<p>“Whoever mentioned that Chicago and Buffalo have similar qualities must be smoking something.”</p>
<p>Well, both names contain three syllables … and there’s an ‘o’ at the end of both. Oh, and neither has had good football teams since the '80s.</p>
<p>Philadelphia. Originally, it was my least favorite city among NYC, DC, Boston, and Providence, but as a current Penn student, it has become my undisputed favorite. It’s not as big as NYC, but is large and busy. The history provides constant education and has been named the late-night city; there is always something to do.</p>
<p>I like NYC, Baltimore, and DC. personally, I thought Philadelphia and Boston were a bit dull. I guess they could be interesting if you’re into history.</p>
<p>I would NEVER drive in Boston or NYC and expect to enjoy my time there. It’s no wonder someone would hate those cities if you tried to drive around. Luckily, you don’t have to. There are plenty of park-n-ride train stations outside both. Leave the car there and move around in peace.</p>
<p>If I had never been to any of these cities and had to pick one to visit, I’d say DC. It’s designed for visitors to enjoy, and has so many unique and special sights.</p>
<p>Who DRIVES to New York City???</p>
<p>OK, maybe that was a bit harsh. Please, give NYC businesses and residents a break. If you MUST take a car, leave it someplace outside Manhattan. Our family favors parking on Staten Island and taking the S.I. Ferry. YMMV.</p>
<p>BTW, this is good advice for both Boston and Washington DC also.</p>
<p>They should all be on The List to be visited, but that can extend over a lifetime. It’s fun to return to cities you first visited as a poor student with a bit more disposable income. </p>
<p>DC is our nation’s secular Jerusalem. I took then-8th-grader D1 on a nighttime monument tour during her first visit. She expected it to be cheesy, and found herself tremendously moved.</p>
<p>“Who DRIVES to New York City???”</p>
<p>I do all the time and I park my car in a garage.</p>
<p>I learned how to drive in NYC! Thought I would give my sister-in-law from Salt Lake a heart attack. Love, love, NYC, 2nd would be Boston, 3rd is DC.</p>
<p>I am very familiar with all these cities.</p>
<p>I would say Boston is the nicest.</p>
<p>born in DC and work in NYC…</p>
<p>DC wins the museum, landmarks and great layout awards. To see all the major sights you won’t even need to mess w mass transit. </p>
<p>NYC is, well, NYC, the city that never sleeps. Theater, varied architecture, big business. </p>
<p>Not a huge fan of either Philly or Boston, as both seem small in comparison to the other 2. </p>
<p>Savannah is another fascinating place to visit and close to Hilton Head. </p>
<p>Frankly, my favorite US city is New Orleans. Great culture, food & music.</p>
<p>Agree with the good comments about Chicago. Since this is a thread about NE coastal cities won’t discuss all of the reasons it is a better place to visit multiple times than most of those. NYC - hard to find inexpensive hotels with easy transportation to the museums et al. Not a good city for driving in- hard when you make the vacation road trip from another state and want to see several places once you get that far. Can’t get excited about seeing NYC- saw the attractions 20 years ago and more and don’t know of any new ones worth a trip. DC- so many museums several trips not enough, plus the beautiful mall area. Considered retiring near DC but the weather isn’t worth it can always revisit it.</p>
<p>I am just smiling evertime I see the thread title pop up ,with the european (british) spelling of “favourite”. I find it absolutely charming.</p>
<p>Having been to Chicago quite a bit on business, I would say NYC is more like Chicago than DC. Lots of tall buildings with shopping interspersed and good theater scene. Sports are also important to NYC & Chicago, less so in DC, except for the Redskins.</p>
<p>Having lived in Chicago, NYC, Boston, and Washington and with a daughter now going to school just outside Philadelphia, I’d pick New York as the place to live if I didn’t need to worry about money. It has the absolute best and the absolute worst of everything, but money can shield you from the worst, and it can make the best accessible. If money is an issue, which it will be when I retire, I’d choose Chicago which has everything and often the second-best of everything, but at a more affordable cost.</p>
<p>As a place to visit among the cities named by the OP, if you need to choose just one, I’d say . . . it depends. Your dollar will go farther in DC due to all the amazing free things you can see and do. A few things require you to pay. For art, the National Gallery and other federal museums offer of a free look at greatness, but there’s also the private Phillips Collection which is a must-see for people who are serious about art. For history, there are all the usual national shrines and still-operating institutions on the free side, but you’ll need to pay to see Mount Vernon which is well worth a visit.</p>
<p>For history, though, Philadelphia and Boston beat Washington hands down. In Boston, walk the Freedom Trail, some sites free, some paid, but on the whole it’s inspiring. In Philadelphia everything centers on Independence Mall; the federal sites are free, some others are not, but it’s equally inspirational. For the history buff I’d rate the two a toss-up, but better than New York or Washington. For art, no question it’s New York (at a price), then Washington in my estimation (with much of it free), then I’d actually give Philadelphia a slight edge over Boston but mainly due to personal preferences in periods, styles, and artists represented. For theater, New York clobbers the others, but among the also-rans Washington seems to me more lively and original than Boston or Philadelphia (though Chicago would run a moderately strong second to NY, well ahead of Boston, Philadelphia, or Washington). For food, whether serious high-end foodie stuff or more down-home ethnic fare, it’s also New York by a country mile, but again I’d rate Washington second, and Boston and Philly tied for a distant third (but not bad by national standards, but Chicago would rank well ahead of any of the three). The qualification here is that for seafood, New England is outstanding; but the best deals are not to be found in Boston proper.</p>
<p>Bottom line: if money is no object, I’d say New York, but expect to spend a small fortune. If you’re on a budget, Washington gives you the most bang for your buck. Boston and Philadelphia are both well worth a look, but I’d place both in a second tier, places well worth visiting on a second trip.</p>
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<p>I haven’t lived in Boston since the early '80s, so I can’t comment on the food there, but I’d definitely put Philadelphia above DC (I live just outside the former and have spent much time in the latter). In the last 10 years our restaurant scene has exploded, particularly with BYOs, and I’ve had better and more interesting meals there than in DC, which certainly has its share of great restaurants. But as always, YMMV. </p>
<p>(And being a native New Yorker, I agree with you completely that it’s city #1!)</p>
<p>Great responses, keep em coming! </p>
<p>bclintonk- do you mean you would rate Chicago above Washington for food? </p>
<p>jym626- I was raised in Australia hence the british spelling 
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<p>Definitely won’t be driving so that’s not an issue. Interesting to hear Chicago is similar to NY.</p>
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<p>I used to, from time to time, when I lived in New Jersey. It’s not that intimidating. The streets are numbered, so it’s hard to get lost. And the traffic moves so slowly that you have plenty of time to think about what to do next. </p>
<p>If only you didn’t have to sit in the perpetual backup at the Lincoln Tunnel…</p>
<p>The great thing about the 4 cities you mention is Amtrak can take you to all of them. I agree you do not want a car in any of them. (Insiders can find places to park free in DC, but I would not recommend it to a tourist).</p>
<p>Millions of people in recent decades have moved from major metro areas in the Midwest and NE U.S. to settle in Florida. For many, visiting big northern cities is enough, but they don’t want to continue living there. Florida will pass N.Y. in population in the next couple of years. Florida, with about 20 million residents, soon will be the 3rd most populated state after Ca. and Tx.</p>
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<p>Oh, yes, easily. Chicago’s right up there with New York in variety and quality of authentic ethnic eats and is very strong on the high-end foodie side, too. On the ethnic fare you need to know your way around Chicago neighborhoods, though; you won’t find everything concentrated in/near downtown and all the usual tourist spots.</p>