# What is the first city that comes to mind when I say "Greatest City in the World"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 25, 2010, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-the-world/526302 "2010-01-25T01:49:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Negative\_Lite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Negative\_Lite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Negative_Lite)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-the-world/526302/21 "2010-01-25T12:07:06Z")
NYC. London’s too short. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-the-world/526302/22 "2010-01-25T12:58:00Z")
New York. > [@Desert\_Nomad](#): > > Istanbul. Not Constantinople? ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-the-world/526302/23 "2010-01-25T13:49:20Z")
NYC ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-the-world/526302/24 "2010-01-25T13:52:24Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > Paris, France > London, England > Shattuck, Oklahoma > New York, New York I agree with your list except for the Shattuck, Oklahoma part. Possum Holler, Tennessee edges it out in my mind just because of the banjo player and that dog that looks like Groucho Marx. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-the-world/526302/25 "2010-01-25T14:22:35Z")
Without a doubt, New York. I lived there for 25 years, and wish I still did. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-the-world/526302/26 "2010-01-25T14:27:09Z")
I want to be a part of it…New York, New York. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-the-world/526302/27 "2010-01-25T14:31:30Z")
NYC. But Hong Kong is a close second. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-the-world/526302/28 "2010-01-25T14:49:40Z")
Since I’ve never been to London or Paris, I’ve got to go with NYC. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-the-world/526302/29 "2010-01-25T14:51:19Z")
It’s obviously Manchester. The rest of the world is just behind us, as usual. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-the-world/526302/30 "2010-01-25T14:53:42Z")
London. I may be wrong, I haven’t been to every city in the world. But so far, London. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-the-world/526302/31 "2010-01-25T14:58:39Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > New York. > Not Constantinople? No, it’s Istanbul, not Constantinople. Why’d Constantinople get the works? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-the-world/526302/32 "2010-01-25T15:02:00Z")
My answer: Washington, D.C. All the perks of living in a big city, without the insane traffic and crowds of NYC. More important, it is the capitol of arguably the greatest empire the world has ever known. The Union itself spans a continent, 300 million strong. And the reach of our economy and military is truly global. I would submit that there is no nation on Earth that does not, in at least some realms of policy, cast a nervous eye towards Our Fair City and ask, “What will Washington do?” Washington, DC. Everything else is an afterthought. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-the-world/526302/33 "2010-01-25T15:02:02Z")
New York City. Never even entertained the thought of another candidate. ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-the-world/526302/34 "2010-01-25T15:32:03Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > No, it’s Istanbul, not Constantinople. Why’d Constantinople get the works? That’s nobody’s business but the Turks’ ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-the-world/526302/35 "2010-01-25T15:42:11Z")
The first one that came to mind, per the op, was NYC. Upon reflection I would probably go for London, but that’s not what the op asked. ---
**Author:** ![kenner116](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecb155/32.png) [@kenner116](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenner116)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-the-world/526302/36 "2010-01-25T15:46:27Z")
New York, followed by London. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-the-world/526302/37 "2010-01-25T16:14:43Z")
I’ve been to New York, Washington, Tokyo, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Cape Town, Berlin\*, Paris, Moscow and Madrid. I love and hate London in roughly equal parts but there’s no question it’s the greatest city on Earth. Similar current global importanct to New York, but ten times the history. \*stopover at Templehof only. ---
**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 25, 2010, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-the-world/526302/38 "2010-01-25T16:20:52Z")
Am only one that thinks that NYC has a fantastic PR machine? I get the feeling that people automatically ‘think’ of NYC as The World City, even if it doesn’t match others in many areas. Which means that I’m not surprised that the common answer to the OP is NYC, even if I don’t think it ‘IS’ the greatest city. ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-the-world/526302/39 "2010-01-25T16:28:06Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Am only one that thinks that NYC has a fantastic PR machine? I get the feeling that people automatically ‘think’ of NYC as The World City, even if it doesn’t match others in many areas. > > Which means that I’m not surprised that the common answer to the OP is NYC, even if I don’t think it ‘IS’ the greatest city. apart from history/longevity, what other areas doesn’t it match up in? ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2010, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-the-world/526302/40 "2010-01-25T16:30:34Z")
London. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-the-world/526302.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-first-city-that-comes-to-mind-when-i-say-greatest-city-in-the-world/526302.md?page=3)