Coolest Cities in the US

[Bubba1]

Forbes just published their list of "coolest" US cities. By coolest, they meant for culture and activities, not temperature. They also include metropolitan areas, not just the city limits itself. Some of the measurement criteria include restaurants, bars, clubs, museums, theaters, stadiums, arenas, and concert venues.Here they are in reverse order:

10. Washington DC
9. Miami
8. Los Angeles
7. San Diego
6. Orlando
5. Oakland
4. Chicago
3. Seattle
tie for first
1. Las Vegas
1. New York City

Thoughts? Comments?

I was mildly surprised that Philly did not make the list. Yo, whassup wit 'dat?

[scotty-2-forty]

Thoughts? Comments?

Thought = Citities ... Hmm, I'd love to live there!
Comment = Tie for 1st, but no 2nd? Weird.

[Bubba1]

Thoughts? Comments?

Thought = Citities ... Hmm, I'd love to live there!
Comment = Tie for 1st, but no 2nd? Weird.

Whoops! I just fixed the title.

[Jesda]

Seattle is meh. Oakland is a great place to die.

Orlando? Ehhh.


'Ehhhh' on the whole list. Someone just took a count of attractions and ranked them by quantity, not quality.

[MellowZ32]

WTF? no Cleveland???
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysmLA5TqbIY[/youtube]

[Mr1der]

Remove Oakland and put Nashville on there.

who the f*** wants to go to Oakland?

[AZhitman]

"Cool" is subjective.

Oakland and Chicago? No thanks. I'd take Denver and Omaha over both of them.

[PEZi]

"Cool" is subjective.

Oakland and Chicago? No thanks. I'd take Denver and Omaha over both of them.

i was about to say sorta the same thing... i've been to several of those cities... most deserve to be on the list but probably not in the order that they are listed... but most importantly how the eff did denver not make that list?

[Mr1der]

Chicago has a lot of neat stuff. Like murder!

[poems2beats]

Oakland is a great place to die.

Poverty and crime must be considered "cool"

[sentrastace]

dc woot woot.

[mmkeller]

I don't think Forbes magazine would be the "expert." I would put in the top 10 Denver, Dallas, Memphis, Tampa, Honolulu. Makes me wonder how Chicago, DC, and Oakland got in there. I would also think Miami would be ranked higher.

[AZ89two4Tsx]

Why would anyone in their right mind have Seattle on there? They might as well put Portland up there too.

[Mr1der]

DC and NYC I can understand...LA too I suppose. Miami has a massive port and cocaine.

[ScrapMetal]

I read the thread title and knew off the bat that Miami would be on the list. I'm sure on the surface Miami would seem to be an awesome city to live in but it's not, this place is one giant fraud.

Miami is the third poorest city behind Detroit and El Paso but if you came down here to visit you'd think otherwise. Everyone drives either a late model BMW, Mercedes or Japanese luxury car which most can't actually afford and are in reality are owned by the banks. Rent here is ridiculously expensive, I live in a small POS 1 bedroom apartment in a s*** neighborhood with no parking and pay $700/month and that is considered cheap. A 2 bedroom apt. starts at $1000 and if you want to live in Miami Beach, Coral Gables, or Coconut Grove get ready to $2,500-$3,500+ for an apt. Most of the people who rent/own the apartments in high class neighborhoods don't even live here, they're from other states/countries and just come here a few weeks of the year.

South Beach has gone to s***, it used to be an awesome place to go hang out and have a few drinks but then the thuggish ruggish/reggaeton people took over and now South Beach is just one big rap video. All the gay people packed up and moved to Ft. Lauderdale because of all the loud, obnoxious, homophobic thugs who are basically just looking to start a fight. Downtown Miami is full of fake yuppie executive types and the gold diggers who follow them around. Coconut Grove is still a cool place to get a few drinks with friends and have a good time, but it's only a matter of time before that place goes to s*** as well(I don't know how it still hasn't).

The majority of the people here suck, it's one big high society competition to show off who has more and who's doing better than who. If anyone's seen that stupid show on MTV with the dumb a** Kardahishien sisters(however the hell you spell Kardashien) it's basically just like that, the worst people you will ever meet.

Sorry for the wall of text but this thread seemed like a good place to give a peak as to some of the realities of this s*** hole.


I'd like to hear from anyone else who lives here, they're free to chime in.

[flohtingPoint]

LOL @ Miami, Oakland and Chicago. Why not add St Louis, Detroit and Flint to this list.

[Jesda]

St Louis has three things:

Baseball
The arch
Jesda's pants

[flohtingPoint]

St Louis has three things:

Baseball
The arch
Jesda's pants

Scenes from "Up in the Air" were shot there too. I used to live in the apt complex (Mansion House) that was posed as Clooney's apt.

[Dattebayo]

DC doesn't belong on that list. I wish I could add to it tho, sorry.

The local laws, restrictions and generally the people make it suck around here.

[s0m3th1ngAZ]

Why would anyone in their right mind have Seattle on there? They might as well put Portland up there too.

Have you been there? Pike's Place, space needle and it's grounds, university lane...lot's of good stuff to do. Heavy asian influence.
And Portland doesn't deserve the top 10...maybe top 20...we DO have the greatest microbrew culture in the states. As well as the highest per capita in strip clubs. Good place for foodies too.

[Eikon]

I'm assuming the inclusion of Oakland is simply a replacement for San Fransisco and the rest of the bay area... which then makes some sense.

Denver would be top 5 in my opinion.

[rc1honda]

I live in Chicago so i may be a little biased but i don't understand how most of you don't think of it as one of the coolest cities in the US.

First it's one of the cleanest iner cities you will ever visit. People are nice and approachable. It has beuatiful architecture. Huge skyline, right on Lake Michigan. Great night life. Great art exhinbts and culture. great food. Great sports. Diverse population. Something for everyone.

Oakland is in no way comparable to Chicago. Chicago is like Manhattan but nicer. Detriot is in no way comparable to Chicago.

I agree that Denver should of made the list. I have been to Seattle a few times and Chicago is defintley cooler then Seattle minus the Pugent Sound and Safeco field. I mean whats up with all the Chicago hate?And St. Loius is a dump compared to Chicago. Chicago really is a cool city.

[nissangirl74]

Most of the time, a major metropolis is not anywhere near my top 10.
Of the top ten on the list, I like San Diego and DC. Never been to LA, Oakland, Chicago, or NYC. I'll die very happy without ever having been to any of them. Considering Mardi Gras is so popular, I'm surprised New Orleans didn't make the list.

Denver would definitely make my top ten list. As well as Savannah, Tampa, and Omaha. Cities I always have wanted to visit are Boston, Milwaukee and Austin. (Good idea or not, from those who have been there?)

[Eikon]

you can skip milwaukee... trust me.. not worth going out of your way for.

[tm1218]

Oakland? lol


... Miami should have been higher ranked in the Top 10 because of its beaches and nightlife alone. I can understand someone who lives there complaining, but you must admit, the beaches are as good as it gets and the night life is big.

[Dattebayo]

Miami should have been in the Top 10

Um, it is?

[NY94J30]

Having lived in or visited every city on the list (except LA and SD), DC should be far higher in my opinion - it's full of things to do: sports, arts, culture, bars and restaurants, and is still livable, though expensive. Chicago is a real cool city, too. Las Vegas though, that must be a joke - may as well have included Atlantic City, too, at least its not crazy hot. Also, as a New Yorker, I feel a bit ashamed to say this, but I think that Boston needs to be on the list.

[ADDirishboy]

Have you been there? Pike's Place, space needle and it's grounds, university lane...lot's of good stuff to do. Heavy asian influence.

Agreed. Pike's Place is such a cool place to go to. You can go to a game at SafeCo, but the Kingdome was better. There are all sorts of great seafood restaurants, Shenanigans is one of my favorites. The space needle is always cool to go see, and the SkyCity restaurant up there is really cool. It's a rotating restaurant and makes one full revolution every hour. There are lot's of cool tours you can take too.

I love Seattle, certainly not a place I would live though. I'd rather live in Lakewood or something. Hell, if I could afford it, Bellevue or Mercer Island.

[nissangirl74]

Boston needs to be on the list.

I want to go there one day. What should I make sure I don't miss and what is OK to pass up?

[NY94J30]

I want to go there one day. What should I make sure I don't miss and what is OK to pass up?

Quincy Market/Fanueil Hall is a tourist trap, but walking around that part of the city is worthwhile. The architecture is incredible. The Museum of Fine Arts has an awesome collection, so does the Gardner. The Kennedy Library. The Aquarium is fun and the IMAX there. A game at Fenway. The Boston Common. USS Constitution. Paul Revere house. There really is a lot to do. Tons of good bars and restaurants, too. I'm sure some people from MA can give you a better native perspective.