Underrated US Cities

[LawrenceMD]

Originally Posted by Biggskip

The irony is that most Cubs fans aren't really fans of the Cubs, they're just fans of drinking.

Not that I have a problem with being a fan of drinking, it's just that using baseball as a mask for your fandom makes me hate you, Cubs fans that is.

that was one of the factors that I liked... lol... during the cubs game I went to i realized that those games are just reasons for the affluent beautiful people to get drunk during the day...

It was the most pretty girls at a MLB game I've ever seen, I went with my (very pretty) sister in law and her two little boys. When she saw it was a social scene, she was like "he you can take care of the kids right?!" and started drinking heavily... before you know it I had to peel her drunk self away from super flirting guys, and we were walking around wrigleyville and she ended up puking near a reaaaly nice condo that I ended up going back to.

my brother ended up pissed at me and his wife because all he ended up going to was a crappy whitesox game with his hung over wife the next day. i took the kids to the zoo and art museum (which is awesome).

 

[Douglas]

Originally Posted by audiophilia

Some friends in the orchestra. Bruckner 5 there a few years ago. Heavenly.

Do you know anyone in the B(altimore)SO?

 

[gladhands]

Originally Posted by Biggskip

That said, I love Chicago and would move back there in a heartbeat under the right circumstances. It's 85% of NYC at 50% of the price.

Having lived in both cities, I'd say this is spot on. I now reside in Boston which is 40% of NYC at 75% of the price.

 

[BC2012]

Originally Posted by gladhands

Having lived in both cities, I'd say this is spot on. I now reside in Boston which is 40% of NYC at 75% of the price.

This is probably true, too. Still, 40% of NYC > 99% of US Cities.

 

[Prada_Ferragamo]

Originally Posted by johnny_flapjack

Oh yeah, and I like Columbia MO as well.

Really? Nothing but a college town. I liked it when I went to school there, but that's about it.

 

[crazyquik]

Originally Posted by dcg

Interesting; did not know that. Thanks!

Yes. The Federal Reserve doesn't allow banks to have large investments in commercial real estate. But the banks needed to upgrade the city and do it fast to compete for talent against major metros. So they made low-interest/sweetheart deals to developers to "force" the rapid development of a high-rise downtown. And that's why everything in "uptown" Charlotte looks so sparkly and clean (and fake and nouve).

Of course, now (post-bubble) there are like a half-dozen major condo towers that are empty. Either they never even finished putting in the windows, or they converted the first couple floors to apartments and hope to finish the upper floors later. One building has been foreclosed on 3 times as of last year. I guess that's happening all over the country though.

 

[Kai]

I'm enjoying Salt Lake City a lot more than I thought I might.

A nice arts scene with decent opera, ballet, symphony, and theater. Super quick access to outdoor activities like skiing, climbing, fishing. There are a lot of great restaurants. Public transportation isn't bad (I generally take the light rail to work.)

Only real downer so far is that air quality in the winter can be pretty bad due to the inversion layer that gets trapped in the valley.

 

[Huntsman]

Originally Posted by johnny_flapjack

Because it's got a ******* soul, and I'm not talking about the music. There's cool **** here if you can get past the 'journalist just flew into town for two days to do a story on the decay of Detroit' angle on the place. Yes, there are many large ****** parts, but there is some really cool stuff. A person just needs to be interested enough to find it. I'm constantly shocked by how many people I've met who grew up in the metro area and have never set foot on Belle Isle.
You may note that I listed my city of choice to be Cleveland. I also grew up around Newark, NJ, which at the time was hardly a shining beacon. But never in my life have I been as uncomfortable as I have been in Detroit proper. I've been there several times on business, and the first time when a colleauge of mine drove to Grosse Point and then south through the City was one of the most surreal experiences of my life. It was mid-August and warm, but virtually no one was on the street. We saw no real restaurants to speak of -- we toured Belle Isle, which was cool, so cool that I returned to shoot the city skyline (a habit of mine) from there late that night (it wound up being around 2am). Now that was spooky -- the people I told the tale to seemed very surprised I left in one piece with my gear.

Originally Posted by Biggskip

Glad to hear that we have such an ardent fan. You really have hit many of the best spots our fair city has to offer. I would agree with you that in many ways the Cleveland area is really overlooked and has a lot to offer. Outside of a few neighborhoods (Downtown, Ohio City, Tremont, most of the area within Cleveland city limits is pretty sketchy. Once in you include some of the surrounding areas (Coventry, Lakewood, etc.), however, it's a very nice place to be. Traffic is non-existent. Housing is remarkably affordable. World class arts. World class health care. Up and coming food scene. Three major sports team (granted none of them are very good at the moment). I do wish the shopping was a little bit better here. Also, the Souper Market is delicious.
Actually, I've never found Cleveland to be too sketchy for my comfort level -- once spent a week there for business; I stayed in Ohio City, but commuted to Beachwood every morning, going out Kinsmen (Kingsmen? I don't quite recall) all the way, which is pretty poor. Stopped a few times to do some photography, once in a remarkable cemetary in a particular impoverished area, and though I kept my situational awareness up, I didn't feel concerned at all. And yes, the traffic is great (mainly since they finished Euclid!!), and Cleveland (and OH generally) has some great interior spaces -- I wish they'd do something with the Arcade, which would also help out the shopping issue (which doesn't bother me at all, I find the shopping fine). They have the first Penzey's I'd ever been in (and a beautiful new one in the old bank on W. 25th!), and some of the suburbs are amazing -- Chagrin Falls has the most remarkable Men's store I've ever seen, Cuffs -- Kiton next to Petrus, d'Yquem, and Hermes. I'd love to move to Ohio City, which basically has everything I need to survive, all in one place, and is the closest I can get to having what I want in harmony with my general philosophy than anywhere I've ever been. I just wish it snowed a little less, and that I felt the freedom to move there. ~ H

 

[ChicagoMediaMan]

For all of you fans of Cleveland, this video is a must-see

 

[ChicagoMediaMan]

Originally Posted by LawrenceMD

that was one of the factors that I liked... lol... during the cubs game I went to i realized that those games are just reasons for the affluent beautiful people to get drunk during the day...

It was the most pretty girls at a MLB game I've ever seen, I went with my (very pretty) sister in law and her two little boys. When she saw it was a social scene, she was like "he you can take care of the kids right?!" and started drinking heavily... before you know it I had to peel her drunk self away from super flirting guys, and we were walking around wrigleyville and she ended up puking near a reaaaly nice condo that I ended up going back to.

my brother ended up pissed at me and his wife because all he ended up going to was a crappy whitesox game with his hung over wife the next day. i took the kids to the zoo and art museum (which is awesome).

Your sister-in-law sounds like a great Mom and wife.

 

[ChicagoMediaMan]

Originally Posted by Biggskip

The housing is pretty affordable, especially when compared with NYC, SF, BOS, and PHI. If you live in Wrigleyville, however, you will lose some of those savings when you buy a gun to blow your own brains out after the 38th time you hose the vomit off of your front steps.

That said, I love Chicago and would move back there in a heartbeat under the right circumstances. It's 85% of NYC at 50% of the price.

Another big +1 on wrigleyville. It seems like an awesome area when you visit and could be fun if you are in your low to mid 20's. It gets really old really fast though. I live in the gold coast/old town area now and don't plan on leaving this area anytime soon.

 

[mr. magoo]

Originally Posted by Davidko19

Austin, TX is probably the only other city I would choose.

Originally Posted by landshark

Austin, Texas. Overrated as a hipster, eco-friendly town, but still quite a decent city to live in for the rest of us.

Nice town, but the most singly overrated town in America. There's little reason it has the national buzz it has. To compare the press it gets to everywhere else in TX, you'd think it was frigging Paris. But really, it's a slightly more liberal and hilly town set amidst the scorching desolation that is Texas.

Originally Posted by WoodyStylee

Has Portland, OR been mentioned? Never been there but I've heard good things.

And the second most overrated town in America. Don't get me wrong, I love Portland, OR (or PDX) and would move there is a second. But it's not the second coming, which is what you'd expect if you followed the press about the place.

Talk more about St. Louis, please. Considering moving there from NJ.

 

[LawrenceMD]

Originally Posted by ChicagoMediaMan

Your sister-in-law sounds like a great Mom and wife.

she was in "*******, i'm on vacation mode" and I'm one of the few people who can actually handle/entertain her kids. plus it really is fun to watch those games from a baseball perspective, but apparently as a "lets get drunk and have fun" perspective too.

thanks for the tip about the gold coast.... i never got around to that area... it might be the final straw in my finding a new place to live (but I might just visit in the winter to see how bad it can get).

 

[Biggskip]

Originally Posted by LawrenceMD

she was in "*******, i'm on vacation mode" and I'm one of the few people who can actually handle/entertain her kids. plus it really is fun to watch those games from a baseball perspective, but apparently as a "lets get drunk and have fun" perspective too.

thanks for the tip about the gold coast.... i never got around to that area... it might be the final straw in my finding a new place to live (but I might just visit in the winter to see how bad it can get).
The Gold Coast is one of the few places in CHI where you will find some NYC-like prices on housing. There are bargains here and there, but those buildings are the buildings your typical GC resident is looking for. And while it's a nice place to live, it's one of the weaker neighborhood, IMHO, as far as restaurant, bars, and the like. If you're planning a vacation I would say pass on the area, with the possible exception of Oak Street for shopping (plus you can visit SF-Approved Tailor Chris Despos). If you were seriously looking to move to Chicago and are looking for the high-rise like lifestyle, then GC is a place to check out.

 

[Biggskip]

Originally Posted by ChicagoMediaMan

For all of you fans of Cleveland, this video is a must-see



Yeah, I've seen that before, it's pretty funny (and sort of sad). On a related note, my friend and I watched a stand-up comedian over the summer. We talked about his act later that night and realized that he'd stolen almost every single joke including one from that video.

Originally Posted by Huntsman

Actually, I've never found Cleveland to be too sketchy for my comfort level -- once spent a week there for business; I stayed in Ohio City, but commuted to Beachwood every morning, going out Kinsmen (Kingsmen? I don't quite recall) all the way, which is pretty poor. Stopped a few times to do some photography, once in a remarkable cemetary in a particular impoverished area, and though I kept my situational awareness up, I didn't feel concerned at all.

And yes, the traffic is great (mainly since they finished Euclid!!), and Cleveland (and OH generally) has some great interior spaces -- I wish they'd do something with the Arcade, which would also help out the shopping issue (which doesn't bother me at all, I find the shopping fine). They have the first Penzey's I'd ever been in (and a beautiful new one in the old bank on W. 25th!), and some of the suburbs are amazing -- Chagrin Falls has the most remarkable Men's store I've ever seen, Cuffs -- Kiton next to Petrus, d'Yquem, and Hermes.

I'd love to move to Ohio City, which basically has everything I need to survive, all in one place, and is the closest I can get to having what I want in harmony with my general philosophy than anywhere I've ever been.

I just wish it snowed a little less, and that I felt the freedom to move there.

~ H

You drove down Kinsman everyday to get to Beachwood and you didn't feel concerned at all!? That stretch has definitely some of the worst areas of urban plight I've ever seen and I've lived within walking distance of both Cabrini Green and the Robert Taylor Homes.

Penzey's is very nice and a welcome recent addition to the Ohio City area. Cuffs is certainly very nice, but the owner is a jerk, and while his stuff is very nice, the prices are not.