OT: What are your five favorite American cities?

[Eric15]

Lighthearted off-season thread that should be fun to discuss...

What are your five favorite cities in America, and why? Mine:

Washington, DC: Heaven for a political/history buff, cosmopolitan but not overwhelming like New York can be at times; clean with lots of green space

Seattle: probably the best blend of urban-scape and natural beauty in America

New York: the mecca of American culture; I personally could never live there, but visiting always is an adrenaline rush

Syracuse: my hometown; the one place on Earth I don't feel like an outsider; feel truly at ease whenever I return

Portland, ME: have only been there once, but absolutely loved it; has a big city culinary/microbrew scene with none of the congestion; beautiful ocean/islands surrounding it.

Honorable mention: Savannah, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Diego, Boston (have never been to Chicago other than O'Hare layovers)

Least favorite big cities: Dallas, Houston, Phoenix (I don't like urban sprawl or being hot)

 

[jekelish]

Syracuse: Not my hometown, but feels like a second hometown since most of my family is from the area and I went to SU.

San Diego: Within 30 minutes of getting off the plane on my one and only visit, I wanted to move there. Of course then I saw how insanely expensive the city is...

San Francisco: Fun city, but I was shocked at how cold it was (I was there in July and had to wear a hoodie the whole trip).

Boston: I've had many, many fun nights in Boston. Plus my brother lives near there now, and my parents might be moving to the area as well. Lots of my friends are there (I grew up in Vermont, so obviously everyone migrates to Boston if they leave the state).

Washington DC: Another fun city, obviously tons of history, and just lots to do in general.

Embarrassing admission: Despite growing up in the northeast, and going to Syracuse, and having several friends who live there, outside of layovers at LaGuardia, I have never actually been to NYC. I've also never been to Chicago outside of layovers, despite being a lifelong Bulls fan and wanting badly to visit Wrigley.

I've been to Seattle only briefly when I was about 12, so I can't really speak to it. I love Philly, too, but it gets edged off the list. I thought LA was overrated, honestly. I enjoyed visiting overall, but everything is so spread out and it's a lot seedier in Hollywood than you'd expect based on movies. I like Dallas, but that's as much because I live in the general Dallas area and have since 2005 so I've adopted it at this point.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

I just had this same discussion with my wife the other day.

In no particular order:
1) Saratoga
2) Burlington
3) Colorado Springs
4) Scottsdale
5) either Clearwater or South Beach

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

 

[jekelish]

I just had this same discussion with my wife the other day.

In no particular order:
1) Saratoga
2) Burlington
3) Colorado Springs
4) Scottsdale
5) either Clearwater or South Beach

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk 2

Ooh, Clearwater is a good one. Forgot about that one. Burlington is underrated, too, but mainly because it's hard to think of it as an actual "city."

 

[cliftonparksufan]

Ooh, Clearwater is a good one. Forgot about that one. Burlington is underrated, too, but mainly because it's hard to think of it as an actual "city."

Of course Burlington is a city unless you want to break it down by population. Also my honorable mention would be Charleston.

 

[tptcuse]

1. New York: Current home. Great art, music, food, sports and cultures.
2. Boston: Small town feel with big city amenities, and great ocean access
3. San Francisco: International flavor and diversity. Great food scene.
4. Annapolis: Wonderful small city with quick access to DC, Philly, NYC, etc.
5. I suspect I would like Spokane, from all I have heard about it. Have never been there.

 

[cto]

Does Key West count as a city?

Of big cities, it is NYC... nothing else comes close. But I sure like San Diego for the weather and the ocean.

 

[BlackKnight76]

NYC, DC, Atlanta, San Diego...obviously Syracuse holds a special place as well.

 

[GFTakedown]

1. Syracuse - hometown
2. Key West - no explanation plus the people watching!!
3. Austin - you can be at the water (Lady Bird Lake), you can be in the hills (Mt Bonnell), food and of course the music!!
4. San Antonio - river walk, culture, San Antonio Zoo and the food
5. Anchorage - just unbelievable area in the summer time (never been in the winter and don't want to)

 

[cuseclappy]

Pittsburgh
Boston
Syracuse
Orlando
Virginia Beach

 

[jekelish]

Pittsburgh
Boston
Syracuse
Orlando
Virginia Beach

Crap, I forgot about Pittsburgh, too. I love Pittsburgh. It gets such an unfairly awful rap.

 

[Eric15]

Does Key West count as a city?

Of big cities, it is NYC... nothing else comes close. But I sure like San Diego for the weather and the ocean.

Per Wikipedia, Key West is in fact a city. And until you give us a 4th and 5th city, I have to assign these as temporary placeholders...

4. Camden, NJ
5. Gary, IN

 

[mountaincuse]

Syracuse
Chicago
Boston
San Diego
Minneapolis

 

[cuseclappy]

Crap, I forgot about Pittsburgh, too. I love Pittsburgh. It gets such an unfairly awful rap.

great great city.. besides syracuse ive spent more time there than anywhere else..great downtown, plenty to do, killer food options and the cheapest MLB tickets to boot with nicest mlb stadium ive ever been to

 

[moqui]

Cities where I've had the most fun or most memorable times, other than places where I have lived:
Dallas
New Orleans
St. Louis
Memphis
San Francisco

but my favorite city in North America is Quebec

 

[tee1222]

NYC - Hometown. Best city in the world.
Orlando - Ask the boy. If he doesn't answer, ask Mickey.
LA - Lived in Venice for about a year, have some great family there. So much to do.
Miami - I loved going down there with the family as a kid, and just a fun, relaxing atmosphere since visits have always been on vacation.
Austin - Cousin and a few friends went to school there. Great music scene, especially to hear ska.

 

[dasher]

L:as Vegas
Chicago the best city in america
Boston
Syracuse the holy land
Washington d.c.

 

[jekelish]

Cities where I've had the most fun or most memorable times, other than places where I have lived:
Dallas
New Orleans
St. Louis
Memphis
San Francisco

but my favorite city in North America is Quebec

Going north of the border, I have to toss in Montreal, the place of my first alcoholic beverage in April of my freshman year at SU (before that road trip I had always sworn I'd never drink...a minimum drink order at Club Supersex later and now the idea is just laughable). My buddies and I watched Keith Bulluck get drafted by the Titans in an underground pool hall with many pitchers of beer that weekend.

 

[moqui]

Austin - Cousin and a few friends went to school there. Great music scene, especially to hear ska.

never been to Austin or Nashville, and suspect that either or both would end up on my list if I ever do

 

[moqui]

Going north of the border, I have to toss in Montreal, the place of my first alcoholic beverage in April of my freshman year at SU (before that road trip I had always sworn I'd never drink...a minimum drink order at Club Supersix later and now the idea is just laughable). My buddies and I watched Keith Bulluck get drafted by the Titans in an underground pool hall with many pitchers of beer that weekend.

I will second that nomination - the best vacation of my life was 10 days in Quebec - Montreal, Mt. Tremblant, Quebec City, and the Eastern Townships. The food in Montreal and Quebec is insanely good.

 

[Eric15]

but my favorite city in North America is Quebec

Quebec is an incredible place - it looks like it's out of a fairy tale. We were there this past Fall.

 

[NailstheCusefan12]

1.) Not a city, but Keuka Lake, NY is my favorite place on Earth. Just spent the weekend there this past weekend, and it's beautiful this time of year and throughout the summer. (Watkins Glen/Seneca Lake come in a close second because the drunken weekends at WGI when NASCAR comes to town are legendary)
2.) Syracuse, NY - Home of my alma mater, and nothing more really needs to be said
3.) Baltimore, MD - This is solely because of the Inner Harbor and my affinity for Camden Yards as a baseball junkie
4.) Boston, MA - Lifelong Red Sox fan and I'm Irish. Not much more needs to be added.
5.) Cape Cod, MA - Spent a week every summer camping at the State Park with my parents and grandparents and it will always be special to me.

Honorable mention is Denver, CO. Had a blast there and love the vibe of the city.

 

[Orange2389]

1. Washington, D.C- I love it down there, so much power around you, love the history.
2. Syracuse- I went to school around there and of course Syracuse will forever be one of my favorites because of the Orange.
3.Newport, RI- Visited my bro at Navy OCS and watched him graduate officer school. Really cool seaport town. Loved it down there.
4. San Fransisco- never been there but it seems amazing.
5. NYC- First major city I have ever visited and home to my Knicks and Yankees...and to the Orange

 

[sheaj]

Austin - hometown & once again current city.
Portland, ME - have only been a handful of times, but eao nailed the description. one place I love visiting family.
Los Angeles - never bored. I miss living there, but still wouldn't trade Austin so long as I can help it.
Chicago - The family home-base. go Bulls, go Hawks, go Cubs.
Montreal - can I do that? I am anyways.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

This is my list, in no particular order

Toronto - Not American, but other people have talked about Canadian cities so I will too. Cool global vibe.

Omaha - Sneaky cool city. If you're there, find a Pepperjax.

St. Augustine - Went there as a young teenager and it always stuck with me.

St. George, UT - Great for nature, fun little town overall.

Seattle - Cool place, and I like the people.