Los Angeles vs San Diego
Not opinions, measured walking data. On what we can measure, Los Angeles leads 2–1 (2 within the tie margin). Character is a different question: Los Angeles is the city of stars on the pavement; San Diego is the exposition city.
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Places with a story
spots where a route tells you what happened there
Los Angeles
52
San Diego
50
Tie
How often you pass a story
metres from one story to the next; fewer is better
Los Angeles
290
San Diego
260
San Diego leads
Historical figures
real people you meet in its stories
Los Angeles
13
San Diego
1
Los Angeles leads
Instagrammability
score /100, on the index’s fixed scale
Los Angeles
73
San Diego
54
Los Angeles leads
Group outings
of every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+
Los Angeles
24
San Diego
23
Tie
International visitors
% of player reviews written in a foreign language
Los Angeles
—
San Diego
1
San Diego leads
| What we measure | Los Angeles | San Diego | Leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Places with a storyspots where a route tells you what happened there | 52 | 50 | tie |
| How often you pass a storymetres from one story to the next; fewer is better | 290 | 260 | San Diego |
| Historical figuresreal people you meet in its stories | 13 | 1 | Los Angeles |
| Instagrammabilityscore /100, on the index’s fixed scale | 73 | 54 | Los Angeles |
| Group outingsof every 100 plays, how many bring a group of 3+ | 24 | 23 | tie |
| International visitors% of player reviews written in a foreign language | — | 1 | San Diego |
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: Los Angeles in orange, San Diego in blue. All bars share one scale, so lengths are comparable everywhere on the chart.
Los Angeles scorecard →
The city of stars on the pavement
San Diego scorecard →
The exposition city