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Manhatten blows Chicago's downtown out of the water on so many levels. New York has over 8,000 tall structures. Chicago just over 1000 which ain't bad. Chicago has some very beautiful and unique buildings and obviously some of the tallest, but there are so many damn grid-type facades and ugly modern condos that mess up the Chicago skyline once you are submerged in it. New York has its share of ugly buildings in Manhatten as well, but the sheer variety and denseness more than make up for this.
New York has vastly more variety to choose from in almost every way, shape, and form. It's absolutely more vibrant (around the clock--Chicago doesn't have that) and at the risk of painting with a broad brush, there seems to be a better percentage of good looking and well dressed people in New York than Chicago. Laugh if you want, but beautiful ladies and people of real fashion definately give New York a big edge. Chicago tends to get overun by nearby Rosanne and Ernest types. Not putting them down, because there are some hotties in Chicago too, its just that New York looks better overall. Chicago is cleaner near it's downtown, so that's a plus for them. However, New York is not as dirty in recent years as people claim. So the vote is for New York with Chicago a near-distant second. If I had to pick a better looking skyline from a distance Chicago and New York would be a close call. Outside of the Loop, Chicago's skyline is limited. There are no expansive bridges. No giant statues. No rolling hills. No visible flair outside the main downtown area except a goofy ferris wheel.
Not to be rude, but its Manhattan . Chicago and Manhattan are close calls. Chicago has the better skyline in my opinion, but the architecture is fairly consistent within the two cities. I don't think either one of them really takes the whole prize, but obviously NYC gets a slight edge just because its NYC
Chicago is no match for New York. For every great looking building in Chicago, there is some ugly highrise condo ...or clunkers like the new Soldier Field or the Harold Washington Library. The skyline only really looks great from one angle, from a boat on the Lake. Chicago's downtown also ends abruptly after the South Loop. You get to a certain point driving and you are like "that was it????" There is a vast amount of things to do in New York. You could live there a lifetime and not see it all. Chicago can be fully experienced in approx. 2 and 1/2 years
I would say New York City downtown, a large part has to do with safeness. I question on why Chicago crime rate can not be like New York as shown by city-data.com.
There is so much wrong with this post that I don't even know where to begin.
Houston is also cleaner, friendlier and a much better value than Chicago. Your point was? Population wise, NYC is nearly 3X larger population wise so clearly it would be "friendlier" and cleaner. Just like Portland would be cleaner and friendlier than Chicago.
LOL, lay off of the drugs.
Manhattan is part of New York City and New York City has beaches.
No, I am on architecture forums and between there and city-data, every single opinion poll I've come across has New York winning when it comes to skyline but I wouldn't tout that because skyline aesthetics is not a mathematical formula, it's opinion. You think Chicago has a better skyline, that's your opinion - I think New York City has a far better and more impressive skyline, but that's my opinion.
LOL, not so fast. Despite NYC being far more expensive, more Chicagoans move from Chicago to New York City than vise versa according to the Census.
Chicago to NYC: 9,217
Chicago ----> Manhattan: 4,803
Chicago ----> Brooklyn: 2,176
Chicago ----> Queens: 1,444
Chicago-----> Bronx: 666
Chicago -----> Staten Island: 125
First of all, Houston does not compare to Chicago, but Chicago DOES compare to New York. Chicago ranks higher than both NYC and Houston in terms of skyline, people, hotels, food & dining, and overall visitor experience (Travel + Leisure). Yes, Houston and Portland are cleaner than Chicago and NYC, but they don't compare, so that was a stupid argument.
And I don't think "lay off the drugs" is a response from someone who knows what they are talking about. If you don't agree, then be an adult and provide reasons. The question is: what can you do in Manhattan that you can't do in downtown Chicago?
Last time I checked, Long Island (which is where NYC's beaches are) is not downtown. So that was another stupid argument...
Stupid argument number 3: Yes, you can compare numerical data on terms of opinion. More experts agree that the Chicago's skyline is more special than NYC's. So by using math (hope you're still with me here), you can count all the opinions of which skyline is better between Chicago and NYC, and you will come to see that Chicago has more votes than NYC.
Oh, and LOL not so fast, NYC is 3 times bigger than Chicago, yet there are only 2,000 more people moving to NYC than Chicago. Considering how much bigger NYC is, it's pretty amazing that Chicago was tailing NYC so closely. And you included Queens, Staten Island, Bronx, and Brooklyn. Who was talking about them? Its about the DOWNTOWN area, not the city as a whole. Read the post next time. Plus, that info is almost a decade old, and I'm sure the numbers have changed.
I'm not saying Chicago is a better city than NYC, I'm just saying that Chicago's downtown is cleaner, friendlier, and more beautiful than NYC, and there are many other experts (not random people who post on forums) who agree with me.
What do people like to do in Manhattan?
-go shopping
-go clubbing
-go sightseeing
-go to world class restaurants and great bars
-sports scene
-go to museums
What do people like to do in downtown Chicago?
-go shopping
-go clubbing
-go sightseeing
-go to world class restaurants and great bars
-sports scene
-go to museums
AND - go to the beach
Like I said, anything you can do in Manhattan, you can do in downtown Chicago.
First of all, Houston does not compare to Chicago,
Agree.
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but Chicago DOES compare to New York.
Disagree. Chicago may compare themselves to NYC, but if you ask a New Yorker, they're going to say "huh?"
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Chicago ranks higher than both NYC and Houston in terms of skyline, people, hotels, food & dining, and overall visitor experience (Travel + Leisure).
On all counts against Houston, yes. On all counts against NYC, no. New York's skyline is better (though that's subjective, so why don't we just throw that one out?), and it's more muti-cultural. It's ranked the #1 Restaurant city in the country. I don't know how you could scientifically measure which city has better hotels...but I can't imagine Chicago would have better hotels than NYC in any way, shape, or form. Overall visitor experience is another subjective argument. My personal experience was: Loved Chicago! LOVED NYC.
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Yes, Houston and Portland are cleaner than Chicago and NYC, but they don't compare, so that was a stupid argument.
I agree. I don't know why those two cities are even being mentioned in this thread.
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The question is: what can you do in Manhattan that you can't do in downtown Chicago?
Well you can make this argument for any city. If you go out at night in the city, what can you do? Sight-seeing, go to restaurants, go to clubs, go to art galleries, etc. You can do that in the downtown of most major cities. What separates New York is that it has a lot more of those things at a much higher quality. The neighborhoods throughout Manhattan are much more beautiful and interesting than those in/around The Loop (though the Northern neighborhoods are very nice). Manhattan is just bigger and better...I'd even put Lower Manhattan against the Loop on all counts, with the Loop having a better skyline.
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Stupid argument number 3: Yes, you can compare numerical data on terms of opinion. More experts agree that the Chicago's skyline is more special than NYC's. So by using math (hope you're still with me here), you can count all the opinions of which skyline is better between Chicago and NYC, and you will come to see that Chicago has more votes than NYC.
Maybe if you only poll people from Chicago. Get real.
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I'm not saying Chicago is a better city than NYC, I'm just saying that Chicago's downtown is cleaner,
Yup
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friendlier,
Mmmmaybe. I don't think you're going to see too many people being outgoingly friendly in most major downtowns, let alone the two largest in the country. Why would anyone care about having friendly people walking near you through a busy downtown street anyway?
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and more beautiful than NYC,
Absolutely not.
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What do people like to do in Manhattan?
-go shopping
-go clubbing
-go sightseeing
-go to world class restaurants and great bars
-sports scene
-go to museums
What do people like to do in downtown Chicago?
-go shopping
-go clubbing
-go sightseeing
-go to world class restaurants and great bars
-sports scene
-go to museums
AND - go to the beach
Like I said, anything you can do in Manhattan, you can do in downtown Chicago.
And, like I said you can do that in most every major downtown in the nation. The thing that separates New York from the rest is that it has more of those thigns to offer, and they're better.
Let me say this: I love Chicago. It's my third favorite city in the country. It's amazing. It offers so much, and it's almost unbeatable. However, New York City is on a whole different level. It's not that Chicago lacks anything...it's that New York is that good. Just know your place...you're not going to compare well with one of the Big 4.
New York's downtown, if you can call it that, is light years beyond anything Chicago or any other city in America can offer IMO. Chicago is a great city but to proclaim the people there "rank" higher??? What does that mean? Are we talking more friendly, because that is a myth. "Better people" don't constantly proclaim how nice, friendly, and great they are. They just are. Chicago just ain't. Many people there are whiney and crabby and complain about the weather too damn much. Skyline's are subjective. I think New York has over 7,000 more tall buildings than Chicago. 7,000!!! Chicago has some great signature food. New York has a vast cornocopia of syles and just simply more variety and more choices of each variety. New york has the better shopping, better nightlife, better vibrancy, less reliant on cars, lower crime rates, you name it...NYC kick Chicago's teeth in. Chicago is more affrodable which can be a big plus in this day. Chicago should stop comparing itself to other cities and just...be.
New York's downtown, if you can call it that, is light years beyond anything Chicago or any other city in America can offer IMO. Chicago is a great city but to proclaim the people there "rank" higher??? What does that mean? Are we talking more friendly, because that is a myth. "Better people" don't constantly proclaim how nice, friendly, and great they are. They just are. Chicago just ain't. Many people there are whiney and crabby and complain about the weather too damn much. Skyline's are subjective. I think New York has over 7,000 more tall buildings than Chicago. 7,000!!! Chicago has some great signature food. New York has a vast cornocopia of syles and just simply more variety and more choices of each variety. New york has the better shopping, better nightlife, better vibrancy, less reliant on cars, lower crime rates, you name it...NYC kick Chicago's teeth in. Chicago is more affrodable which can be a big plus in this day. Chicago should stop comparing itself to other cities and just...be.
Chicago (the city) didn't start this thread - someone from California did (almost 2 years ago). There are a handful (yes, a handful) of people from Chicago on this forum. They hardly speak for the city, just as posters from any city don't represent their city - they represent themselves.
the question was bigger downtown. The answer isnt one of opinion. it has been measured tangibly and it's not even close. NYC is MUCH bigger than chicago. Anyone who disagrees isnt dealing with the facts.
I find Chicago's "downtown/city/towers" more visually appealing. And please, I don't really need anyone on CD to validate my opinion.
I like NYC, but I've never understand all the "it's NYC hands down!" type posts. Everyone does not agree.
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. Chicago and Manhattan are close calls. Chicago has the better skyline in my opinion, but the architecture is fairly consistent within the two cities. I don't think either one of them really takes the whole prize, but obviously NYC gets a slight edge just because its NYC
