London and New York in battle to be ... Capital of Cool
There used to be only one winner: but now, after closing the gap as the world's financial hub, London will go head to head with its transatlantic rival in an autumn battle of culture, report David Smith and Alice Fisher
Sunday September 9, 2007
The Observer
The Terracotta Army will do battle with Rembrandt. Ewan McGregor's Iago will take on Kevin Kline's Cyrano de Bergerac. On the catwalk, Stella McCartney will be fighting for the limelight with Gwen Stefani.
The unofficial battle for the title World Capital of Cool is about to resume. There are only two big beasts in the jungle: New York, once the undisputed champion, and London, seen by many as rapidly closing the gap. Debate about their respective merits raged earlier this year when London emerged as a threat to the Big Apple's financial dominance. It is about to start again as the cities go head to head in an autumn culture war.
New York has struck an early blow after being voted the 'coolest city in the world' in research published today. An online survey of more than 2,500 people aged 18-35 was commissioned by STA Travel and CoolBrands, part of the Superbrands consultancy. New York was rated number one for 'coolness' with 14 per cent of the vote, followed by London on 10 per cent. It is a measure of how far the British capital's thriving bars, restaurants and shops have come in recent years that it beat perennial favourites Sydney, Barcelona, San Francisco, Rio de Janeiro, Bangkok, Paris, Tokyo and Berlin in the top 10.
But the perceived gulf between London and the rest of Britain was laid bare by an associated poll to find the world's coolest countries. Australia topped the rankings, followed by New Zealand, Thailand and America, whereas the UK failed to make the top 20.
Stephen Cheliotis, chairman of the CoolBrands Council, said the results did not surprise him: 'Historically, New York has been seen as the self-proclaimed capital of the world. Almost everyone feels they know New York, even if they haven't been there, because they've seen so many films and TV programmes. The way it has bounced back after 9/11 has shown New Yorkers' "can do" attitude.
'But London is starting to challenge, not only in the City, but for the crown of capital of the world. Not quite as many films are set there, although the latest Harry Potter will probably be one of the biggest of the year. Its location is also important: people are familiar with New York from a distant point of view, but if they know London it's probably because they've been there.'
For a long time New York held the upper hand. John Lennon, who moved to Manhattan, put it succinctly: 'If I'd lived in Roman times, I'd have lived in Rome. Where else? Today America is the Roman Empire and New York is Rome itself.' But in January New York was rattled when the mayor, Michael Bloomberg, warned that Wall Street was losing ground to the City.
An article in New York Magazine also detected a shift: 'If Paris was the capital of the 19th century and New York of the 20th, London is shaping up to be the capital of the 21st century... In short, New York is cardiganed Woody Allen and London is party-dressed Lily Allen.' The British capital, which beat New York to host the 2012 Olympics, will receive another boost in November when the spectacularly restored St Pancras station offers a high-speed link to Paris.
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London and New York in battle to be ... Capital of Cool | Art & Architecture | Guardian Unlimited Arts
London and New York in battle to be ... Capital of Cool
