World's Best Cities

[52-80 19147]

10 minutes ago, ChiTownDoc said:

Vienna great but Budapest better.  Zagreb is great for the lulz.  Real wtf there.  Finally crossing Prague off the list in the next few months…but I have a feeling it will rank quite well.

These lists are great for arguing.  And what better place to argue than here?

zagreb is great in the manner that newark is great.  its a hub for getting people to where they actually WANT to be (dalmatian coast)

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19100]

Whether you like it or not, the top 3 are pretty much interchangeable.  I think New York City has an energy that both London and Paris lack, but both London and Paris have a history that NYC does not have.  

Also, NYC > any city in the US, and it isn't even close.  It is very expensive, but you have world class EVERYTHING at your fingertips.  

Moscow being #4 on that list is a fucking joke.

[gmr548 16576]

10 hours ago, FunkSoulBrother said:

https://www.bestcities.org/methodology/

It seems to be a combination of tourism and quality of life.

And quality of life itself is wildly subjective.

Houston and Dallas should not be ranked very far apart. They are essentially the same place. Dallas has better weather, Houston has better food. Otherwise, same thing, down to individual neighborhoods.

[Landomatic 3813]

Wait...so rankings like this on the internet aren't one-size-fits-all for everyone since people have different things they value so opinions vary greatly? Huh, I'll be damned.

[Post Oak 20208]

I'm an introvert and my ideal vacation would be a cabin somewhere away from everyone else.  

However, I loved Paris and liked London a little less.  Can't wait to go back to both of those.  Covid shut down our plans for Rome and Italy last year.  For some reason, I've never been interested in going to NYC.  

 

Edited September 21, 2021 by Post Oak

[956 Worldwide 34702]

I have no idea what this is even ranking, so it’s hard to rank.

If you’re talking a mixture of livability and tourism then the midsize Central European capitals are better than the global megapolis. Put Vienna, Budapest, and Prague in a bag and mix them up, although my personal bias is Prague due to cost, politics, and local attitude. You can find culture, art, entertainment, and architecture that is the equal or better than the big capitals. The one thing I’ll admit is not there is the diverse food scene. But the navigable roads, safety, lower headache factor, and public transport honestly make up for that in spades.  You’ll never leave from a night at the Prague Philharmonic or the Vienna Opera saying “that was good but it wasn’t the Met.” Plus, your late night commute home is ten minutes on a clean metro or tram that runs on time and costs 75 cents. 
 

NYC is always way overrated on these lists. The public transport is terrible and filthy. It’s expensive as hell. The safety and law and order there plummeting. The cultural offerings are great but London and Paris are easily it’s equal. London just has its shit together better, and falling back on “energy” is just a nice way of saying “decent chance you’ll get mugged.”  Plus, the years of history and monuments are much more interesting than skyscraper after skyscraper. London is easily my top global city. 
 

Seoul is sneaky cool and needs to get more love. In a lot of places it’s like living in the future. Then you get these pockets of medieval Korea. The food is fantastic. 
 

Moscow is cool as hell but is not my bag anymore. Anything goes, balls to the wall consumerism if you have money. Cultural offerings that are the equal or better of anything in the West. Jaw dropping history and architecture. Truly fantastic public transport The issue here is Putin and the wretched weather. If not for Putin it would crack my top five.

The big Gulf States are outlet malls in the desert, monuments to wretched petroleum excess. Hard pass. I do think Istanbul is another sneakily underrated city, here again Erdogan and politics shove it down. 
 

My top 5:

1. Prague

2. Vienna/Budapest

3. London 

4. Seoul 

5. Berlin

 

[956 Worldwide 34702]

Also, I have not been there but nearly every expat or liveability survey I see rank Melbourne, Sydney, Vancouver, and Montreal really high. I have to figure they belong up there. 

[Telegraph_it 3357]

47 minutes ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

Also, NYC > any city in the US, and it isn't even close.  It is very expensive, but you have world class EVERYTHING at your fingertips.  

The trash pickup is world class. 🙄

[ChiTownDoc 21143]

1 hour ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

Whether you like it or not, the top 3 are pretty much interchangeable.  I think New York City has an energy that both London and Paris lack, but both London and Paris have a history that NYC does not have.  

Also, NYC > any city in the US, and it isn't even close.  It is very expensive, but you have world class EVERYTHING at your fingertips.  

Moscow being #4 on that list is a fucking joke.

A good neurosurgeon friend’s grandfather was Lenin’s surgeon.  I maintain Moscow with him is better than any city in the world with any other person.  No pics tho.  

Edited September 21, 2021 by ChiTownDoc

[ChiTownDoc 21143]

27 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:

I have no idea what this is even ranking, so it’s hard to rank.

If you’re talking a mixture of livability and tourism then the midsize Central European capitals are better than the global megapolis. Put Vienna, Budapest, and Prague in a bag and mix them up, although my personal bias is Prague due to cost, politics, and local attitude. You can find culture, art, entertainment, and architecture that is the equal or better than the big capitals. The one thing I’ll admit is not there is the diverse food scene. But the navigable roads, safety, lower headache factor, and public transport honestly make up for that in spades.  You’ll never leave from a night at the Prague Philharmonic or the Vienna Opera saying “that was good but it wasn’t the Met.” Plus, your late night commute home is ten minutes on a clean metro or tram that runs on time and costs 75 cents. 
 

NYC is always way overrated on these lists. The public transport is terrible and filthy. It’s expensive as hell. The safety and law and order there plummeting. The cultural offerings are great but London and Paris are easily it’s equal. London just has its shit together better, and falling back on “energy” is just a nice way of saying “decent chance you’ll get mugged.”  Plus, the years of history and monuments are much more interesting than skyscraper after skyscraper. London is easily my top global city. 
 

Seoul is sneaky cool and needs to get more love. In a lot of places it’s like living in the future. Then you get these pockets of medieval Korea. The food is fantastic. 
 

Moscow is cool as hell but is not my bag anymore. Anything goes, balls to the wall consumerism if you have money. Cultural offerings that are the equal or better of anything in the West. Jaw dropping history and architecture. Truly fantastic public transport The issue here is Putin and the wretched weather. If not for Putin it would crack my top five.

The big Gulf States are outlet malls in the desert, monuments to wretched petroleum excess. Hard pass. I do think Istanbul is another sneakily underrated city, here again Erdogan and politics shove it down. 
 

My top 5:

1. Prague

2. Vienna/Budapest

3. London 

4. Seoul 

5. Berlin

 

UserName checks out.  Niceeeee list buddy.  

[gsoda3 3245]

1.)  London - everything you could want in a city except for a beach.  

2.)  Barcelona - here's the beach.  with culture, history, food, and music.  jobs not so much but i can work anywhere in the world.

3.)  Paris - london's little racist brother.  but it's still a great city. 

4.)  HK - the weather and the political situation drop this from #2.  

5.)  NYC - it's dirty and some of the people just make you roll your eyes.  

Edited September 21, 2021 by gsoda3

[Brisketexan 105066]

Kinda pleased to see both kids living in top 50 cities (Montreal and Berlin), and they're both taking full advantage of what they have to offer.

We are definitely an outdoors/nature family -- we love secluded cabins, national parks, hiking, all that.....but we also love world cities (me probably a bit more than my wife).  I love the energy, the buzz, the access to anything and everything.  I would love to spend a year living in London or Paris someday (maybe I can get a part-time teaching gig?  The wife could do a pulpit exchange with a church?)  Edinburgh or Berlin would also work, but neither of us speaks much German.

I dunno, I just love the energy and the humanity of great cities.  It makes me happy, it connects me to my fellow humans and grounds me in the world.

[ChiTownDoc 21143]

27 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:

Also, I have not been there but nearly every expat or liveability survey I see rank Melbourne, Sydney, Vancouver, and Montreal really high. I have to figure they belong up there. 

The eye candy in Montreal and Vancouver is spectacular.  Hitting Montreal again soon. Easy ass flight from Chicago.  Montreal real estate / cost of living isn’t that bad either.  Vancouver gets that west coast cost of living but it’s amazing too.  

[gsoda3 3245]

dp

Edited September 21, 2021 by gsoda3

[956 Worldwide 34702]

Reading closer into that list and there’s some WTF with their categories. Touting the big Gulf petro-caliphates’ “foreign born” percentage as a draw is laughable. I mean, I guess for some people it’s a draw to have a vast population of South Asian and Filipino laborers and domestic servants kept in indentured servitude. 
 

Anyone who can spend one hour in Delhi and one hour in Lisbon and not realize that Lisbon is off the graph nicer needs a trip to a mental hospital. 

Edited September 21, 2021 by 956 Worldwide

[FunkSoulBrother 930]

2 minutes ago, 956 Worldwide said:

Reading closer into that list and there’s some WTF with their categories. Touting the big Gulf petro-caliphates’ “foreign born” percentage as a draw is laughable. I mean, I guess for some people it’s a draw to have a vast population of South Asian and Filipino laborers and domestic servants kept in indentured servitude. 

Hey now! Don't you be messing with us pinoys. We have good lumpias and balut! lol

[956 Worldwide 34702]

8 minutes ago, FunkSoulBrother said:

Hey now! Don't you be messing with us pinoys. We have good lumpias and balut! lol

Lol, that comment is directed at the Emiratis and their shitty attitude and human rights record and not the Filipinos who keep those places functional…….

[The Ace of Aces 5175]

2 hours ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

Whether you like it or not, the top 3 are pretty much interchangeable.  I think New York City has an energy that both London and Paris lack, but both London and Paris have a history that NYC does not have.  

Also, NYC > any city in the US, and it isn't even close.  It is very expensive, but you have world class EVERYTHING at your fingertips.  

Moscow being #4 on that list is a fucking joke.

/notcreepy Let's go to Moscow together and I can help show you it's an amazing place /notcreepy

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

11 hours ago, conVINCEd said:

For a city not listed, Cape Town outkicks it’s coverage.  Wouldn’t want to live there, but it is a great place to spend a week.  Charleston would make my list over many of the US cities listed.

Yep Capetown is a friggin blast. I prefer smaller cities, so Nice gets my vote as one of the best cities in the world. Everything just slips away when you're there.  The world outside the Med ceases to exist.

[6th Street 6390]

Moscow is a great place to visit but not sure it deserves to be in the top-5. Living there has got to be tough with the high cost of rent (at one time highest in the world).

[Wiler77 1566]

Haven't been to many on that list, but my list of enjoyable cities is largely based on how nice it is to visit, as I couldn't imagine living there simply due to cost of living or ability to find a job.

Now, if I'm well compensated to make up for it, or on an ex-pat assignment and finding a job isn't an issue, then game on.  I would love to live in any of these.

in no particular order:

SF

London

Singapore

Barcelona

Christchurch

[Smax 3800]

It's a hair more diverse and cosmopolitan than Dallas and neither are the best city in the state (again). 
It also has the worst weather of any major city in Texas. Maybe tied with San Antonio. 

We get it, YOU like Austin better then Houston

[Wally Fairway 5541]

15 hours ago, FunkSoulBrother said:

https://www.bestcities.org/methodology/

It seems to be a combination of tourism and quality of life.

It is a list of places that the people doing the rating wanted to visit. 

[Landomatic 3813]

10 minutes ago, Wiler77 said:

I would love to live in any of these.

in no particular order:

SF

[Wiler77 1566]

5 minutes ago, Landomatic said:

I guess you can file this under "no matter how hot she is, some guy somewhere is tired of fucking her."

I love visiting SF.  It's probably my favorite American city.  The food, the parks, the seemingly endless things to do.  I get there are plenty of warts, and I have no idea how livable the city actually is.  A buddy of mine loved his 4 years of residency.

[Ag with kids 581]

4 hours ago, 956 Worldwide said:

I have no idea what this is even ranking, so it’s hard to rank.

If you’re talking a mixture of livability and tourism then the midsize Central European capitals are better than the global megapolis. Put Vienna, Budapest, and Prague in a bag and mix them up, although my personal bias is Prague due to cost, politics, and local attitude. You can find culture, art, entertainment, and architecture that is the equal or better than the big capitals. The one thing I’ll admit is not there is the diverse food scene. But the navigable roads, safety, lower headache factor, and public transport honestly make up for that in spades.  You’ll never leave from a night at the Prague Philharmonic or the Vienna Opera saying “that was good but it wasn’t the Met.” Plus, your late night commute home is ten minutes on a clean metro or tram that runs on time and costs 75 cents. 
 

NYC is always way overrated on these lists. The public transport is terrible and filthy. It’s expensive as hell. The safety and law and order there plummeting. The cultural offerings are great but London and Paris are easily it’s equal. London just has its shit together better, and falling back on “energy” is just a nice way of saying “decent chance you’ll get mugged.”  Plus, the years of history and monuments are much more interesting than skyscraper after skyscraper. London is easily my top global city. 
 

Seoul is sneaky cool and needs to get more love. In a lot of places it’s like living in the future. Then you get these pockets of medieval Korea. The food is fantastic. 
 

Moscow is cool as hell but is not my bag anymore. Anything goes, balls to the wall consumerism if you have money. Cultural offerings that are the equal or better of anything in the West. Jaw dropping history and architecture. Truly fantastic public transport The issue here is Putin and the wretched weather. If not for Putin it would crack my top five.

The big Gulf States are outlet malls in the desert, monuments to wretched petroleum excess. Hard pass. I do think Istanbul is another sneakily underrated city, here again Erdogan and politics shove it down. 
 

My top 5:

1. Prague

2. Vienna/Budapest

3. London 

4. Seoul 

5. Berlin

 

Watch yourself on the NYC comments...I said essentially the same thing on the NYC thread and was attacked mercilessly😀...

[ChiTownDoc 21143]

31 minutes ago, Ag with kids said:

Watch yourself on the NYC comments...I said essentially the same thing on the NYC thread and was attacked mercilessly😀...

Let’s be honest a big part of the reason you got grilled is you claiming college station, Ames, and Lincoln have just as much to offer. 

[Landomatic 3813]

52 minutes ago, ChiTownDoc said:

Let’s be honest a big part of the reason you got grilled is you claiming college station, Ames, and Lincoln have just as much to offer. 

Lmfao...I don't think that was quite what he said, but gotdamn that's funny. It was something like that though.

[RollLeft 5040]

17 hours ago, futureman said:

that Houston ranking is way off, though. they should be somewhere between Roswell, NM and Fresno. 

You sir, have never been to either of those.  You are comparing Sirloin to fermented bologna.    

[Ag with kids 581]

1 hour ago, ChiTownDoc said:

Let’s be honest a big part of the reason you got grilled is you claiming college station, Ames, and Lincoln have just as much to offer. 

While that IS funny...even though I'm an Aggie, I am not THAT dumb.😀

Edited September 21, 2021 by Ag with kids

[Ag with kids 581]

29 minutes ago, Landomatic said:

Lmfao...I don't think that was quite what he said, but gotdamn that's funny. It was something like that though.

Actually, my posts were even nicer than 956's.  I didn't denigrate NYC, just said that many other cities have much more to offer of things I prefer...

[Underdog 28579]

I've been to Epcot. 

[52-80 19147]

16 hours ago, Wiler77 said:

I guess you can file this under "no matter how hot she is, some guy somewhere is tired of fucking her."

I love visiting SF.  It's probably my favorite American city.  The food, the parks, the seemingly endless things to do.  I get there are plenty of warts, and I have no idea how livable the city actually is.  A buddy of mine loved his 4 years of residency.

dont forget all the homeless encampments

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

17 hours ago, Ag with kids said:

Watch yourself on the NYC comments...I said essentially the same thing on the NYC thread and was attacked mercilessly😀...

FUCK NYC.  Fun place to visit, expensive, exciting, beautiful architecture, would live there for a year, and then get the hell out.  I hate listening to the accents that make so many of 'em seem like gigantic, way too much in a hurry douche bags.  Maybe if they weren't so close to Jersey...

[texasdago 7568]

I think they misspelled Buenos Aires, Mexico City and Copenhagen.  Tokyo is brilliant.  I think Amsterdam belongs there... the last two trips we stayed in the city but outside the super touristy canals and along the Amstel and I really grew to appreciate the quality of life there.  If you think you know Amsterdam by hanging out on Dam Square, you don't.  

[cafe society 2860]

On 9/21/2021 at 8:15 AM, 52-80 said:

zagreb is great in the manner that newark is great.  its a hub for getting people to where they actually WANT to be (dalmatian coast)

Split is way better than Zagreb.

[cafe society 2860]

On 9/21/2021 at 8:55 AM, 956 Worldwide said:

Also, I have not been there but nearly every expat or liveability survey I see rank Melbourne, Sydney, Vancouver, and Montreal really high. I have to figure they belong up there. 

Never visited Australia but Melbourne is high on my list.  Vancouver and Montreal both kick all kinds of ass.

[Satoshi 129]

Have been to a decent number of these cities and judging off of what is ranked ahead of it, Montreal is criminally under ranked.

Also, I’m guessing political instability and inequality worked against it, but I thought Buenos Aires was fantastic. Decent amount of expats there. 
 

On the over ranked side I’d go with San Francisco. Any city that is suffering a mass Exodus of so many of its most talented and successful residents is not a top 20 city in the world. Sorry. 

Edited September 23, 2021 by Satoshi

[cafe society 2860]

Not listing American cities
Madrid
Lyon - not the best tourist destination but a great place to ex-pat.
Tokyo 
Berlin 
Vienna 
Milan
Montreal 
Vancouver 

That's all I've got, not as well traveled as most of you.  

 

Edited September 23, 2021 by cafe society

[DallasGatr 216]

Not listing American cities
Madrid
Lyon - not the best tourist destination but a great place to ex-pat.
Tokyo 
Berlin 
Vienna 
Milan
Montreal 
Vancouver 

That's all I've got, not as well traveled as most of you.  

 

Great list with the exception of Milan. Only Italian city with an “industrial” feel to it. And they close down way too early in the evening to be considered great.

The only 2 weeks of the year worth a shit are fashion weeks. I can put up with the usual garbage to ogle the parade of models walking Via Pisano.

[irishtexan 11515]

I have seen the David. I’ve seen the Mona Lisa too, and I have heard Doc Watson play Columbus Stockade Blues

[South Austin 52454]

On 9/21/2021 at 9:24 AM, Brisketexan said:

Edinburgh or Berlin would also work, but neither of us speaks much German.

You just need to know a little German.

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19100]

On 9/21/2021 at 9:49 AM, 956 Worldwide said:

 

NYC is always way overrated on these lists. The public transport is terrible and filthy. It’s expensive as hell. The safety and law and order there plummeting. The cultural offerings are great but London and Paris are easily it’s equal. London just has its shit together better, and falling back on “energy” is just a nice way of saying “decent chance you’ll get mugged.”  Plus, the years of history and monuments are much more interesting than skyscraper after skyscraper. London is easily my top global city. 

 

Actually, the public transportation has never been cleaner.  The stations all need a major upgrade, but the trains I have been on in the last year are all air conditioned and clean.  That is one of the good things to come out of COVID.  

Safety and law and order are not plummeting.  NYC, especially Manhattan, was probably the safest large city in the world prior to COVID.  Yes, crime is up, but NYC is still safer than the other major cities in the US (LA, Chicago, and Houston).

FYI, NYC is the city where you can see the evolution of the skyscraper, which is in fact fascinating.  Also, the history of the city is fascinating, and you can see it, if you know where to look.  

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19100]

On 9/22/2021 at 8:10 AM, Onboard 2.0 said:

FUCK NYC.  Fun place to visit, expensive, exciting, beautiful architecture, would live there for a year, and then get the hell out.  I hate listening to the accents that make so many of 'em seem like gigantic, way too much in a hurry douche bags.  Maybe if they weren't so close to Jersey...

It is pretty obvious you have not spent a lot of time in NYC, especially as it emerges post COVID.  

Honestly, people are nicer now.  It is pretty fucking jarring.

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19100]

20 hours ago, texasdago said:

I think they misspelled Buenos Aires, Mexico City and Copenhagen.  Tokyo is brilliant.  I think Amsterdam belongs there... the last two trips we stayed in the city but outside the super touristy canals and along the Amstel and I really grew to appreciate the quality of life there.  If you think you know Amsterdam by hanging out on Dam Square, you don't.  

Copenhagen and Mexico City are excellent.  

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

23 minutes ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

It is pretty obvious you have not spent a lot of time in NYC, especially as it emerges post COVID.  

Honestly, people are nicer now.  It is pretty fucking jarring.

I haven't been to NYC for a few years.  The last few times were for business, and a little pleasure. It's good to hear people are nicer, but human nature informs me that most folks will return to being just what they were pre covid regardless of where they live.

[Liquor and Poker 3659]

On 9/21/2021 at 8:21 AM, gmr548 said:

And quality of life itself is wildly subjective.

Houston and Dallas should not be ranked very far apart. They are essentially the same place. Dallas has better weather, Houston has better food. Otherwise, same thing, down to individual neighborhoods.

Having lived in both for over a decade each, I disagree about everything but weather. 

[South Austin 52454]

1 hour ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

 Honestly, people are nicer now.  It is pretty fucking jarring.

I'm guessing it was also like that after 9/11.  But did that taper off at some point?

I've been to New York City only four times in my life, all post 9/11.  First time was in Spring of 2002, most recent was December of 2016.  I wouldn't characterize New Yorkers as rude, mean, or even unfriendly.  But I also wouldn't say that they're warm and pleasant.  In my interactions with them -- buying museum tickets, ordering a drink at a bar, dining at a nice restaurant, etc. -- they've been for the most part curt and transactional, and they'd prefer to not hear about how you're from Austin and how much you love their city.  And I'd say that other large cities I've visited -- London, Paris, and Rome -- are like that to some degree.  But that's not like a lot of other large cities in America, where there's more warmth and conversation between strangers.

That said, I still love New York, and wish I had the time and money to visit there more often than I do.  I'm just not the kind of guy who could ever live there.

[Onboard 2.0 9083]

7 minutes ago, South Austin said:

I'm guessing it was also like that after 9/11.  But did that taper off at some point?

I've been to New York City only four times in my life, all post 9/11.  First time was in Spring of 2002, most recent was December of 2016.  I wouldn't characterize New Yorkers as rude, mean, or even unfriendly.  But I also wouldn't say that they're warm and pleasant.  In my interactions with them -- buying museum tickets, ordering a drink at a bar, dining at a nice restaurant, etc. -- they've been for the most part curt and transactional, and they'd prefer to not hear about how you're from Austin and how much you love their city.  And I'd say that other large cities I've visited -- London, Paris, and Rome -- are like that to some degree.  But that's not like a lot of other large cities in America, where there's more warmth and conversation between strangers.

That said, I still love New York, and wish I had the time and money to visit there more often than I do.  I'm just not the kind of guy who could ever live there.

The best big city friendliness I've found on several occasions was Chicago.  Midwest folks have a nice streak it seems more than a lot of other regions, the south included.

[South Austin 52454]

1 minute ago, Onboard 2.0 said:

The best big city friendliness I've found on several occasions was Chicago.  Midwest folks have a nice streak it seems more than a lot of other regions, the south included.

Yeah, I've always heard that about Chicago and have never made my way there.  I think New Orleans is one of the friendliest big cities I've frequented.