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Any comparable cities to Paris in the 1920's?

Manifest Destiny

Manifest Destiny

Broderick Hicks
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Paris in the 20's is often thought of as the epicenter of art and culture of that time period. It seems like a place people would have moved just to be a part of what was going on. Is there a city or cities now that have that same quality?
 
What made Paris in the 1920s so special was a confluence of cultural, economic, and political forces after the war. Seems like you'd need a pretty unique set of circumstances to get something similar to a time of postwar positivism/progressivism, roaring economic prosperity, the rise of new media (radio, cinema, theater revival), etc. I think a lot of what made Paris in the 20s so special was novelty.
 
serious answer: we'll have a '20s Paris after the aliens arrive and we fight a war for our survival. we'll have a massive/generational loss of human life, traditional power structures destroyed and new technology to consider.
 
It's Berlin, but everyone already know that, so how sustainable can it be ?

Also, if you saw the movie Unfinished Business, you are aware of the Berlin scene, but also aware that it's almost certainly at the end of its time.
 
Following up on my earlier point, we don't really value the same things today that made Paris in the 20s seem so cool. There are great cities to see paintings and sculptures and modern art: Paris, Rome, Prague, Krakow, etc. There are cities with thriving theater: Paris, New York, St. Petersburg, London, Seville. There are cities with world-class, cutting edge food: Paris, Tokyo, New York, Copenhagen. There are multicultural cities with progressive local leaders and stable, thriving local economies: Paris, London, New York.

I think the answer you may be looking for is Paris.
 
Paris is overrun with Asian tourists. Go somewhere else.
 
What's going on in Berlin now that makes it comparable to Paris in the 1920's?
 
Per vad:

vadimivich said:
Cities

Berlin is ... Berlin. It's the current capital of all that's cool in Europe right now. The best music, the best bars, the best nightlife, the best art. Berlin is right now what Paris was in the 20s or London in the 60s ... it's where everyone young, cool (or who thinks they are either of things) on the entire continent is wanting to be. Much like Brooklyn of the 90's-00's it's starting to fall victim of it's own success a bit (too much money following the hip scene and gentrifying things too much) but it's still awesome. If you are going to one city in the German speaking world, it should be Berlin. Stay in Kreuzberg or Prenzlauer Berg and soak in the crazy scene around you. Eat street food. Get fucked up out of your mind in crazy ass warehouse nightclubs. Go see the bleeding edge of European modern art.

Badehaus-Simpla.jpg
Click to expand...
 
Nice looks like Vad and I are on the same page. Everyone I've talked to that has been to Berlin says you have to go if you're anywhere close in Europe and that it's absolutely awesome.
 
I won't deny that it's the closest thing to Paris in 1920's going on in the world today. But I'm not really aware of any literature, music, etc... coming from Berlin that is having the big cultural impact on America that Paris had in the 20's. Granted I can't tell you anything that came out of Brooklyn in 90's/00's that did either other than the hipster movement.
 
I'd defer to vad or others, but I'm guessing one reason Berlin is so sweet right now is the mix of postwar culture that split the city in half. The revitalization of the town center, that specific urban development probably led to it being the cool city it is today.

Crazy how much boring shit like zoning and municipal planning goes into cities becoming sweet.
 
It's comparable. It's probably the best answer right now. It's also possible that Paris in the 1920's is highly romanticized beyond what it really was.
 
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