Snore-gon.
A crew of self-proclaimed experts have audaciously named Portland, Oregon, the “coolest” city in North America — beating out the Big Apple by scoring higher on an eyeball roll-making list of metrics that include the variety of vegan restaurants and “commitment to sustainability.”
That’s right — the brain-geniuses at gambling site Betway.com have declared NYC, with its cultural capital status, internationally recognized institutions and scores of world-renowned landmarks a second-rate city.
Even worse, the survey leaves Gotham trailing behind a weirdo-afflicted West Coast wannabe known for dystopian crime, rising homelessness, constant violence, area of interest appeal and probably the most overrated tourist attraction on the planet.
And just what’s it that makes a city “cool”? In response to the highly dubious study, conducted by unnamed researchers — possibly too embarrassed to disclose their identities — it’s all about “diversity,” and things like nightlife and the art scene, in accordance with Time Out.
That, and — apparently — the variety of pretentious beer halls, exhaustingly eco and health-conscious restaurants, fusty second-hand clothes shops and dusty music shops,
The study claimed that Stumptown’s 110 record stores, 188 microbreweries, 301 tattoo studios, 864 vegan/vegetarian restaurants, and 85 thrift stores make it superior to the Big Apple’s measly 99 record stores, 91 microbreweries, 388 tattoo parlors, 1089 vegan/vegetarian restaurants and 112 thrift stores, in accordance with Time Out.
Rounding out the highest five after Portland and NYC were Los Angeles in third place, Seattle in fourth, and Canada’s largest city, Toronto, in fifth, for “its diversity, multicultural festivals and world-class museums.”