US West Coasts most significant city, but people being people have resulted in parts of the city becoming an eyesore.

Philadelphia is perhaps one of the most significant US cities when it comes to culture and history. There are others naturally -- but it ranks high in my book.

When Europeans ask me where I'd recommend they visit in the US, instead of sending them to my "home" in San Francisco (easily an internationally recognized city / destination), I send them to Philly. If you want to learn who Americans are, there is probably only one other city (Chicago) that really represents how and who we are. You'll see the wealthiest parts of the US living a stone throws away from the poorest. And you'll also walk a city that really gave birth to the United States and the 21st century.

I was about 2-3 years ago. It was run-down then. The museums and historic parts were well kept, but the rest needed a bit of fixing up. Plus, all those horrible one way streets suck. Though every city has a few of those, Philly has tons.

Having to drive 15 blocks to turn one block left and back up 13 blocks just to get to the parking garage does suck, but that's why you should just get out of the car and walk. Philly is really easy to navigate on foot. *nods*

North Philly is the terrible run-down part, never get lost there. *still has nightmares*

Savannah, Georgia is my favorite city of all.

London and Dubai in my opinion.

Also, if you want to go "abroad" from America, that usually means you're shelling out major dough for a plane.

I know for sure that shipping companies offer cheap passenger rides on their ships through the Atlantic. Maybe a bit unconventional, and it takes 7 to 12 days to reach Europe from America instead than 12 hours of flight, but I think it's got a special taste of old-time adventure.
Also, starting from this or next year iirc, european air companies will start offering low-cost flights between Europe and America. Maybe not very comfy, but it's just about 6 hours between Newark and Dublin.

It is clearly Austin, Texas! A stronghold of liberalism and culture entrenched in the middle of a red state, it stands like a light unto the poor people who feel unrepresented. It is the live music capital of the world, has some of the best food in the world, one of the best state schools (UT Austin), and oh yeah....our state capitol building is taller than the national one.:D

Hong Kong for sure.

Chicago is the coolest city I've ever been to.

I'm also quite partial to Bangkok, but I didn't get to see much of it.

According to a lot of online forms, everyone lives in a city, so I vote for the village I inhabit as best city.

Berkeley, CA, US

Bath's nice.

Has anybody actually visited enough cities to make a reasonable comparison?

How many is enough? 10? 50? 100? 500? 1,000?

I've been through at least a few thousand so far. Out of all those cities and towns, I haven't found one I thought was the best. Each was unique in its own way.

Of the US: I liked Chicago IL, San Diego CA, LA CA, New York City, Port Huron MI, Ovid-Elsie MI, and Tampa FL.

Boston, MA, USA

great young city...amazing music scene, clubs, bars, nightlife
great sports culture
nice parks all over, from the Common to the Emerald Necklace parks
decent and growing theater scene
amazing world class museaums
awesome waterfront, great skyline
intellectual
diverse
easy to get around (walk, T, bus, etc)
fun to drive in ;)
near some nice beaches, nice ski areas
has all the seasons
world class seafood and restaurants in general

Bath's nice.

But so small.. and so dull.

CHICAGO FTW! :):):):):):)
:upyours: newyork!

Chicago, Austin ten years ago, and Tokyo.