Cities whose skylines make you cry - Page 20

JAYNYC · #**381** Posted **Aug 21, 2019, 12:12 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sun Belt

3] Boston
4] Phila. [swapable w/ Boston, but Boston does have a better waterfront]
[?]

Ranking the Boston skyline above the Philadelphia skyline is just about the most effective way to lose all credibility among true skyscraper enthusiasts.

Sun Belt · #**382** Posted **Aug 21, 2019, 12:14 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JAYNYC

Ranking the Boston skyline above the Philadelphia skyline is just about the most effective way to lose all credibility among true skyscraper enthusiasts.

We should put it up to a vote. I bet it's close to 50/50.

JAYNYC · #**383** Posted **Aug 21, 2019, 12:15 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sun Belt

We should put it up to a vote. I bet it's close to 50/50.

Highly doubtful. Go for it.

Not to mention you completely neglected to include Pittsburgh (which is as "East Coast" as Atlanta), yet included Baltimore.

Sun Belt · #**384** Posted **Aug 21, 2019, 12:17 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JAYNYC

Highly doubtful. Go for it.

Not to mention you completely neglected to include Pittsburgh (which is as "East Coast" as Atlanta), yet included Baltimore.

Pittsburgh isn't East Coast, therefore it was left off the list, but if you want to put it on my list, it would be just above Baltimore -- maybe.

The North One · #**385** Posted **Aug 21, 2019, 12:40 AM**

Comcast must really hate Philly because not even a mother could love those awful towers.

MonkeyRonin · #**386** Posted **Aug 21, 2019, 12:45 AM**

Can we all do our top 10 US skylines now? Here's mine and everyone else's is wrong:

1. New York (duh)
2. Chicago (duh)
3. San Francisco
4. Los Angeles
5. Philadelphia
6. Seattle
7. Pittsburgh
8. Boston
9. Atlanta
10. Houston

dc_denizen · #**387** Posted **Aug 21, 2019, 12:45 AM**

Ive never actually seen an aerial of Milwaukee showing, you know, the rest of the city besides downtown and the immediate waterfront.

chris08876 · #**388** Posted **Aug 21, 2019, 1:09 AM**

Philly gets no love I feel. Have some of you folks seen that skyline at night when driving on I-95, precisely through the Girard Point Bridge? Its a divine sight to behold.

Philly is very, very underrated but can make you say holy shit when viewed from the right angles and at the right time of day.

Not many cities hold the "holy shit factor". Chicago, Philly have this effect along with NY, SF, Miami and Seattle (I-5 heading towards the city).

And thats about it!

Sun Belt · #**389** Posted **Aug 21, 2019, 1:24 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris08876

Philly gets no love I feel. Have some of you folks seen that skyline at night when driving on I-95, precisely through the Girard Point Bridge? Its a divine sight to behold.

Philly is very, very underrated but can make you say holy shit when viewed from the right angles and at the right time of day.

Not many cities hold the "holy shit factor". Chicago, Philly have this effect along with NY, SF, Miami and Seattle (I-5 heading towards the city).

And thats about it!

Storrow Drive rounding the "Reverse Curve" sign hanging from the Longfellow Bridge only to see the 60 story John Hancock, towering over the back side of Back Bay/Beacon Street, after traveling through the rest of the Financial District in Boston [on the old elevated Central Artery] will give you the same feeling.

When I lived off Beacon, I would drive this often. I could look up at the old John Hancock alongside the new John Hancock and get the weather report from the beacon atop, based off colors and whether or not is was blinking or solid.

iheartthed · #**390** Posted **Aug 21, 2019, 1:26 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris08876

Philly gets no love I feel. Have some of you folks seen that skyline at night when driving on I-95, precisely through the Girard Point Bridge? Its a divine sight to behold.

Philly is very, very underrated but can make you say holy shit when viewed from the right angles and at the right time of day.

Not many cities hold the "holy shit factor". Chicago, Philly have this effect along with NY, SF, Miami and Seattle (I-5 heading towards the city).

And thats about it!

Philly isn't quite "holy shit" category for me, but it's definitely a top 5 U.S. skyline. It's skyline is far bigger than Boston's... But Philly is a far bigger city than Boston. Ranking skylines within 100 miles of the Atlantic Ocean:

1 - NYC
2 - Philly
3 - Miami
4 - Boston
5 - Who cares after that?

jtown,man · #**391** Posted **Aug 21, 2019, 1:38 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by iheartthed

5 - Who cares after that?

Oh man, not this again...we are about to be schooled on tiers LOL

MonkeyRonin · #**392** Posted **Aug 21, 2019, 1:50 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris08876

Philly gets no love I feel. Have some of you folks seen that skyline at night when driving on I-95, precisely through the Girard Point Bridge? Its a divine sight to behold.

Philly is very, very underrated but can make you say holy shit when viewed from the right angles and at the right time of day.

Back when I started posting on SSC/P all those years ago, I remember being pretty unimpressed with Philly's skyline; but more recently it's had some great additions that have really catapulted it up to being one of the best in North America.

https://cellcode.us/quotes/school-rooftop-bok-bar.html

http://phillyskyline.com/

https://500px.com/photo/39077720/por...by-eric-tankel

JAYNYC · #**393** Posted **Aug 21, 2019, 1:57 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sun Belt

Pittsburgh isn't East Coast, therefore it was left off the list, but if you want to put it on my list, it would be just above Baltimore -- maybe.

So Pittsburgh isn’t East Coast (by your definition), but Atlanta and Charlotte are (by your definition).

Makes sense.

JAYNYC · #**394** Posted **Aug 21, 2019, 2:00 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

4. Los Angeles

10. Houston

Would love to hear your rationale for these two rankings.

The North One · #**395** Posted **Aug 21, 2019, 2:04 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JAYNYC

So Pittsburgh isn’t East Coast (by your definition), but Atlanta and Charlotte are (by your definition).

Makes sense.

Don't feed the troll

Centropolis · #**396** Posted **Aug 21, 2019, 2:05 AM**

wrong thread

JAYNYC · #**397** Posted **Aug 21, 2019, 2:07 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris08876

Philly gets no love I feel. Have some of you folks seen that skyline at night when driving on I-95, precisely through the Girard Point Bridge? Its a divine sight to behold.

Philly is very, very underrated but can make you say holy shit when viewed from the right angles and at the right time of day.

Not many cities hold the "holy shit factor". Chicago, Philly have this effect along with NY, SF, Miami and Seattle (I-5 heading towards the city).

And thats about it!

“thats about it!” 🙄

Right. So the skylines of Seattle and Philly definitely have the “oh, sh*t” factor, but the skylines of Houston, L.A., Dallas and Atlanta (downtown + midtown) definitely don’t.

MonkeyRonin · #**398** Posted **Aug 21, 2019, 2:14 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by JAYNYC

Would love to hear your rationale for these two rankings.

Los Angeles has got that great buildup of mid-rise density that gives it a sense of real heft:

https://urbanize.la/sites/default/fi...?itok=Yp7TFj5I

Houston just doesn't have the same level of depth to it's skyline:

https://www.chron.com/news/houston-t...s-13330138.php

DZH22 · #**399** Posted **Aug 21, 2019, 3:08 AM**

The Philly skyline is awesome (yes holy sh** awesome), but still feels a bit limited in scope due to the longstanding Gentleman's Agreement for so many years. It's very dramatic and Center City is IN YOUR FACE amazing. It just needs to fill out more, but it's getting there.

I would put it above the Boston skyline because of the incredible towers at the top of the heap, and a great set of stately pre-war towers to boot. Boston can't compete with either of those, although the Boston skyline is still more expansive overall and actually wins every height comparison for each city's respective 13th through 50th tallest buildings. Again, Philadelphia still wins because it's just SO TALL and dense and the entirety of Center City is slammed together and presented in all its glory.

Atlanta also has a holy sh** moment driving in on 85 South. Midtown is to the left, with downtown beyond. The combination of the 2, when looking towards downtown in particular, is incredible! It's a very tall, spread out city with lots of spires. Downtown is much denser and more urban than given credit for, but the rest (Midtown through Buckhead at least) lives down to its suburban infamy. Still a great skyline, if a little too sparse.

Boston's best views on the approach are the absolute holy sh** moment cresting the Tobin Bridge (unfortunately the whole effect is pretty quick), taking 93 North from Quincy where the skyline completely envelopes you and the overall city mass feels huge (particularly taking the South Station exit ramp), and Memorial Drive East in Cambridge, with the whole skyline laid out in front of you and to your right across the Charles River. All 3 of these views are quite different, but in conjunction give one the idea of the overall scope of the place.

TLDR Philadelphia is awesome and has the 2nd best skyline on the East Coast. In my experience, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Boston are all "holy sh**" skylines when actually driving into them (partially depending on approach for all 3).

To give another shout out, Pittsburgh from Mount Washington is absolutely a holy sh** world class skyline view! Unfortunately, impact projects seem to be few and far between out there.

JAYNYC · #**400** Posted **Aug 21, 2019, 3:20 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MonkeyRonin

Houston just doesn't have the same level of depth to it's skyline:

https://www.chron.com/news/houston-t...s-13330138.php

CONGRATULATIONS!

You successfully scoured the Internet to find literally the worst possible angle/photo of the Houston skyline I've ever seen in my life to justify your point.