Comparing Cities around the world

[ToshoftheWuffingas]

I cycled to Frankfurt from England when I was 16.

[tinwë]

Didn't you get wet?

I would very much like to visit Prague sometime. And Budapest as well. I have only ever breezed through the Frankfort airport, so I can’t report much on that city. I spent the night in Munich once, just long enough to have dinner at the Hofbräuhaus, and I would very much like to spend more time there (the city, not the beer hall, although I’d like to spend more time in the beer hall too). But, from the sound of things, Geneva seems like the place to be. I’ll have to put that on my list!

[Lurker]

Cities I’ve lived in/been to:

Canada

Calgary – I’m a Torontonian since childhood so after moving here last July it feels like a small city to me, feels like I’m in Hamilton, Ontario. It still is. I find the residential houses have the same type of structure everywhere. It’s like living in “Desperate Housewives” community. The subway system is above ground which I find really weird but little by little I’m falling in love with the city. The night life sucks here, unlike Toronto where there is an “entertainment district” aka shooting gallery, if you know what I mean. No theatre district and the malls look like big warehouses.

Toronto – miss the city, love the architecture, Royal York, Union Station, Casa Loma, St. Mike’s Cathedral etc.. I like the bars, clubs, theatres, Eaton Centre, Bay Street (Canada’s Wall Street), the clean subway system, the street cars etc.. Home of my beloved Maple Leafs.

Montreal – love the night life, loved the view on top of the St. Joseph’s Cathedral overlooking downtown Montreal, World Expo ’76, definitely loved the Architecture.

Quebec City – my second home, (to Toronto) this is where my family comes from. I love the churches and the history of the city! The architecture reminds of France. Love it! Love it!

Edmonton – felt like an old city. I love Fort Edmonton, it’s like Little House in the Prairie! The street buses is so nostalgic.

Vancouver – loved the mountain view all around the city.

Charlottetown, PEI – small city which feels like a small town.

Halifax – just love the view of the Atlantic.

Moncton, NB - I hate it! Nothing exciting happens. Sorry.

Fredricston, NB - I think it was ok. Nothing spectacular

USA

New York City – what can I say, would definitely want to live here again someday, must convince wife again.

Chicago – took the architectural tour and I fell in love with the city. My friend has a condo along the waterfront, the view is amazing. I love the waterfront esp. Navy Pier.

Atlantic City – didn’t really like the place. It’s spend…spend…spend…

Washington, D.C. – another city I would love to live in, definitely love the architecture and the museums.

San Francisco – I just love the bay area! Lots of places to see and do, love the houses along the uphill streets.

Pittsburgh – didn’t really gone around much to have a good opinion. Just business.

Philidelphia – love the historical sites and the architecture.

Las Vegas – what can I say, I love the night life here and the shows.

Asia

Hong Kong – it’s the east meets west. I lived here for a month on business and would have loved to live in this city again. I want to go back to the temples, the Buddha and my fave, Ocean Park.

Singapore – very, very modern, the urban planning is great it’s easy to get around the city since all the malls are together, industrial zone in one area, residential in one etc… I love the Night Zoo and Sentosa. From the plane, it looks like a huge resort island.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – the tallest building in the world is here and I’ve gone on top for a business meeting. It’s not as modern as HK or Singapore but the eastern architecture is great esp. the mosques.

Manila – I love the people, they are so friendly. The traffic and the way they drive here drove me nuts but I love the food they served us.

Bangkok, Thailand – I love the temples, very exotic. I hate the traffic as well.


Europe

Tel Aviv/Jerusalem – I was just a kid when my parents took me there so I just know they are places in the bible. I would love to go back there again.

Paris – love the galleries and the city! I love to come back!

Rome/Vatican City – never had the time to really go around the city. We were here just to attend JPII’s funeral. I love the Vatican and the Colisseum would love to go back there again.

Barcelona/Madrid/Pamplona/Valencia – I love Spain! I just love the Spanish architecture, music, culture and the food! I love the small towns, too.

Munich/Frankfurt/Cologne – I love the architecture as well.

[Aravar]

London is great to visit, and awful to live in, apologies to Di. (Then again, I may also be tired of life.)

Oxford and Bath are both beautiful and I could happily live in either.

Manchester My current home is a fine city, plenty to do: most of the advantages of London with, IMO, very few of the disadvantages.

Howver, I do miss the city of my birth and home of 30 years, Portsmouth despite its many flaws. I miss the sea, and I miss the history.

[JewelSong]

London is great to visit, and awful to live in, apologies to Di. (Then again, I may also be tired of life.).

Honey. You are way too young to be tired of life. Then again, maybe you're just British.

I love London as well, but wouldn't want to live there. I also love New York City...to me, it is the greatest city in the world.

I'd love to visit Paris. My father told me that I must go there, as it is the most romantic city in the world. I figure that I should have a companion to accompany me.

Montreal is a wonderful city...I was there on an archictectural tour a few years ago. I also visited Quebec when I was only about 10 or 11...but I still remember thinking it was beautiful. I'd like to go back!

[truehobbit]

I'd love to visit Paris. My father told me that I must go there, as it is the most romantic city in the world. I figure that I should have a companion to accompany me.

But, then, if you had a companion, I'm sure that every city would be the most romantic city in the world.

Lurker, you've got around a lot!

Hmmh, from what I remember off the top of my head, I've visited, in no particular order:
In Germany:
Cologne, Bonn, Würzburg, Nuremberg, Bamberg, Rothenburg, Fulda, Frankfurt, Speyer, Worms (hey, it's not an English name, ok? ), Mainz, Regensburg, Heidelberg.
West of the border: Paris, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Harlem, Delft, Brügge, Colmar
South of the border: Vienna, Innsbruck, Basel, Venice, Florence, Siena, Pisa, Rome
North of the border: London, Birmingham, Exeter, Cambridge, Oxford, Leeds, York, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Copenhagen, Hälsingborg, Stockholm
East of the border: Prague

There are a number of smallish places in there, but then places like Bath and Portsmouth were mentioned, so I went as far as about that size - a number of smaller places are still missing. I also left out places I only passed through in transit.

There are a few there I wouldn't want to live in, but they are all worth a visit, though quite a few there can be "done" in a day.

As you can see I'm pretty used to the typical, old European city, so I really wonder what I would think of a New World city.

I love cities that you can explore on foot - where you can reach all the basic points of interest by walking, without too much danger of getting lost or having to walk through areas a lot that are clearly not made for walking (wide streets, shopless areas)


(Edited because I forgot a great city. )

[Inanna]

As you can see I'm pretty used to the typical, old European city, so I really wonder what I would think of a New World city.

We'll find out when you come here! When are you coming???

[Primula Baggins]

You'd probably like smaller New World cities then. It is still possible to get around downtown Portland, Oregon, on foot and see most everything. San Francisco and Seattle are larger, but I've done carless sightseeing with great pleasure in both cities. Many cities also have free or very inexpensive public transit in the downtown core areas; in Portland you can hop on and off the bus or light rail for nothing.

I don't think you'd care for L.A., though. Definitely laid out for cars and only cars. I was a pedestrian and bus rider there for years and nearly got killed several times. People don't even imagine that there might be a person in a crosswalk, so they stare the other way watching for a break in traffic and then gun it around the corner. Then shout and swear at you for startling them (as you huddle trembling against a lamppost picking flakes of auto paint out of your skirt).

[truehobbit]

We'll find out when you come here! When are you coming???

I'm really trying to make up my mind at least vaguely for when to plan my visit - but I do intend to invade you this year.

I hope to settle the rough time-frame for the Cologne moot pretty soon, so I'll know more then.

San Francisco and Seattle are larger, but I've done carless sightseeing with great pleasure in both cities. Many cities also have free or very inexpensive public transit in the downtown core areas; in Portland you can hop on and off the bus or light rail for nothing.

That sounds good, too, Prim. (Wow, free public transport! )
It's not always only size that makes a city walkable (although of course it helps if it's not too big), but what it feels like to walk there. Some years ago, and then again two years ago, I spent some days in London, during which I walked a lot more than I thought I'd be ok with, but it felt alright, because even though it was far, it never gave me that "nowhere" feeling you get when there's nothing but wide streets or areas without shops or things to attract people.
But of course I'm also quite glad there's a lot of public transport to help you cover those distances.

Then shout and swear at you for startling them (as you huddle trembling against a lamppost picking flakes of auto paint out of your skirt).

[Primula Baggins]

I do know what you mean, hobby! I really dislike conventions or conferences that are held at airport hotels, for example; if you're on foot at one of those hotels, you are plain stranded. Often there aren't even any sidewalks—even if there was anywhere to walk to, which there isn't! (I was once in one of those hotels across from a gigantic shopping mall, and not only was there no sidewalk to walk there, there was no crossing of the busy six-lane road for more than a half-mile. I'd thought to get a cheap hamburger for dinner instead of a pricey hotel meal, but decided it wasn't worth dying for.)

[Aravar]

Worms (hey, it's not an English name, ok?

Didn't those evil Papists force Martin Luther to eat a diet of worms?

Or was it write out the word 'these' nearly a hundred times and nail it to a door in Wittenburg?

My Reformation history's a bit hazy.

[truehobbit]

Maybe in evil Protestant propaganda stories.

Martin Luther was in Worms to meet the Emperor, though - so, I guess that's close, but no cigar.

(I do wonder what the name means, some quick googling didn't yield any results.)


(ETA: about writing "these" almost a hundred times.)

[tinwë]

Worms, Germany

Worms (pronounced /voɐms/) is a city in the southwest of Germany. Its name is of Celtic origin: Borbetomagus meant "settlement in a watery area". This was eventually transformed into the Latin name Vormatia that had been in use since the 6th century.

[Primula Baggins]

Diet of Worms

It's where Luther said, "Here I stand. I can do no other." Though actually he probably didn't say that. He was being asked to repudiate his writings. What he did say was:

Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason—I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other—my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen.

He left under a safe-conduct, and when it expired the Emperor issued an edict that outlawed him (saying anyone could kill him on sight) and banned his writings. This turned out to be a political mistake.

[truehobbit]

Ahh - tinwë, thanks! I looked up wikipedia, too, but they didn't say that Worms was derived from Borbetomagus, and I didn't see the connection - come to think of it, of course "Bor..." could easily change to "Wor..."

Prim, thanks for the link - I didn't realise that a "Reichstag" was called "diet" in English, so I didn't catch the point of Aravar's joke. Good one!

[Primula Baggins]

Whoa. The German word is "Reichstag"? See, we don't translate that for recent history—we just call it the Reichstag. (The "Diet Fire"? Not so much.)

The "Diet of Worms" has been making Lutheran confirmation students giggle for many, many years.

[elfshadow]

Seeing some people's list of cities makes me feel very humble indeed, but then again I'm still young and have lots of time to see all of these great places! Here is my own small list.

Washington, DC - Upsides: I live here now and love it. Beautiful architecture downtown, lots of free museums, great public transportation. And of course, I live in the Georgetown neighborhood which is IMO one of the most gorgeous parts of the city. Some of the streets are still cobblestone and the sidewalks are all brick. There are more quaint Victorian row houses here than I'd ever seen before in my life. Downsides: what they don't show you in the city tours are the ghettos. There's an overwhelming disparity between the very rich and the very poor here, with not many people in between. It's gotten better lately, but it's still pretty sobering.

Boulder, CO - Upsides: Where I grew up. Fabulous hippy town, and everyone is really into artsy things and eats organic food and tolerates (even encourages, sometimes ) the most alternative of lifestyles. You can actually find healthful fast food restaurants here. Everyone is very active and loves the outdoors. Downsides: Most people are trust fund babies and have a lot more money than their world views would indicate. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it tends to become a bit hypocritical.

Denver, CO - Upsides: Budding theater scene, beautiful Capitol building and downtown area, and I love the 16th Street Mall. Relatively easy to navigate around. Cool museums if you look hard enough. Downsides: Public transportation could be better, but the city is working on that. It's more of a business city than a tourist city.

San Francisco, CA - Upsides: So much to do, the city itself is gorgeous and there is more than you could possibly take in if you're only there for a few days. There's an infinite amount of cool things, and this city and the Bay Area is a place where anyone can find something that they like. Chocolate, navy museums, shopping, nature walks, ect. Plus it's probably even more liberal than Boulder, which is hard to accomplish. And the man who jumps out at you from behind a fake bush on Pier 39 is amazing. Downsides: So many people! Most of them tourists, like me. Consequently lots of tourist traps as well.

Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN - Upsides: They have one of the best ice cream places I've ever had in my life. It's called the Grand Ole Creamery. Seriously, go there. It's amazing. Cool riverboat tours on the Mississippi. I love the Peanuts statues all over! Downsides: I can't think of any and I'm starting to sound like a travel guide.

Chicago, IL - Upsides: I met Cem here. Beautiful city with lots of super cool parks and outdoor statues. The shopping here is also excellent. It's very cool to look out on the waterfront and not be able to see the other side, and then think "Hey, that's a lake!" The L Train is lots of fun. Downsides: It's ridiculously expensive to stay somewhere in the city and there are about six hundred million people in the suburbs. Said suburbs stretch out for miles and miles so you never know how far away something is from the actual city when you're told that it's in the "Chicago area".

Salt Lake City, UT - Upsides: Ummm, the Mormon Tabernacle is pretty. The lake is pretty cool. Our hotel room had a minifridge in it. And there was a swimming pool. Downsides: Is there actually anything to do here that doesn't involve going to someone else's church?

Toronto, ON - Upsides: Very cosmopolitan, and everyone walking around looked really important. There's a fabulous nightlife here for people who happen to be of the drinking age (AKA not me). It was really easy to get around and there's lots of public transportation. The waterfront is really pretty. There's a Tim Horton's on every other street corner. I went to the Gathering here. And met amazing people. Downsides: Friggin' expensive!!! Over $20 to go up the CN Tower and that's the discounted price?? No thanks. The speed limits on the QEW are way too low.

There's my little list of cities. With way too much information!

[truehobbit]

Elsha, I find all that info very helpful, and I think it's quite an interesting list, too.

(I should have added info about the cities in my list, too, but I was lazy. )

The "Diet of Worms" has been making Lutheran confirmation students giggle for many, many years.

I so understand that!
(I thought Aravar's joke was only about "worms".)

The German word is "Reichstag"? See, we don't translate that for recent history—we just call it the Reichstag. (The "Diet Fire"? Not so much.)

LOL - maybe a diet that gives you a heartburn?

The Reichstag in that context is a building, so you couldn't call that a "diet", but "Reichstag" in the 16th century sense is also the meeting itself, in this case of the representatives of the empire - "diet" is derived from "dies", I guess - Latin for "day" - we still use the German word for "day" ("Tag") to mean a convention or meeting ("Tagung" or, as a verb, "tagen"). And we still have the "Landtag", the meeting of the representatives of the federal states.

[Lurker]

Elfshadow,

I think you did a very good job in explaining it. I wanted to explain more but I wanted to post it right away and it's gonna take more than two pages just to explain everything. Any questions are welcome if anybody is interested in any city I've been to.

Lurker, you've got around a lot!

Yup, I like to travel and my job requires some business travel. I might be in Zurich this year, next year, probably a pleasure travel to London.

[elfshadow]

Thanks, Hobby and Lurker! It's really fun to go back and think about all the places that I've been to. It helps me realize that even though I like to complain about "never getting to go anywhere," I've really seen an awful lot compared to many people in the world. It's such a blessing to be able to travel to all these interesting places!


This Spring Break I'm going on a trip to England and Ireland with my aunt and uncle. I don't know exactly where we'll go, but we will definitely be seeing Dublin and Lancaster (I have cousins studying at both those places, hence the reason for the trip). We'll only be there for about a week so there won't be much time to visit every city or even most of them, but I'm really excited! It'll be my first time ever across the pond. Once I know more exactly where I'm going I will definitely ask those of you who have been there what I should look forward to!