# "Beirut is the Paris of the Middle East" and its ilk **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 16, 2015, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-is-the-paris-of-the-middle-east-and-its-ilk/709951 "2015-01-16T01:54:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-is-the-paris-of-the-middle-east-and-its-ilk/709951/1 "2015-01-16T01:54:12Z")
I don’t know how popular that was, certainly among Lebanese, but I read that sobriquet (if sobriquet is the right word) now and then, certainly about the city before the 1970s. What other “ is the of ” related to geographic or political entities are out there? Speaking of (Zionist) entities, Tel Aviv is the New York of the Middle East. I just made that up, but it sounds right as far as it goes. Which reminds me, the Israel or Tel Aviv tourist board had (has) a pathetic little campaign to brand Tel Aviv “The Big Orange.” Another approved journalistic-y phrase, which had a longer and less embarrassing life, was “Silicon Wadi” (a wadi is the Arabic wore, adopted in Hebrew, for dry riverbed). I think that was less embarrassing because of the precedent of slapping “silicon” onto other regions–didn’t Boston have something like that? What’s interesting is that the so-named city or area, as in the above, assuming the residents give a damn, is that it acknowledges itself as a requiring some reflected glory, which when you think of it is kind of insulting. So: examples, current or otherwise? ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-is-the-paris-of-the-middle-east-and-its-ilk/709951/2 "2015-01-16T02:21:32Z")
Well, Edinburgh is the Athens of the North. San Francisco is the Paris of the West, while Kansas is apparently the Parish of the Plains. Stockholm is the Venice of the North. So is Brugge. So is St. Petersburgh. So, less plausibly, are Manchester and Hamburg. These things only work one way. “Paris is the Beirut of Western Europe”? “Athens is the Edinburgh of the South”? Hasn’t got the same ring. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-is-the-paris-of-the-middle-east-and-its-ilk/709951/3 "2015-01-16T02:27:04Z")
> [@UDS](#): > > … > 1 Edinburgh is the Athens of the North. > 2San Francisco is the Paris of the West > 3Kansas is apparently the Parish of the Plains. > > 4Stockholm is the Venice of the North. > 5…So is Brugge > 6…So is St. Petersburgh. > 7…,So, less plausibly, are Manchester > 8.and Hamburg… Which one of these are your creations? None? I never heard of any of them. Something is the riviera of something in France or Italy, I think… ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-is-the-paris-of-the-middle-east-and-its-ilk/709951/4 "2015-01-16T02:27:35Z")
[Boston is the Athens of America.](https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.boston-online.com/athens.html&sa=U&ei=0Xa4VNqZC6uOsQSLn4DQCQ&ved=0CBMQFjAE&sig2=Fn3WjQVX0uJ6XAkkOL0Eag&usg=AFQjCNG-7hECpD8l8o27CLoMTPuW7ZTA4Q) ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-is-the-paris-of-the-middle-east-and-its-ilk/709951/5 "2015-01-16T02:37:26Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Which one of these are your creations? None? I never heard of any of them. > **[Venice of the North](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice_of_the_North)** > > The following is a list of settlements nicknamed Venice of the North. > The term Venice of the North refers to various cities in Northern Europe that contain canals, comparing them to Venice, Italy, which is renowned for its canals, such as the Grand Canal. Some of these nicknames, e.g. in the case of Amsterdam, date back centuries, while others like Birmingham are recently given and invented as self-promotion by the cities' own residents or representatives. While we’re there: > **[Venice of the East](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_places_called_Venice_of_the_East)** > > The following is a list of places which have been nicknamed Venice of the East (a reference to the city of Venice, Italy). > **[Paris of the East](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_of_the_East)** > > The description Paris of the East has been applied to a large number of locations, including: > **[Paris of the West](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_of_the_West)** > > The description Paris of the West or in some cases Paris of America has been applied to a number of locations, including: ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-is-the-paris-of-the-middle-east-and-its-ilk/709951/6 "2015-01-16T02:39:20Z")
_Akron is the Paris of hard times_. **[David Giffels](http://www.davidgiffels.com/)**. However I know nothing of Akron. > [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Which one of these are your creations? None? I never heard of any of them. Heard of all except Kansas. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-is-the-paris-of-the-middle-east-and-its-ilk/709951/7 "2015-01-16T02:51:31Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Which one of these are your creations? None? I never heard of any of them. None of them are my creations. I have heard the Edinburgh one many times - they never shut up about it in Edinburgh - and each of Stockholm, St Petersburg and Brugge more than once. The others, I confess, I found by googling for the purposes of this thread. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-is-the-paris-of-the-middle-east-and-its-ilk/709951/8 "2015-01-16T03:06:17Z")
Ouray is the Switzerland of America. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-is-the-paris-of-the-middle-east-and-its-ilk/709951/9 "2015-01-16T03:42:39Z")
In more optimistic times, Abidjan was known as the Paris of Africa. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-is-the-paris-of-the-middle-east-and-its-ilk/709951/10 "2015-01-16T04:35:36Z")
Saigon was the Paris of the Orient. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-is-the-paris-of-the-middle-east-and-its-ilk/709951/11 "2015-01-16T04:40:35Z")
London doesn’t seem to get used much as a metaphor. I did some googling and the only thing I could find was a description of Manchester as the London of the North. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-is-the-paris-of-the-middle-east-and-its-ilk/709951/12 "2015-01-16T04:43:32Z")
So you’re saying Manchester has had an entente cordiale with itself? ETA: I don’t know about you, but to me that sounds like some sex practice or other ---
**Author:** ![Nema98](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d2c977/32.png) [@Nema98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nema98)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-is-the-paris-of-the-middle-east-and-its-ilk/709951/13 "2015-01-16T05:12:19Z")
I’ve heard Buenos Aires, Argentina being referred to as the “Paris of South America”. Kyrgyzstan has been dubbed by some sources as the “Switzerland of Central Asia”. Mostly due to it’s scenic beauty. Bangalore has been dubbed as the “Indian Silicon Valley”. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-is-the-paris-of-the-middle-east-and-its-ilk/709951/14 "2015-01-16T05:32:03Z")
I think I read once that Haifa is the San Francisco of Israel. They were referring to it as a modern metropolitan seafront city. I’ve heard that when God gives the world an enema, He’s inserting the nozzle into New Jersey. Personally, I find it difficult to disagree with that sentiment. So, I’ll allow the student to rephrase that to fit the equation. ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-is-the-paris-of-the-middle-east-and-its-ilk/709951/15 "2015-01-16T05:39:45Z")
A recent New York Times article referred to Copenhagen as the Brooklyn of Scandinavia. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-is-the-paris-of-the-middle-east-and-its-ilk/709951/16 "2015-01-16T08:53:26Z")
It’s not quite the same thing, but Herb Caen came up with the name “Baghdad by the Bay” for San Francisco. No one has called in that for years. Waimea Canyon in Kauai is called “the Grand Canyon of the Pacific.” ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-is-the-paris-of-the-middle-east-and-its-ilk/709951/17 "2015-01-16T09:20:42Z")
I realise this is quite an obscure one, but in Italy, the city of [Lecce](https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=lecce+puglia&espv=2&biw=1175&bih=793&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=n9e4VKfINeWE7gbv6oDoCA&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg) in the southern region of Puglia is often called the ‘Florence of the South’. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-is-the-paris-of-the-middle-east-and-its-ilk/709951/18 "2015-01-16T10:08:44Z")
During the olympics the media refferred to Sochi as the Riviera of Russia. ---
**Author:** ![APB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@APB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/APB)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-is-the-paris-of-the-middle-east-and-its-ilk/709951/19 "2015-01-16T10:18:20Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > I realise this is quite an obscure one, but in Italy, the city of [Lecce](https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=lecce+puglia&espv=2&biw=1175&bih=793&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=n9e4VKfINeWE7gbv6oDoCA&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg) in the southern region of Puglia is often called the ‘Florence of the South’. And the ‘Florence of the North’ isn’t Florence but Dresden. (Or the various other places that have claimed to be so with rather less success.) [QUOTE=Little Nemo] London doesn’t seem to get used much as a metaphor. I did some googling and the only thing I could find was a description of Manchester as the London of the North. [/QUOTE] That’s probably because cities within the British Empire that wanted to compare themselves to London instead tried to claim to the much contested title of ‘Second City of the Empire’. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2015, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-is-the-paris-of-the-middle-east-and-its-ilk/709951/20 "2015-01-16T10:45:25Z")
Sheboygan is the Malibu of the Midwest. Uh, yeah. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beirut-is-the-paris-of-the-middle-east-and-its-ilk/709951.md?page=2)