Quote:
Originally Posted by PHLtoNYC
Top 5 IMO.
My rank...
1. New York - Cliché to some, but the NYC skyline is fascinating. I took a helicopter ride around the city 2 years back, and it was an experience I will never forget.
2. Chicago - Beautiful architecture, elegant layout, integrated into the lakefront.
3/4. Tossup between Philadelphia and San Francisco. Both are tall, beautiful and dense with varying styles of architecture that compliment each other well.
5. Seattle - Elegant skyline.
I hear Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Miami, etc. mentioned in the top 5 more often. They are nice large skylines and some are in my top 10, however, they are not as harmonized as Philadelphia. Philadelphia has the advantage of old buildings mixed with new, extreme density, and a nice pyramid effect (tallest at the center). I don't base my rank solely on which city has the most skyscrapers (even though NYC & CHI have the most). Even as sunbelt cities boom, I don't see my top 5 changing anytime soon.
My take
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I agree with your assessment. I really like how you laid it out.
I have no idea if the views of different individuals are even respected on here but I agree with you.
1. New York - Its large, unique, with an amazing variety and urban core
2. Chicago - Great architecture, from numerous angles its simply amazing.
3. Philadelphia - I would place Philadelphia a solid 3rd; great panoramic view of the skyline and no matter what angle you see center city its amazing. Great variety of old and new skyscrapers; especially from north and south angles but really any angle. Great pyramid concept and layout; plus it has taller buildings.
4. San Francisco - I place 4th because the skyscrapers are not as tall and the panoramic view is not quite as spread out but that a lot to do with the fact that their city is on a peninsula so geography and being in an earthquake zone plays a part. Also the city isn't as old but otherwise its skyline is amazing.
5. Seattle - Elegant skyline; I really like Seattle's skyline and I hope at my age I get to see what the city will be like in 20 to 30 years because it has a whole lot of potential. Time will tell.
Out of Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Miami and Los Angeles I would say:
6. Los Angeles - Its panoramic skyline is developing and spreading out but its architecture is mostly late 20th Century or later so it has good potential to be great especially in time as its earlier skyscrapers get older and new one are built.
7. Miami - Along the coast its skyline is already amazing its just seen mostly from one angle so once again if it grows inland it'll be interesting to see
8. Atlanta - This city has a good skyline and what they seem to have done is place their larger building specifically so they've achieved a panorama effect; however the city has to still grow with time to give it more depth. Atlanta is going to be a great skyline and I can see it moving up from this placement.
9. Houston - This city is essentially like Los Angeles with its building styles but they lack the panoramic spread of Los Angeles; its not as large as Los Angeles and time will change that. Houston has potential in decades to come
10. Dallas - This city has potential to have a great skyline; its just that at this point it is so soon that its hard to tell how it will be in 30 to 40 years.