Reviews and impressions of cities you have recently visited

[MiamiMan305]

I just got back from a trip to Savannah, GA and Charleston, SC. Even though most people group these two cities together I found that they are completely different.

Savannah:
- Southern charm at its finest. The people were so sweet and polite. People held doors for each other, adressed each other as ma'm or sir and were very welcoming.

- I get the sense that Savannah retained a lot more natives than Charleston. Although I ran into a couple people who came from up north and European tourists, it seemed like it was still a southern town.

- Beautiful large homes, wide streets, well-land scaped in the downtown historic district

- Looked very similar to New Orleans in parts. The Garden District of New Orleans looked strikingly close to Historic Savannah especially with all of the Spanish moss.

- Industrial, unattractive, waterfront. Lots of factories along the river although I understand that the port is necessary for the city and is a huge part of it's economy.

- River Street seemed very toursity. A nice spot to grab a drink or pick up gifts but not really authentic

- I loved the squares. Savannah has gorgeous squares throughout downtown with statues, benches, live oaks, and sometimes performers.

- I'm under the impression that Savannah has more homeless people than Charleston. At times the odor of urine was overpowering in the streets and it was clear to me that there must be a considerable homeless population, atleast in the center of the city.

- Lots of churches. I loved how they were the tallest buildings and how you could see them towering over the city.

- The city seemed to shut down around 10'clock. The CVS closed at 7, this made Savannah seem really quiet and more like a town than a city. I guess there's some nightlife along river street and in other areas I must have missed but it definetly is not a 24/7 city.

Charleston:
- Not really what I expected it would be. It changed very fast. We came in on King Street (the northern section I believe) and it was clear we were in the ghetto. Lots of bars on the windows, liquor stores, and it was clearly an all black neighborhood. (Not being racist at all, it was just clear it was a rundown neighborhood and segregated from the rest of the city).

- Then it was like we crossed an invisible line and suddenly almost everyone was white, they had Gucci stores, Louis Vuttion, etc. The bars dissappreared and it clearly became a more upscale area. It was slightly disconcerting how close Francis Marion Square and the touristy areas were to the hood.

- King Street, the touristy parts kind of dissapointed me. It was lined withthe most affluent stores you could think of, Gucci, Louis V., Saks etc. Also Starbuks, the i-store etc. You can find those stores in any major city so it was a little dishearting how so much of the downtown was made up of that.

- I LOVED Francis Marion Square. A beautiful park, with a farmers market, statues, palmettos, bright colored flowers, shade. Also close to the citadel and the bridge/harbor were in the background.

- I actually found the houses in the historic section of Charleston to be less attractive and inspiring than those in Savannah. They were some very large, ornate, historic homes but the streets were very narrow (I understand it's an old city) and the landscaping seemed not as lush, or abudant as that in Savannah.

- Charleston Harbor blew Savannah's waterfront out of the water (no pun intended). It was a lot more recreational and attractive. The water was blue/green as opposed to Savannah's brown river. I got to see Fort Sumter, Yorktown, Dolphins, and a lot boats. It also offered dazzling views of the city. This is where Charleston really outshined Savannah.

- There seemed to be a lot of people from up north and around the world in Charleston, much more so than in Savannah.

- Almost of the guys wore polos and shorts while the girls wore sundresses. Seemed to be the style for the younger Charlstonians.

- I thought that city shut down early also. But I found myself on market street. Yet again Charleston changed very fast. The beginning of the street had more upscale bars/clubs, jazz music, and was more elegant. The crowds got rowdier, drunker, and younger the more I made way down the street. The bottom of the street was full of drunken, college kids, and had some people fighting in the streets.

- I didn't get to see the beaches but loved the idea of the proxmity of them

- The weather was hot but seemed a little cooler than Savannah and had more of a breeze.

Overall:
I loved Savannah's southern charm and connected immediatley with it. It seemed quieter, less affluent, and more authentic than Charleston.

Charleston was much more cosmopolitian, took me longer to get connect with and seemed to have a better night life, more wealth and more tourists.

So I say Savannah to visit, Charleston to live.
Please share your stories. They don't have to be anywhere near as long as this.

[spencer114]

Originally Posted by Victory08

I've visited Dubai once in my life this summer and I've understood that I want to live and work only there! There are such picturesque places and buildings, no common transport and very high level of life!

Leave your Blackberry (or, by the time you get there your iPhone) at home. The UAE is cutting service because they are not able to read the mundane but encrypted messages sent by its citizens.

[desertpunk]

Yeah, I once hit both Savannah and Charleston in the same drive along the coast and they are quite different. Savannah has a unique street grid laid out by Gen. Oglethorpe which is so extraordinary that it amazes me that no other cities have done anything like it. Charleston is very open, bright and sunny with a very light palette in its architecture and an emphasis on bright airy spaces. Savannah by contrast is very brick, very dark and moody with heavy greenery and tree canopies. Charleston's historical North/South divide was a racial one and is finally getting blurred by gentrification. Savannah had more dispersion and looks more like a typical southern city outside the original townsite.

Culturally, Savannah is indeed much more sleepy and restrained and it has seen its gentrification and wealthy population grow more recently than Charleston which has been a magnet since the 1970s. Charleston is also much larger with a metro over 650,000 while Savannah has about 350,000. The Port of Charleston and the Charleston Naval Base are big factors in that city's overall growth while Savannah has relied on a small air base and a regional economy based on lumber and paper. Savannah's nightlife is paltry and even the best restaurants are in homes. Fine dining like everything else in Savannah is a far more intimate experience.

[MiamiMan305]

Originally Posted by desertpunk

Yeah, I once hit both Savannah and Charleston in the same drive along the coast and they are quite different. Savannah has a unique street grid laid out by Gen. Oglethorpe which is so extraordinary that it amazes me that no other cities have done anything like it. Charleston is very open, bright and sunny with a very light palette in its architecture and an emphasis on bright airy spaces. Savannah by contrast is very brick, very dark and moody with heavy greenery and tree canopies. Charleston's historical North/South divide was a racial one and is finally getting blurred by gentrification. Savannah had more dispersion and looks more like a typical southern city outside the original townsite.

Culturally, Savannah is indeed much more sleepy and restrained and it has seen its gentrification and wealthy population grow more recently than Charleston which has been a magnet since the 1970s. Charleston is also much larger with a metro over 650,000 while Savannah has about 350,000. The Port of Charleston and the Charleston Naval Base are big factors in that city's overall growth while Savannah has relied on a small air base and a regional economy based on lumber and paper. Savannah's nightlife is paltry and even the best restaurants are in homes. Fine dining like everything else in Savannah is a far more intimate experience.

thank you for the insight! I agree with what you said, it sounds like we had similar impressions of these two cities

[ThatDarnSacramentan]

I've spent the last few days blasting up I-5 in Oregon, so here's my impression of the cities and towns along the way:

Ashland: my favorite small town on Earth. Period. I hate small towns, but I could easily see myself living there. Main Street has that old time charm and architecture, but pretty modern stores and restaurants. For a small town, it feels urban: always people out and about, walking the streets, eating at cafes and restaurants, etc. I'd move there in a heartbeat if I could.

Eugene: nice small city. Feels denser and larger than it really is, something I think I'd credit to the large canopy of trees that line most of its downtown streets. Found it to be kinda sketchy, though, since I saw a fist fight break out on my walk to Starbucks and then someone getting their ass handed to them while being told they would be killed in their sleep on the walk back. Nice looking place, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to live there.

Portland: now THIS is how American cities should be. I walk down some streets of Portland and I feel like I'm in Manhattan. I turn the corner, I feel like I'm in San Francisco. However, I can't compare Portland to other cities in America: it is truly unique. The free rail zone is awesome, and the general vibe and atmosphere given off by the city and the people is great. I haven't seen or heard a single asshole, jackass, or douchebag in my stay here. I've fallen in love with this city, and I sure as hell hope to be back again sometime soon once I leave.

I have only one complaint, and it's a general complaint about Oregon. Compared to California, Oregonians smoke like fiends! I haven't inhaled this much cigarette smoke since I had lunch at Rockefeller Center at peak hour!

[desertpunk]

Eugene's cool but it has an evil twin: Springfield OR.

[diablo234]

Bogota is actually pretty nice (for a developing country anyway), I will post some photos when I get back.

[ThatDarnSacramentan]

Originally Posted by desertpunk

Eugene's cool but it has an evil twin: Springfield OR.

Never crossed into Springfield. Mainly stayed in a few blocks of downtown and the University of Oregon. I'll keep that in mind if I do end up going to school in Eugene.

[desertpunk]

Originally Posted by ThatDarnSacramentan

Never crossed into Springfield. Mainly stayed in a few blocks of downtown and the University of Oregon. I'll keep that in mind if I do end up going to school in Eugene.

How shall I say? Compared with Eugene, Springfield is very...milquetoast.

[RobertWalpole]

I also visited Charleston recently. (I visited Savannah 15 years ago and loved it. Supposedly, it has gentrified substantially since then.)

I also was shocked by what a huge slum Charleston is when one exits the highway for the historic district. Also, even the fancy part of King Street was unkempt.

Nonetheless, I found the overall core of the historic area to be quite beautiful and nice.

The suburbs were surprisingly worn-out. I stayed on Route 17 in Mt. Pleasant, which is supposedly one of the nicer burbs, and found it to be dumpy. It reminded me of a little Route 17 in NJ (i.e., suburban junk).

[ThatDarnSacramentan]

Originally Posted by desertpunk

How shall I say? Compared with Eugene, Springfield is very...milquetoast.

I'll DEFINITELY keep that in mind. Driving along I-5 through rural Oregon was, to be honest, both funny, and frightening. There was a gun shop somewhere within an hour of Eugene throwing a birthday party, and they had a large banner advertising that "you TOO could fire a REAL tommy gun!" on their homemade gun range behind the store. If I do end up in Oregon, I'll make sure I stay in Eugene, Portland, or Ashland.

[Northsider]

Just the past 1/2 year:

Atlanta: meh
Indianapolis: meh
Detroit: cool enough, great photo opportunities
Madison: pretty cool city
Buenos Aires: Awesome
Rosario: Awesome
Corodoba: meh
Zagreb: meh
Karakow: pretty awesome city
London: Awesome
Jakarta: cool to see, but overall meh
Santos BR: beautiful! awesome
Manaus BR: cool, but really nothing special
Springfield MO: meh
Dallas: meh
Wichita Falls: meh

[Troopchina]

Originally Posted by Northsider

Just the past 1/2 year:


Zagreb: meh
Karakow: pretty awesome city

Zagreb and Krakow are pretty similar both in size and architecture, also the geography.

I guess that current weather conditions at the time played a role for such a different impression

[Northsider]

Originally Posted by Troopchina

Zagreb and Krakow are pretty similar both in size and architecture, also the geography.

I guess that current weather conditions at the time played a role for such a different impression

It didn't help that my hotel in Zagreb was well outside the historic center. I found relatively few 'streetfronts' in Zagreb. I tried to walk around and find a place to eat, but there was nothing really.

[Troopchina]

Originally Posted by Northsider

It didn't help that my hotel in Zagreb was well outside the historic center. I found relatively few 'streetfronts' in Zagreb. I tried to walk around and find a place to eat, but there was nothing really.

There are plenty of places to eat and quite a few streets with bars and shops, but as the city is not oriented toward tourism that much it's probably hard for a tourist to find his way around

[Northsider]

but as the city is not oriented toward tourism that much it's probably hard for a tourist to find his way around

I think this is the main problem. I just didn't know where to go. I expected a typical euro city (Berlin, Paris, etc) where I could just pick any street to walk down and be dazzled. Not so in Zagreb.

[milquetoast]

Originally Posted by Northsider

I think this is the main problem. I just didn't know where to go.

I think that might be the main problem too- especially for someone ready to dish the "mehs"

[Northsider]

Originally Posted by milquetoast

I think that might be the main problem too- especially for someone ready to dish the "mehs"

Nobody cares milky. I view my responses based on all of the cities I've been to. I've been to AWESOME cities that were so easy to get around and find stuff (not necessarily touristic...)...and then I've been to a lot of 'MEH' cities. You don't need to remind me that I'm an urban-snob. Take it or leave it.

[Dimethyltryptamine]

Melbourne -
Absolutely love the place! The city feels much larger than it really is. I loved walking down the streets amidst a large crowd of people and hearing the tram bells ring as you approached the corner. The lane ways lined with graffiti and coffee shops were incredible, as was Lygon Street (Little Italy, I guess) with all its Italian restaurants. I didn't want to leave

Paris -
Incredible city, incredible architecture, incredible fashion! I mean, is there something about this city which isn't incredible?

[Northsider]

Paris -
Incredible city, incredible architecture, incredible fashion! I mean, is there something about this city which isn't incredible?

I liked Paris, but I found it overrated. I thought I was going to be blown away by the architecture...but I wasn't.