patrick.net

Tenpoundbass says

China can have what we once had.

I'd say their gold holdings, and the fact that they actually produce goods is more important than how many times they shift their population around.

Feux Follets says

Patrick says

standard of quality is generally lower.

Based on what metrics is this proven out by ?

The Patrick-meter of what tastes good.

CP tastes like shit.

Getting back to pizza and not all food. Conde Nest seems to have a different take on pizza. Sorry, I'm a homer and will defend my pizza till my death :) That said, you can get great pizza everywhere. Why? Because cooks/chef that can make good pizza move.

https://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2016-04-05/best-pizza-in-the-world-top-cities

Patrick says

Feux Follets says

Patrick says

standard of quality is generally lower.

Based on what metrics is this proven out by ?

The Patrick-meter of what tastes good.

Oh no he di'int.

Feux Follets says

Grand Rapids and Muskegon are not exactly the "garden" spots of the lower peninsula. "Comfortably" living or existing ?

Most people I know are existing, everywhere. I don't count mounds of debt as comfortably living, as that gravy train is soon to end. She had money to come out for my daughters graduation, despite just having moved and changing jobs. I'd say she's doing all right. Grand Rapids is a great city to live in. Good beer, thriving tech. Muskegon was rough. I can imagine it hasn't gotten much better since I've left, though I hear they have revitalized areas. I've been to the UP, lots of woods, not a lot of people, seems like my kind of place. But I don't put much stock in things or money. Anyway, the comparison was Midwest being poorer than the South, let's see what the facts say:


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_lowest-income_places_in_the_United_States

So out of the top 22, Missouri is there twice to represent your "poor Midwest". The Southwest is more prominently represented with six entries, and the SOUTH is represented 13 times. I'd say your boo-hooing of the Midwest is HIGHLY exaggerated.

WookieMan says

Getting back to pizza and not all food. Conde Nest seems to have a different take on pizza. Sorry, I'm a homer and will defend my pizza till my death :) That said, you can get great pizza everywhere. Why? Because cooks/chef that can make good pizza move.

Okay, any list that has Orlando at #4 for Pizza can be laughed out of the Room.

Their Picture for NY Pizza must be a stock image. That's nothing like a typical NY Pie.

Sorry Wookie!

It's the palm oil in it!

Okay. Well, I haven't seen much of Chicago, but my impression is it's the Orlando of the North. Very wide and low, lots of corporate places.

It looks like any of the more popular Pizzerias mostly became franchises, I tried to disprove my initial impression.

Deep Dish Pizza is Tomato Cake, which explains why Midwesterners model their Tomato Cakes after Chicago. Dry as a bone, no olive oil, Betty Crocker type flour, none of the bubbles in the crust which is required for real pizza. I guess Grandma Olsen and Aunt Brunhilda doesn't keep much Olive Oil in the house.

Correct:


HOWEVER, the thin crust, while not up to NY-NJ Standard, is good, particularly the Cheese-Tomato part. The square shape is wrong. Possibly second-best in the world, although Boston Italian is also excellent (really it's not any different than NY-NJ other than you have to watch the many college places which are cutting the price to serve students, but those are readily apparent from the menu)

AND, the Polish food, the perogies/blintzes, potato pancakes/latkes, pickles, kielbasas, etc. was EXCELLENT.

Chinatown was also great

I didn't make it much beyond the South Loop area, but it was very corporate with a "rehabbed downtown" with mostly chain eateries and a few Yuppie Sushi places.

It is, however, very clean.

Again, Chicago reminded me mostly of Orlando, Car Friendly, long walks, minimal retail/restaurant walkable locations and those mostly corporate. Between Mercy Hospital and the Marriott there was only a McDonalds, Starbucks, and generic hotel bar/restaurants.

My recommendation would be to imitate San Antonio's riverwalk along the Lake, and/or forcibly lower the rents to the many abandoned storefronts between the Convention/Hotel Area and China Town along Michigan Avenue.