3 ms·

> That’s what New York City needs to remain to be the greatest city in the world Uh, is that really what New Yorkers tell each other?

AnimalMuppet 6y ago
I have heard so. (I have never lived there, so I can't say authoritatively.) But they actually have a case. Honest question: Which city do you think is greater than New York? Is it clearly greater, or is it fuzzy and subjective? And if it's clear, what makes it clear? I have absolutely no desire to ever live in New York. But I can see how they can make a case.
jkachmar 6y ago
There is certainly no city in America that compares to New York City. There are “megacities” in other countries that occupy a similar position, such as London or Tokyo (although they obviously all feel different in their own unique ways). In the United States, however, the closest thing to NYC is Los Angeles and even that is spread out over so much additional area (much of which requires a car) that I don’t consider it necessarily comparable.
- irrational 6y ago
  The quote says “the world”, not “the United States”.
  - jkachmar 6y ago
    I think trying to rank any place as “greatest in the world” is kind of a fraught exercise, so I tried to scope the idea a bit more tightly. If you want something that tries to be a bit more objective (although I’d stress that trying to rank something like “greatest city” objectively is probably not possible), check out the Wikipedia entry for global city rankings[0]. New York City trades places with London, and once with Tokyo, but otherwise is not terribly contested. Obviously I’m biased because I live here (and stayed here through the worst of COVID), so take what I’m saying with a grain of salt. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Global_city&mobileaction=toggle_view_desktop#Rankings https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Global_city&mobil...
- Axsuul 6y ago
  The cultures between Los Angeles and NYC are also very different.

AnimalMuppet 6y ago

I have heard so. (I have never lived there, so I can't say authoritatively.) But they actually have a case. Honest question: Which city do you think is greater than New York? Is it clearly greater, or is it fuzzy and subjective? And if it's clear, what makes it clear? I have absolutely no desire to ever live in New York. But I can see how they can make a case.

jkachmar 6y ago

There is certainly no city in America that compares to New York City. There are “megacities” in other countries that occupy a similar position, such as London or Tokyo (although they obviously all feel different in their own unique ways). In the United States, however, the closest thing to NYC is Los Angeles and even that is spread out over so much additional area (much of which requires a car) that I don’t consider it necessarily comparable.

irrational 6y ago
The quote says “the world”, not “the United States”.
- jkachmar 6y ago
  I think trying to rank any place as “greatest in the world” is kind of a fraught exercise, so I tried to scope the idea a bit more tightly. If you want something that tries to be a bit more objective (although I’d stress that trying to rank something like “greatest city” objectively is probably not possible), check out the Wikipedia entry for global city rankings[0]. New York City trades places with London, and once with Tokyo, but otherwise is not terribly contested. Obviously I’m biased because I live here (and stayed here through the worst of COVID), so take what I’m saying with a grain of salt. [0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Global_city&mobileaction=toggle_view_desktop#Rankings https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Global_city&mobil...
Axsuul 6y ago
The cultures between Los Angeles and NYC are also very different.