The Most American City?

[Strike For The South]

I was thinking about this the other day and it's stuck in my craw.

What is the quientessintial American city to you?

I have to immediately discount any Texas city as they are for to independent and have to much Texan flair to be considerd "American"

New York seemed like a logical choice but is it really anything more than where the people were dumped? I mean having 24r2342 cultures in one town is great but its to much of a smorgasbord IMO, Not unfied enough.

Los Angeles is far to shallow and full of itself.

Boston to strongly identifies with its Irish-self

Miami to Cuban

Twin Cities to Canadian

St.Louis is far to bland

So I'm really left with 4 Cities.

Chicago
Philidelphia
New Orleans
Baltimore

Now at the end of the day I'd have to choose New Orleans because it is essentialy a microcasm of America. The food is horrible for you, the people were smashed togethor by no fault of there own and are forced to make it work, and the city is far to violent and crime ridden for its own good.

But if you want to go somewhere, where you trully are ALIVE there is no place better than NOLA

[TinCow]

The answer is NYC. Every other answer is wrong. You need to hand in your citizenship for even suggesting New Orleans and Baltimore.

[Strike For The South]

The answer is NYC. Every other answer is wrong. You need to hand in your citizenship for even suggesting New Orleans and Baltimore.

New York is a salad bowl, NOLA is a melting pot.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

Cincinnati, obviously. All of the cities you listed are too big, sorry.

[TinCow]

New York is a salad bowl, NOLA is a melting pot.

You need to spent more time in NYC. Biggest melting pot in the world.

[Crazed Rabbit]

What about Seattle?

Or Cleveland? Downtrodden from years of industry leaving, bad schools, low employment, etc.

CR

[HoreTore]

New York, no doubt.

Detroit second.

[seireikhaan]

Cedar Falls.

[Louis VI the Fat]

Chicago.

The capital of America's heartland. The most American city of all, the one that captured the imagination of the Europeans more than any other city. The city that invented that quintessential element of the American cityscape, the skyscraper.

NY are a few cosmopolitan islands near America. Washington is part glittering showcase, part slum. LA is two dozen suburbs in search of a city.



Hmmm....none of my favourite cities I would consider 'most American':

San Francisco, NY, Savannah.

[Brenus]

My Favourite in USA: San Francisco
Er, no, Las Vegas...

[drone]

There are living, breathing adults in NYC that don't even know how to drive a car. There is no way it can represent as the Most American City.


Detroit second.
:laugh4: We aren't that bad off just yet.

Atlanta might qualify on the list, but Chicago is probably the winner.

[HoreTore]

There are living, breathing adults in NYC that don't even know how to drive a car. There is no way it can represent as the Most American City.


:laugh4: We aren't that bad off just yet.

Atlanta might qualify on the list, but Chicago is probably the winner.

Detroit might be a mess now, but it's still where the cars were produced.

[TinCow]

There are living, breathing adults in NYC that don't even know how to drive a car. There is no way it can represent as the Most American City.

I posit that most American's dont know how to drive a car. The difference with New Yorkers is that they don't drive at all, while all the other incompetents do it anyway just to piss me off.

[drone]

I posit that most American's dont know how to drive a car. The difference with New Yorkers is that they don't drive at all, while all the other incompetents do it anyway just to piss me off.

~D


Detroit might be a mess now, but it's still where the cars were produced.
It's been a hole since the 70s. Unless you are using Detroit's murder rate as a gauge for American society, then well played! ~;)

[HoreTore]

It's been a hole since the 70s.

Irrelevant. Detroit is where the cars were produced, and America is synonymous with its cars.

[tibilicus]

If Baltimore is anything like it was portrayed in the wire I never want to be within a 100 mile radius of it.

[Hosakawa Tito]

Depends on your definition of "American".

[Major Robert Dump]

El Paso

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Bedford Falls.

[Beskar]

Austin

[Husar]

El Paso

:laugh4:

All the cities mentioned are rather european, don't you think?
Maybe the people not so much, but the buildings and architecture usually are, and they're part of a city and a reflection of the people living within, aren't they?

[drone]

Bedford Falls.

I counter with Springfield. ~;)

[Scienter]

No love for DC?

I'd pick DC, Chicago, or NYC. Not Baltimore!

[Ser Clegane]

:laugh4:

All the cities mentioned are rather european, don't you think?
Maybe the people not so much, but the buildings and architecture usually are, and they're part of a city and a reflection of the people living within, aren't they?

I cannot comment on all the other US cities but at least with regard to Chicago I would disagree. The architecture of the "old" skyscrapers is rather unique (in a IMHO very beautiful and stunning way) and very different from what you see in European cities.

[Rhyfelwyr]

Any of these (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._communities_with_Native_American_majority_populations)

Anywhere else is just filled with Euro's, be they English, German, Irish, or whatever.

[Megas Methuselah]

The one filled with the most First (and real) Americans. Probably Sasktatoon. :laugh4:


Any of these (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._communities_with_Native_American_majority_populations)

Anywhere else is just filled with Euro's, be they English, German, Irish, or whatever.

Haha, nice! I should practice reading a thread before posting... :sad:

[Husar]

I cannot comment on all the other US cities but at least with regard to Chicago I would disagree. The architecture of the "old" skyscrapers is rather unique (in a IMHO very beautiful and stunning way) and very different from what you see in European cities.

I think skyscrapers still have more in common with european cultures and architecture than with native american cultures and architectures.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Any of these (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._communities_with_Native_American_majority_populations)

Anywhere else is just filled with Euro's, be they English, German, Irish, or whatever.

So Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, etc., don't exist?


The one filled with the most First (and real) Americans.

:rolleyes:


I think skyscrapers still have more in common with european cultures and architecture than with native american cultures and architectures.

Well the OP wasn't about Native Americans, was it?

CR

[Louis VI the Fat]

I think skyscrapers still have more in common with european cultures and architecture than with native american cultures and architectures.

And a Celtic dolmen has more in common with the Gauls than Italian classicism, yet few would dispute Paris is the most French looking city in France.

[Megas Methuselah]

Well the OP wasn't about Native Americans, was it?

Nope, but proper terminology would lessen confusion.

[Major Robert Dump]

No chance its Washington. It's full of crime, both violent and political....oh wait.

Baltimore is trash. Sitting there right now.

[Centurion1]

Chicago
Philidelphia
New Orleans
Baltimore

1. they are culture split just like any other city. my mom grew up in a slav neighborhood, my mothers family still lives there. beautiful architecture though in a sleek kinda way.

2. Philly is crappy dude and has its own distinct flavor.

3. Crap hole. Can you say cajun got its own culture

4. Super crap hole i live in maryland and i call that place marylands garbage can, dirtiest grossest city everywhere, row houses anyone?

The thing about america is that we are tons of different cultures and styles you cant just label.

personally i say san diego but its not a legitimate answer i just love it.

[Major Robert Dump]

It's funny. I'm sitting in the Baltimore USO, which has decent facilities, except one conspicuous trait: no free snacks/drinks. I asked for some bottled water, and the old lady pointed me to the $1.75 machine outside. I asked why this was the only USO in the UNIVERSE that didn't have vittles for the soldiers, and she said "because it's baltimore, random people wander in here and steal all the food."

[Megas Methuselah]

"because it's baltimore, random people wander in here and steal all the food."

Why are ppl stealing food and not the money?

[Husar]

So what would be the most german city then? Munich, Berlin, Frankfurt, Dortmund or Cologne?

The OP didn't specify that he was talking about native americans but neither did he specify that he was talking about the USA or even just North America.
I just found it hard to choose between Chicago and Sao Paulo.

Maybe Paris is the most french city to all the french but France isn't America. what would be the most European city then? See, now we have to define europe first instead of assuming it means just germany and then we'd get a whole lot of other problems beginning with the question of what makes a city european.

I simply think there is no universal answer to most of this, not all countries are full of clones like France where everybody seems to have the same opinion. ~;)

[Kagemusha]

Well if we detest outside influences and melting pots.How about Denver?

[Lemur]

There's only one correct answer.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TgTpP7y2MA

[Louis VI the Fat]

So what would be the most german city then? Munich, Berlin, Frankfurt, Dortmund or Cologne?Strasbou

For me, the Rhineland. Köln / Cologne then.

The capital of Germany should've been Frankfurt a/m. I still regret that Germany failed a liberal unification, with Frankfurt the capital. If not Frankfurt, imagine a Germany with a free Hanseatic town like Hamburg as its capital. German history would've been entirely different.

Not Berlin. Berlin is stern Prussia of old, or, currently, Europe's hip capital of youth and counter-culture. There is a reason why the capital was moved to the symbol of Germany as culture nation, Weimar, or to the Rhineland, at Bonn. These things have an impact.


The others:
Munich - a parvenu. Beloved by tourists, but the mother of Bavaria is Nürnberg.
Dortmund - the Ruhr is not a city, but, like the English midlands, Wallonia, Detroit and Pittsburg, a historical residue, pollution from industrilisation, that needs to be cleaned up, or dissappear altogether. Same with Essen etc.

My favourite part of Germany is the Moselle valley. Storybook Germany, topped of by the wonderful treasure trove of Trier. Older than Rome, as they proudly boast. Perhaps the most German area of all of Germany. :smitten:

[Tellos Athenaios]

That valley is indeed excellent, especially during Autumn. Although I expect you are talking mostly about the part of Trier bounded by the Allee; because I doubt the industry on the outskirts appeal to you that much...

[Rhyfelwyr]

what would be the most European city then?

Brussels.

[Shaka_Khan]

any of the casino areas that are run by Native Americans
You should check out the American bikers, truckers, cowboys, and old forgotten celebrities who go there and the Native American dealers and security who work there!