Greatest City in the World?

[- Groucho -]

My favorite is probably Paris, but that wasn't the question. For greatest I had to pick London and New York. As far as the stuff that makes a city "great" - influential culture, influential economy, influential history - these two definitely stand above the rest on a current measure. You might pick somewhere like Athens if you were going for most total aggregate "greatness" from a historical perspective. But I don't think that is what "great" means.

But I'd rather live in Paris (or Vancouver, close second).

[Spiffor]

As someone who lives in Paris, I can't say I'd like to live there all my life (I'm sure I'll do though). When you're a tourist in Paris, you appreciate the "city" feel, and you'd like to be lazy there.
But Paris is the French city where people are the most stressed and fast. If you look at people in subway stations, you'll be surprised to see how fast they walk. Also, you have an overpopulated subway or permanent traffic jams at rush hour (maybe that's the same everywhere, I don't know).

There is however on thing in Paris which is excellent : Saint-Germain and Le Marais quarters. There you have the city feel even for people who live there, and you have an extremely interesting evening and night life (cinemas, bistros full of young people, restaurant, gay bistros in Le Marais etc.)
If you're in Paris forget about Champs Elysées and other tourist-milking crap, and go there !

[Seneca]

Hey, where's Vienna in that poll?

[- Groucho -]

True, I only have a tourist's perspective of Paris, but I've always found Paris' pace quite relaxing. Of course, I work in midtown Manhattan so by comparison ...

[Hobbes]

My personal favs are:

1. Vancouver (Canada)
2. Den Haag/Scheveningen (Holland)
3. Venice (Italy)
4. Florence (Italy)
5. Montreal (Canada)

[Giovanni Wine]

Uhmmm

I wonder why so many people votes for Paris!

I've been there four times, and four times I went away in disgust.
It's dirty, too big, most of it's art come straight from Italy (one for all Monna Lisa of Leonardo da Vinci, or the Triumph Arch)
And is not a liveable city.

And also I can not understand why there are not some truly city-gems like:

Urbino (Italy): If you go there, go into the ducal palace.... I spent there 2 hours simply admiring the door!!! Never see a palace so beautyful in my life (so far)!

Florence (Italy): Come on! A city with so much art in it, homecity of Michelangelo, Leonardo, Dante and so on....

Prague (Czech Rep.): One of the most "atmosphere" city in the whole world. Everything is beutyful there, and Czechs are etween the nicest people too.

Anyway:
Voted for Athens, Rome, Venice and NY

Saluti

[Adalbertus]

My favourites:
1. Cologne (can't help, born there, love the place)
2. Venice (Aaah those lunches at Mamma, the nights at Oswaldo)
3. Prague

Most overrated of those I've seen:
Brussels (nice buildings but the least cared-for city I've seen in Europe)
Paris (I hate everything gigantomaniac and the fact that a great part of the paintings in the Louvre is stolen).

[1]

I voted for NY, though I would have chosen San Francisco in a heartbeat had it been on the list.

[Pekka]

Those on the list.. i'd have to go with NY.

[notyoueither]

London, Montreal, NewYork, Rome, Toronto. Not in that order.

Honourable mention to Vancouver.

[Asher]

Flint, Michigan REPRESENT!!!!

[Sten Sture]

Flint Generals Rule!

oh wait I think they folded in the early 80s...

[Paul Hanson]

Washington is a nice place from a tourist's perspective, as it has lots of nice, white monuments to dazzle you (and to think you can buy Washington D.C. colouring books.)

[Boris Godunov]

Hmm, no Buenos Aires or Rio de Janero on the list, either...

[Imran Siddiqui]

I voted for London, Paris, NY, and Venice. Prague should have been on there.

Oh, and Atlanta isn't half bad either .