Which of these cities is your favorite? How would you review each of these cities? What are the pros and cons of each? What are the main differences between the different ones?

29 comments

  3. They are all so vastly different that I don’t feel right comparing them beyond being major cities. They all have their own perks and uniqueness that it’s worth going to all.

  5. I grew up near New York, but I absolutely love Chicago. Great beaches on the lake, tons of cool restaurants and bars, and some really fun blues clubs. I try to get out there for a three day weekend every few years. LA is getting better, but needs more walkability. NYC needs better trash management.

  6. I’ve never been to LA or NYC.

    Chicago:

    * Great pizza
    * and no, I’m not talking about deep dish
    * Honestly not an expensive city at all. Sure you can stay at some ritzy place in The Loop and dine at fine dining Michelin starred restaurants, but there’s a lot of good, casual eateries spread throughout the city. Part of it is the blue collar/working class legacy of the city.
    * Transit is a solid B. The L (metro) doesn’t go everywhere like in NYC or Paris, you’ll be doing a lot of metro + 5-15 minute walks or transferring to buses. But it’ll mostly get you where you need to go. Though visiting further flung burbs you may need to use rideshare
    * Great city to bike in if you’re fine with riding on the road. Good connection of trail along the lakeshore
    * Don’t fuck with the cold or the wind here. It can get pretty bad and going to Chicago in March or April is a gamble. You may get blessed with great weather in the 50s or there could be a foot of snow on the ground or it may rain most of the time
    * Underrated Chinatown. It isn’t as big as NYC or San Francisco’s but it is a pretty good one
    * Locals are generally pretty friendly
    * there are definitely some tourist bubbles in Chicago, particularly downtown/The Loop but its also really easy to leave these tourist bubbles if you want to.

  8. Chicago is by far my favorite. I’ve never been to LA and don’t imagine I will in the foreseeable future since San Diego is right there

  9. Obviously I like LA – weather, beaches, outdoors etc

    But it’s less of a “city city” than Chicago or NYC. It’s more like a massive sprawl. There’s a ton to do, but everything is spread out.

    So as far as like a proper urban center, NYC and Chicago are both great with different things to offer. Both have great food, transportation, a bevvy of things to do and see, diversity, great theatre scenes (one more than others ofc). NYC is unparalleled as far as urban centers imo, but Chicago can be pretty underrated sometimes.

    SF gets a nod even though it wasn’t mentioned because it’s another actual urban center – I love golden gate park and it’s surrounding neighborhoods, I love how compact it is, I love the proximity to the beautiful coast.

  10. Chicago is a good one because it’s less expensive than the other two and offers more flexibility as far as lifestyle. You get all seasons. It’s not as big as the other two but it’s still a major city. Has the Midwest friendliness vibe compared to like NYC.

    But you can’t beat NYC if you want full on urban action city life in the states. It’s our flagship city for a reason. It’s grinding. It’s expensive. But it’s at the top for a reason.

    LA is alright.

  11. Chicago and then NYC. I prefer NY pizza over Chicago but Chicago is just cleaner and affordable.

    Never been to LA tho.

  12. I have not been to Los Angeles since I was a child so I won’t comment on it but I can compare New York and Chicago. Chicago has more beautiful architecture, a cleaner downtown (the loop and surrounding), and is much more manageable once you get to know it. New York City is bigger, more cosmopolitan (Chicago is a big, cosmopolitan American city, New York is a cosmopolitan city in America if that makes sense) and probably has more options for food (although Chicago is better for hot dogs, Mexican, Polish, German, and Vietnamese). Both have great museums, world class universities, world class dining, entertainment etc. New York is less welcoming, can be dirty, and even some very nice expensive areas look like crap. Chicago has a larger crime problem, with some neighborhoods being among the worst ghettos in America. Overall I prefer Chicago.

  13. If the cities were men:

    – Chicago is my soulmate.

    – I’d like to casually date NYC to mix it up.

    – I could go out with LA for a few dates and probably have a fun time but overall just not my type.

  15. Chicago. I’m more familiar with it than the other two. It’s also not as overwhelming.

    I can actually drive a car in the Chicago Loop (downtown). Can’t really do that and remain sane in Manhattan.

    Plus Chicago gets real winters.

  16. Current Chicago resident, and spend a fair bit of time in NYC and LA.

    NYC is amazing but too expensive for me. I’d have to make double what I currently do to keep the same lifestyle. I live in a very walkable and cool neighborhood, where my gf and live in a 3 bedroom from the 1890s without roommates. Not a chance that would happen in NYC.

    LA is lovely but I hate driving everywhere. If they had better transit or if some denser areas became more walkable I’d consider it.

    Food is great in all three, but each has their own specialty. Even tie in this department.

    Art scene in NUC and LA is better than Chicago’s, not to mention more opportunity in those areas if that’s what you’re looking for.

  17. Been to all three. Chicago is by far my favorite, the food, the activities, the top notch hospital my wife and I lived in for almost a month and a half.

    I walked everywhere in Chicago, it was incredibly pedestrian friendly.

  18. Chicago, but I’m biased.

    But it really depends on what you want. If you want to try a career in the arts, LA and NYC are tougher but better choices than Chicago. There is a reason so many talented writers, actors, musicians, artists, etc. in those places come from Chicago. The industries are located there, not here.

    If you want big-city quality of life but a bit slower pace, more affordable living, and sense of community, Chicago is the choice.

  21. I only visited Chicago briefly (to go to Wrigley Field. Cubs fans are the absolute WORST!!) so I can’t say much about it.

    I live in LA county- but not in The city of Los Angeles. Like every major city, there are some bad parts, but the thing about LA is that there are so many DIFFERENT parts. We have a Chinatown, Korea Town, Olvera Street (Mexican town 🤣) LA has the super wealthy neighborhoods, and the hipster sections. Beaches, mountain hikes, downtown, tons of major sports, great restaurants from all over the world, museums etc. Yes, things are spread out, but not unmanageably so. Really the only thing we are lacking is solid public transportation. They’re working on it, but there’s still a long way to go.

    NY has efficient public transport, fantastic museums, history, etc. but it’s disgusting. Trash everywhere, piled waist high in the streets in some places. People are rude, pushy, and everyone seems so stressed out they’re ready to explode. Central Park was about the only place where felt like I had room to breathe. Everywhere else we went was so crowded that personal space didn’t exist. VERY inaccessible for anyone with a disability (rough roads and sidewalks, constant construction etc) If you have to take a taxi anywhere, it will cost an absolute fortune and take way longer than it should. (Been to NY 4 times)

    Not mentioned- but Boston is fantastic! Lots of history, but combined with elements of a modern city. Very walkable downtown, with beautiful suburban neighborhoods nearby. It’s the only place in the us I’ve ever felt like I could move to if I had to leave LA. (But I don’t know if I could survive the winters! 🤣) (been to Boston 3 times)

  22. Have lived in NYC and LA. NYC is vastly better, with LA only having nicer weather. Haven’t been to Chicago, but always hear nice things.

  23. Chicago all day. Summer is basically a celebration. Restaurants, mid-indie theater, blues, better access to best skiing than NYC or LA, and still no need to drive makes winter a wash with the other two. The cold is dry. It’s never oppressively hot. The rest is just the balance of the amenities vs the hassle. NYC and LA have a much higher hassle factor for not much more.

  24. NYC – fun to visit, could not live there. Really expensive and the weather is surprisingly shorty for a major city.

    LA – it’s a city but doesn’t feel like one. In some respects just a very very expensive suburb that doesn’t end. It’s approaching 100 miles west to east. Naturally very beautiful (weather, mountains, beaches.) horrible to visit as a tourist though IMO because the things to see are spread out.

    Chicago – very approachable and comparatively cheap.

  25. For tourism: New York, Chicago, LA
    For Living: LA, Chicago, New York

    LA is just not an accessible tourism city. Too much driving to see things that are spread out. It can also be pretty brown and drab. But the weather, proximity to all kind of nature, wine, snow make it pretty tough to beat for living. You have your own pocket that you end up spending most of your time in. And there are plenty of places that is not that Hollywood bullshit either. You can have some space and kind of live a very relaxed life with city amenities.

    Chicago is great. Nice people. The lake in the summer is hard to beat. Tons to do. Houses are reasonable. But the winter weather straight up sucks and it lasts a long time. It’s bone chilling. That extra 10 or 15 degrees from New York make a massive difference in the winter.

    New York has an amazing amount of stuff to do in a small area. Top museums, 4am closing time, great nice restaurants, Central Park is tremendous. Close to Europe. But day to life if you live there is a bit of a hassle and the space you live in is small. Even if you get some outdoor space it’s often limited. And while the winters are actually not so bad the summers are a steamy disgusting jungle. Instant sweat. God forbid you have to take the subway and have to wait in one of the stations without AC.

  26. I grew up near LA. This may be more because I don’t like big cities in general, but I’m not a fan of LA itself. I do however like lots of stuff around LA. LA has better access to nature and outdoors stuff I think. I love the beaches, Disneyland and a bunch of other amusement parks aren’t far, and it has better year round weather than the other two.

  27. Chicago is the best city in the world. It’s beautiful, the food and culture are phenomenal, the people are great, and it isn’t as elitist as the other two cities.

  28. Im biased but Chicago all day. Its an incredible world class city at half the price of NYC. The cold isn’t ideal but it keeps the rent low and makes the summers better. Crime is not anywhere near as bad as fox news says it is.

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