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This, for instance, is normal foot traffic for certain areas of Market Street, and not during a "festival":
Again you are seriously disrespecting a city twice the size of SF and a region equal to or much bigger depending on what geographical boundary you want to use. There are about 30 M people living between NYC and Philly approximately an area the same dimension as the Bay Area(7 M).
This is not a festival this is the Italian Market, this is everyday Philadlephia. SF is a great city but come down off of your high horse.
These are what festivals look like in center City Philadelphia
No... Actually they don't. SF is an anomaly as far as West Coast cities go.
What about Portland and especially Seattle? They're not on SF's level, but they also offer that "East Coast urban" pedestrian-friendly downtown experience. The West Coast is more than just California.
To the posters who keep harping on SF being smaller than Chicago and Philly. SF density is much higher than both of those cities. So its DT seems way more vibrant. Plus SF has vibrant neighborhoods that mesh right into DT so the street life doesn't die after 5:00 like the Loop. Please stop showing pictures of parades. It's embarrassing.
Don't get me wrong, I love San Antonio, but #10? While you've got Houston & Dallas at #25? That's just flat out untrue.
Outside of the Riverwalk, San Antonio has little on Houston or Dallas.
But WITH the Riverwalk, many end up enjoying San Antonio way more than Houston or Dallas. SA made #3 in my list, Dallas and Houston didn't appear. Dallas isn't helped by the fact that its riverfront is more like a riverBEDfront and on top of that it's separated from downtown destinations by I35. Houston is even better than Dallas.
To the posters who keep harping on SF being smaller than Chicago and Philly. SF density is much higher than both of those cities. So its DT seems way more vibrant. Plus SF has vibrant neighborhoods that mesh right into DT so the street life doesn't die after 5:00 like the Loop. Please stop showing pictures of parades. It's embarrassing.
But SF's downtown waterfront is concrete and pier, gray and brown, while Chi's is green with park space and bike trails and great buildings incorporated. The best parts of SFs waterfront (Marina, Ghirardelli Square, Pier 39, Golden Gate Rec, Palace of Fine Art) aren't even downtown to help SF with a downtown ranking.
But WITH the Riverwalk, many end up enjoying San Antonio way more than Houston or Dallas. SA made #3 in my list, Dallas and Houston didn't appear. Dallas isn't helped by the fact that its riverfront is more like a riverBEDfront and on top of that it's separated from downtown destinations by I35. Houston is even better than Dallas.
I just think the Riverwalk is mostly a tourist trap. Kind of like Kemah outside of Houston, or 6th Street in Austin. Fun for tourists but gets old for residents, or after multiple trips. Sorry...
But SF's downtown waterfront is concrete and pier, gray and brown, while Chi's is green with park space and bike trails and great buildings incorporated. The best parts of SFs waterfront (Marina, Ghirardelli Square, Pier 39, Golden Gate Rec, Palace of Fine Art) aren't even downtown to help SF with a downtown ranking.
Those areas youre talking about (minus the Palace of Fine Arts) are some of the least interesting, least urban feeling parts of San Francisco (Pier 39 is scenic, but a touristy hell-hole that may as well not be part of SF). The embarcadero is beautiful and all, but thats not what people are referring to at all when they mention the urban vibrancy of SF.
I just think the Riverwalk is mostly a tourist trap. Kind of like Kemah outside of Houston, or 6th Street in Austin. Fun for tourists but gets old for residents, or after multiple trips. Sorry...
It may be a tourist trap. But its scenic quality and vibrancy remain, nonetheless. I lived in Atlantic Florida and Gulf Coast Alabama until the beach got old for me, now it's like been there, lived there, done that. But I still hear lots of people talking about how much scenic quality and vibrancy remain, and they are exactly right. Sometimes things that are beautiful CAN get old for somebody. Hale Berry's beauty got old to David Justice and Eric Benet. But lots of people still think she's one of the most beautiful women around. SA's riverwalk gets old to lots of residents. But lots of people still think it's one of the most beautiful riverwalks around. The contempt bred from familiarity doesn't diminish actual beauty and vibrancy.
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