What suburb is the best destination?

xzmattzx · #1 Posted **Oct 14, 2019, 4:37 AM**

What suburb would you consider the best or greatest destination?

Most suburbs are not destinations for tourists or travelers. Ever hear of someone who was going to New York City and was excited to see Jersey City? How many people make sure to spend some time in Rockville when visiting Washington DC? Know of any tourist who decided to just go to Mississauga and not set foot in Toronto?

LA21st · #2 Posted **Oct 14, 2019, 4:40 AM**

Santa Monica.
South Orange county.

xzmattzx · #3 Posted **Oct 14, 2019, 4:42 AM**

Two stand out to me. Scottsdale, AZ, and Miami Beach, FL, are both destinations in their own rights. Many people fly to Phoenix and spend all their time in Scottsdale golfing. Most people that go to Miami actually go to Miami Beach to the point that many people may think of Miami Beach as part of the City of Miami.

Cambridge, MA, is probably right below Miami Beach or Scottsdale. The Harvard and MIT campuses are destinations in their own right to a degree.

Santa Monica is probably a good choice, too, with tourists who visit the pier.

Clearwater and St. Petersburg are also good candidates, although the Tampa Bay Area seems truly multi-nodal like the Twin Cities or Bay Area.

ThePhun1 · #4 Posted **Oct 14, 2019, 4:43 AM**

Jersey City is not a suburb. Highly dwarfed satellite/anchor maybe but definitely not a suburb.

Usually college towns and places with amusement parks are destinations. I'd add sports but many bland suburbs have or do host major sports.

JManc · #5 Posted **Oct 14, 2019, 4:47 AM**

Yeah, St. Pete is its own city. Great glass art museum there.

pj3000 · #6 Posted **Oct 14, 2019, 4:48 AM**

Miami Beach is just about the furthest thing from a suburb as a place can possibly be.

xzmattzx · #7 Posted **Oct 14, 2019, 4:49 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThePhun1

Jersey City is not a suburb. Highly dwarfed satellite/anchor maybe but definitely not a suburb.

Usually college towns and places with amusement parks are destinations. I'd add sports but many bland suburbs have or do host major sports.

We can debate the semantics of every municipality near a big city and whether it's a suburb or satellite city, but for the purpose of this argument, I think it's understood that Jersey City is more a place to leave for the day (as in commute to work) than go for the day for people who live in the area.

dc_denizen · #8 Posted **Oct 14, 2019, 11:25 AM**

Oak park Il

pj3000 · #9 Posted **Oct 14, 2019, 1:07 PM**

I think the worst suburb destination might just be Lake Buena Vista, FL

iheartthed · #10 Posted **Oct 14, 2019, 2:52 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by xzmattzx

We can debate the semantics of every municipality near a big city and whether it's a suburb or satellite city, but for the purpose of this argument, I think it's understood that Jersey City is more a place to leave for the day (as in commute to work) than go for the day for people who live in the area.

Jersey City isn't a bedroom community, either.

liat91 · #11 Posted **Oct 14, 2019, 3:36 PM**

NY has the Hamptons if you count that.
For LA, only Santa Monica
Chicago none
San Francisco has Sausalito and the Napa valley.
Philadelphia has AC and Cape May if you count those.

iheartthed · #12 Posted **Oct 14, 2019, 3:41 PM**

Paradise, NV

pj3000 · #13 Posted **Oct 14, 2019, 3:43 PM**

How about Arlington, TX?

Location of Cowboys and Rangers stadia and Six Flags amusement park. It actually fits the definition of a suburb and is a destination.

Buckeye Native 001 · #14 Posted **Oct 14, 2019, 3:53 PM**

Anaheim, CA, if that's your thing...

I personally hate Disney Land.

jd3189 · #15 Posted **Oct 14, 2019, 4:02 PM**

Is Palm Springs considered a suburb or its own town? And Santa Monica should just be a neighborhood in LA, same with Beverly Hills and Hollywood.

sopas ej · #16 Posted **Oct 14, 2019, 4:04 PM**

Yokohama.

Centropolis · #17 Posted **Oct 14, 2019, 4:05 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jd3189

Is Palm Springs considered a suburb or its own town? And Santa Monica should just be a neighborhood in LA, same with Beverly Hills and Hollywood.

palm springs is like 4-12 separate traffic jams and 3.5 hours from LAX so i'd hope not. doesn't feel like it. and yeah, santa monica, beverly hills feel like neighborhoods of LA to me.

sopas ej · #18 Posted **Oct 14, 2019, 4:05 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jd3189

Is Palm Springs considered a suburb or its own town? And Santa Monica should just be a neighborhood in LA, same with Beverly Hills and Hollywood.

Palm Springs isn't a suburb.

LA21st · #19 Posted **Oct 14, 2019, 4:07 PM**

Anaheim is a good choice for this, actually. There's a million hotels over there.

sopas ej · #20 Posted **Oct 14, 2019, 4:17 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by LA21st

Anaheim is a good choice for this, actually. There's a million hotels over there.

Yes; and aside from the Disney obvious, Anaheim also has Little Arabia, the best place to get authentic Arabic/Middle Eastern cuisine. They have really good and authentic Syrian, Palestinian and Iraqi places to eat. It's where I first tried khubz, and bouza. Mmm, bouza. Yeah, those tourists? SCREW taking your kids to Cold Stone or 31 flavors. Treat them and yourselves to bouza:

Photo by me