# How do you see your city, how do non-residents see it, facts and reality



## Jaye101 (Feb 16, 2005)

monkeyronin said:


> I have to say though, I do like the stereotypes of us all being gay, pot smoking, god hating, hippie communist liberals :cheers:


Uh, no.


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## monkeyronin (May 18, 2006)

Why not? fun stereotypes are always good stereotypes.


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## Imperfect Ending (Apr 7, 2003)

Los Angeles to everyone:


































































Reality:


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## illmatic774 (Jul 20, 2005)

Actually, this is how 80 percent of America sees Detroit. NO EXAGGERATION.

I hate ignorance. read the comments. Notice how many Detroiters/Michiganders shit on their own city.

http://ytmnd.com/sites/profile/507702


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## _00_deathscar (Mar 16, 2005)

Aquamadoor ~ Great post


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## Penhorn (Mar 28, 2006)

This is a bit of an exaggeration though.


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## BenL (Apr 24, 2006)

London: It's a city with too many stereotypes of red phone boxes, black cabs and men in bowler hats. Whilst this London does exist, I thought I'd put up to show some pictures of the other London, living side by side the imagined London. One of the things I love about London is the myriad contrasts:

London icon Big Ben:









And on the other side of the Thames stands a rather newer icon:










Tower Bridge is another mock-gothic landmark of London:









Half a mile away lies what is perhaps Norman Foster's best work - The "Gherkin". This area will soon be home to one of the best skylines in the world:










"Feed the Birds", sang the Bird Lady by Wren's masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathederal in Mary Poppins. It is one of the greatest religious buildings in the world:









Leading to it lies another Foster London icon - the Millennium "wobbly" Bridge. (And then on the opposite side of the river an Orwellian power station now home to one of the finest modern art collections in the world):









The Notting Hill of Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts:









And the Notting Hill carnival (the largest carnival in the world after Rio):









Greenwich, one of four London UNESCO World Heritage sights:









With one of Europe's best skylines in the background:










Now the weather isn't always great:









But you can always get a tan if you know where to look:










I suppose my point is that you can, if you try really hard, look for the old London. You can compose that picture of Big Ben ommitting the London Eye (and vice versa) but you'd be missing out on something that makes this city truly great: The many different "Londons", black, white, Asian, Chelsea, Arsenal, old, new, indie, grime, North, South, East, West, working class, middle class, living side by side, mostly as friends, creating something very special.


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## spongeg (May 1, 2006)

Vancouver

*Stereotype*

Backwater small logging industry town on the edge of a rain forest and the ocean thats very laidback

its the Amsterdam of North America and you can get pot at cafes and smoke it openly

its very enviornmentaly conscience and eco hippies abound

rains all year round 2/47

its where you go on cruises to Alaska so it must be cold since its so far north

rest of Canada thinks its so mild here in winter


*Reality*

its quite bustling and modern

pot is quite acceptable here and you do whiff it at the beaches etc. but i can think of one maybe two cafes where yes you can smoke it but you cannot just buy it at the counter and ok grow ups are whats keeping the economy going here and as far as pot use goes i think that honour goes to Quebec

crappy roads and indirect tranist options make it a car city and pollution is probably worse than we care to admit but for the most part that pollution is pushed out into the valley and smog alerts are a growing reality

the summers are usually dry and the grass dies and its browner in the summer than it is in the winter

We are probably Canada's largest city so close to the border - the suburbs actually run along the border so we are no further north than the northern states

although it is mild and we rarely get snow - it does get cold - its a horrible damp cold and standing outside in pouring rain in 2 celcius weather waiting for a bus is no nicer than standing out in a snowstorm elsewhere - a lot of older houses are not built like they are on the rest of the country and drafts abound - i know my apartment only has one ply glass and in the winter its freezing by the windows


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## monkeyronin (May 18, 2006)

spongeg said:


> Vancouver
> 
> *Stereotype*
> 
> ...


Don't know where you get the idea of the first one :dunno: 

Maybe from Americans who think thats what all of Canada is, but I think most Canadians know its a big city. 

As for the second (as you already mentioned), Vancouver is thought of as being some sort of tropical paradise by the rest of the country, so doesn't this kinda contradict the stereotype?

But yeah, the rest are pretty much true


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## Lieven (Aug 21, 2006)

Rotterdam
*How Rotterdam is viewed by the rest of the Netherlands*
A though, no nonsense working city.
The city is ugly, and has no historical buildings.
> 50% is immigrant, so there must be a lot of crime.

*Reality*
We love our no nonsense image.
Has a lot of high quality, modern architecture, and really feels like a big city. (In contrary to megavillage Amsterdam)
We do have a lot of immigrants, but imho, it's actually going quite well, and you see many groups with both foreign people and dutch people.

Rotterdam has an inferiority complex against Amsterdam, but with that, we are very passionate about our city, and will do anything to make it look better (or make Amsterdam look worse for that matter). It's a bit like the way a mother loves her ugly child. Rotterdam really isn't ugly any more, especially if you like modern cities, but it traditionally has that image in the Netherlands.


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## Küsel (Sep 16, 2004)

Zürich

stereotypes: Banks, banks, banks and lots of rich people in a boring conservative city

reality: 30% foreigners, one of the highest restaurant and club density in the continent, 15% under poverty line the one of the biggest parties in the world, as well as liberal views on drug issues and homosexuality.


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## M&M (May 16, 2006)

*Buenos Aires*​
Stereotypes:

- Everyone likes tango
- Just another latinamerican city
- Just as Mexico
- A small, poor city
- Third world

Reality:

- Tango is originally from Buenos Aires, but it doesn't mean everyone likes it. Tango is a part of the culture, but it's not the only culture!
- It's more european rather than latinamerican, because of its culture and architecture
- So not like Mexico! Couldn't be more different!
- A big, rich city, with a 12 million pop
- Would be like 2nd world. A development city.

Pics:


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## Küsel (Sep 16, 2004)

I don't think that people consider BA as third world, poor or small - at least I never met anyone who thinks that... mostly people even say that it's the biggest and most European city on the continent (it's more famous than Sampa generally). And don't forget Evita


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## krull (Oct 8, 2005)

Same I always here good things about Buenos Aires... Big city, nice architecture, not all that poor, etc... Well maybe because I live in NYC. But even when I lived in Philadelphia I heard the same thing. People here think is a cool city!


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## TheKansan (Jun 22, 2004)

I'd be willing to bet that 95% of people don't even know anything about Kansas City. The number one stereotype is that Kansas City is in Kansas. This is both true and false, which is why it is confusing.


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## jacobboyer (Jul 14, 2005)

Aquamadoor said:


> Los Angeles to everyone:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


LoL!! You forgot the endless streets of million dollar homes.


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## M&M (May 16, 2006)

TheKansan said:


> I'd be willing to bet that 95% of people don't even know anything about Kansas City. The number one stereotype is that Kansas City is in Kansas. This is both true and false, which is why it is confusing.


When I think of Kansas, I remember Dorothy being taken away by the twister!


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## M&M (May 16, 2006)

Kuesel said:


> I don't think that people consider BA as third world, poor or small - at least I never met anyone who thinks that... mostly people even say that it's the biggest and most European city on the continent (it's more famous than Sampa generally). And don't forget Evita





krull said:


> Same I always here good things about Buenos Aires... Big city, nice architecture, not all that poor, etc... Well maybe because I live in NYC. But even when I lived in Philadelphia I heard the same thing. People here think is a cool city!


Thanks for your words. But I've heard people saying BA is a third world city, and a poor city, and I couldn't believe it! This city doesn't look like a third world city at all!

And, of course, it IS the most european city in America, but latinamericans (mostly) think taha BA is just another _latina_ city to be proud of, but it's so not! Be proud of Mexico, because Argentina is a totally different continent!
People is nice here, and I'm glad you've heard that, also.

*And don't forget Evita * Don't cry for me, Argentina...


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## Küsel (Sep 16, 2004)

But now I really wonder where you heard these negative statements about BA... it's increadable. I was never there, know only POA, Rio and Sampa but what I saw or learned til now BA is not that much different than these cities but preserved much more of the colonial European buildings that give it a kind of a Paris charm. And this is what I would say nearly all of the people I know personally here in Europe would say more or less.


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## Max the Swede (Jan 5, 2005)

I belive the most common sterotype about Sweden are the one of a homogeneous, "all blonde" country. Most visitors I've had over have been surprised by the diversity. Sweden has continuesly accepted more immigrants then most western countries since after WWII and out of 9 million Swedes 1.2 million or 1.7 million(depending on how you measure)are "invandrare", immigrants putting it way ahead of countries such as Germany, Britain, Netherland and even the United States. In proprotion that is of course not in numbers. UK had 7% of it's population born in another country, USA 10%, Germany 9% and Sweden together with France 11% only beaten (in europe at least) by Luxemburg with 30%. Sweden has also many times been labeled as one of the more immigration friendliest nations in many studies.


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