Why London Is Better Than New York
Also, contrary to conventional wisdom, the world’s major cities are not at all alike.
A relaxing view.
Photographer: Frédéric Soltan/Corbis News“Major world cities are increasingly alike,” Josh Barro of New York magazine recently tweeted, agreeing with Megan McArdle’s recent column in the Washington Post. I know where they are coming from — New York and London have similar coffee shops and craft cocktails — but as a frequent traveler, I’d like to argue that there is a robust global urban diversity.
I am writing this from Jerusalem, having just taken the bus from Haifa, and even those two cities seem almost like different countries. Haifa has a peaceful feel, like many a shore town, and its substantial Muslim minority is combined with a noticeable Christian and Baha’i presence. Jerusalem had riots earlier this week and is a major center of global tensions. It comes across as far more religious, far more bustling and more sophisticated.