Chicago Vs. NYC - Page 5

You are aware of the fact that MIT does not accept just anyone. Actually in the 80's this department was much better in applied math than its counterpart in MIT. B

Harvard has a top notch pure maths program, according to my fiancee, so that they have a great applied math program doesn't surprise me.

No? As evidenced by post previous yours, I'm an idiot, and they would've accepted me. MIT, now accepting imbeciles.

It all comes down to the students: brilliance in; brilliance out. I love Chicago, was just there on Sunday. One caveat: If anyone from the shoe department at Paul Stuart reads this: I really was there to shop, even though I was wearing jeans and a tee shirt. Your loss. Chicago Lyric every bit as good as the Met. NY Phil concert here in the hinterlands was 'okay'; would have been better if the Lahti Symphony hadn't laid down a Sibelius 2 for the ages right before NYP presented a mannered Dvorak 9. This proves that symphonies are like universities: too many variables to give unqualified recommendations about which is "better."

In NY the city has put banners on every lamp post reminding all that we are the 'Capitol of the World', in case anyone might briefly forget this concept.

New York Phil kinda, um, well...stinks. koji

You forgot "Don't get me wrong, but...."

Why is that, by the way? I always assumed money had a lot to do with quality. (And of course a history of good institutional decisons, but money can compensate for bad decisions. Look at the Yankees.) Doesn't the NY Phil have as much money as or more than any other US symphony?

Yes, comparisons can appear invidious because they strike many as zero sum (and hence a kick in the face.).  But my point was rather different.  I listed what I thought was superlative about Chicago to highlight its "strengths" (often underappreciated), not to denigrate other cities, their symphony orchestras, etc.  Another member pointed this out early on in the thread, and I agree entirely, that one ought to be open-minded and appreciate the merits and charms of each city. BTW, how about those Yankees?  I'm kidding, kidding.

Perhaps a key factor is the chemistry between the music director and the players (or lack thereof).

New York Phil had its moments under the batons of Rodzinski and Bernstein, for example, but never has been, for one reason or another, a terribly cohesive unit or even an exciting ensemble. Base salary actually here in nyc is lower than some of the other big five (and considerably lower when factoring in cost of living). koji

"Well, in order to deflect potentially hundreds of irate posts by alumni of Oxford, Cambridge, Yale, etc., let me repeat that my list is obviously subjective for the most part. Please do not take offense if your own alma mater, favorite restaurant or baseball team fails to make my list. By all means, they should be in your own list of favorites. The fact they do not make mine, however, should not be cause for undue outrage, distress or alarm." I would simply note that novalis now lives in SoCal.

"Chicago also has the best 20th-century architecture in the US if not the world. But I accept the idea that it's stupid and tacky to feel the need to go around saying what the "best" of everything is. A secret I learned in my late 20s: you can really really like New York AND Chicago (and LA and San Francisco, and Paris and London and Berlin). In fact, it's probably more natural and reasonable and grown-up (and cosmopolitan) to do so. In most cases, liking one thing does not necessarily imply a dislike of a lot of other things. At all." Very true. Good post. Having said that, I'll take San Diego any day. In fact, I do.

'Tis true indeed - but don't hold that against me. (lol).

Weatherwise, gotta be the *best* place in the world to live. As a city, I always found SD remarkably boring compared to the major American metropoli: LA, SF, and NYC. I'll give you that the SD marathons (both the SD marathon and the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon are some of the most pleasant to run in the US (the scenery of the Big Sur Marathon takes the cake - too bad you the course is so hard) and that living along the beach in La Jolla would be amazing, but the place is really a retail desert, and culturally, I never found SD particularly interesting either - in La Jolla, at least, it was just boring, rich white folks. In L.A., at least, many of the rich white folks are tacky and interesting.