Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
If you split Manhattan into Uptown, Midtown, and Downtown, then I'd count both Midtown and Downtown as the official "Downtown" for the purpose of this discussion. You can't just count Lower Manhattan, because Midtown is the largest concentration of business in Manhattan, and you can't just count Midtown, because then you exclude economic behemoths like Wall Street in Lower Manhattan. So I say either take all of Manhattan as "downtown New York" or take everything in Manhattan below 59th.
And even then, you still have downtown Brooklyn, downtown Flushing, etc.So you could split NY into about four or five downtowns, just to make it interesting...
I have worked both Downtown (import company) on Beaver St. and Midtown (Fortune 500 pharmeceutical corp.) on Park Ave. As you said, you have to go above 59th street to get JUST residential.
If you split Manhattan into Uptown, Midtown, and Downtown, then I'd count both Midtown and Downtown as the official "Downtown" for the purpose of this discussion. You can't just count Lower Manhattan, because Midtown is the largest concentration of business in Manhattan, and you can't just count Midtown, because then you exclude economic behemoths like Wall Street in Lower Manhattan. So I say either take all of Manhattan as "downtown New York" or take everything in Manhattan below 59th.
And even then, you still have downtown Brooklyn, downtown Flushing, etc.So you could split NY into about four or five downtowns, just to make it interesting...
I was born and raised in Manhattan. What is downtown NYC? The ENTIRE borough of Manhattan, because "NYC" really doesn't have any defined downtown using the criteria of other cities.
Geographically, from about the Village down to Wall Street would be considered "downtown", but what exactly do you want to do? Go around the Wall Street area after dark and on weekends, and it is pretty deserted. Yes, the Village is culturally better and going 24/7, but so is MidTown or "UptTown".
NYC doesn't really have a downtown. In this regard, if you are only considering the borough of Manhattan as NYC, all of Manhattan is really one big "downtown".
I consider Midtown and Downtown to be the 'Downtown' of NYC.
Neither Boston nor Philadelphia have any area as lively as Union Square.
In fact as far as ambience, DT SF beats DT Chicago too.
Do you really think downtown San Francisco beats Chicago? Honestly? I think you're serious but it's tough to tell on message boards.
Downtown San Francisco is nice. Interesting architecture, some bustle, great scenery, etc. However, in comparison, it's small, lacks streetlife-- at least in quantities to compare to Chicago, and is difficult to maneuver. That's not to say it's not an interesting and fun downtown (it is), but I think it's an altogether different proposition. For a city its size, it is very nice, but you simply cannot compare it to Chicago. It is however, the best downtown on the west coast (with props to Seattle and Portland as well).
Do you really think downtown San Francisco beats Chicago? Honestly? I think you're serious but it's tough to tell on message boards.
As far as ambience, yes. DT SF and DT Chicago along with Manhattan are the only downtowns in America I consider to be real destination downtowns. People gravitate there outside of M-F for purposes like shopping and entertainment in a way that I have never seen anywhere else. Sure some cities have little bar districts but they lack everything that is found in total in the above mentioned three.
Quote:
Downtown San Francisco is nice. Interesting architecture, some bustle, great scenery, etc. However, in comparison, it's small, lacks streetlife-- at least in quantities to compare to Chicago, and is difficult to maneuver. That's not to say it's not an interesting and fun downtown (it is), but I think it's an altogether different proposition. For a city its size, it is very nice, but you simply cannot compare it to Chicago.
I didnt say DT SF is bigger than DT Chicago. Im saying its better. The notion that SF lacks streetlife is quite absurd at best. Pound for Pound, SF is second to Manhattan in streetlife.
Quote:
s however, the best downtown on the west coast (with props to Seattle and Portland as well).
No, I think if we evaluate the whole package, retail, entertainment, hotels, bars, restaurants, pedestrian traffic, SF and Chicago are tied, but SF gets the edge from me because its more interesting to walk around
quite frankly. SF is also more memorable.
Monclair, I completely respect your opinion and find you to be smart, well travelled, etc and maybe I need to go back to SF but... downtown Chicago is pretty cool. It's big, cultural, vibrant, different areas with different concentrations of businesses, cultural institutions, open spaces, even a beach.
I think I lean to Chicago as being #2.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
No
