

Chicago vs New Orleans
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, they tie 3–3. Character is a different question: Chicago is the city rebuilt after the fire; New Orleans is the creole port.
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Places with a story
spots where a route tells you what happened there
Chicago
94
New Orleans
83
Chicago leads
How often you pass a story
metres from one story to the next; fewer is better
Chicago
293
New Orleans
208
New Orleans leads
Historical figures
real people you meet in its stories
Chicago
11
New Orleans
15
New Orleans leads
Instagrammability
score /100, on the index’s fixed scale
Chicago
37
New Orleans
34
Chicago leads
Group outings
of every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+
Chicago
22
New Orleans
25
New Orleans leads
International visitors
% of player reviews written in a foreign language
Chicago
2
New Orleans
0
Chicago leads
| What we measure | Chicago | New Orleans | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 94 | 83 | Chicago |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 293 | 208 | New Orleans |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 11 | 15 | New Orleans |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 37 | 34 | Chicago |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 22 | 25 | New Orleans |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 2 | 0 | Chicago |
Differences under 5% count as ties. Sample sizes and definitions on the methodology page.
What their stories are about
How many places with a story each city has per theme: Chicago in orange, New Orleans in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
Chicago scorecard
The city rebuilt after the fire
New Orleans scorecard
The creole port