Chicago vs New York City
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, New York City leads 3–1 (2 within the tie margin). Character is a different question: Chicago is the city rebuilt after the fire; New York City is the island of arrivals.
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Places with a story
spots where a route tells you what happened there
Chicago
94
New York City
369
New York City leads
How often you pass a story
metres from one story to the next; fewer is better
Chicago
293
New York City
291
Tie
Historical figures
real people you meet in its stories
Chicago
11
New York City
99
New York City leads
Instagrammability
score /100, on the index’s fixed scale
Chicago
37
New York City
75
New York City leads
Group outings
of every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+
Chicago
22
New York City
20
Chicago leads
International visitors
% of player reviews written in a foreign language
Chicago
2
New York City
2
Tie
| What we measure | Chicago | New York City | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 94 | 369 | New York City |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 293 | 291 | tie |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 11 | 99 | New York City |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 37 | 75 | New York City |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 22 | 20 | Chicago |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | 2 | 2 | tie |
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 York City in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
Chicago scorecard →
The city rebuilt after the fire
New York City scorecard →
The island of arrivals