NYC: light years away...or one of the pack?

THIS THREAD IS NOT ABOUT THE GREATNESS OF N.Y.C.. A GREATNESS TOO EVIDENT TO EVEN BE DISCUSSED. THIS THREAD IS ABOUT HOW N.Y.C. FITS IN WITH ITS FELLOW U.S. CITIES. You get a sense from many forumers on this board that New York City is in a category of its own, an incomparable place that divides American cities into two groups: • New York • others In other words, "A-#-1, king of the hill, top of the heap", leaving even cities like LA, Chgo, SF, and Boston in its dust. As an American, do you see New York City in such a light....the star above all others in some sort of a hierarchial rating system? -or- Do you preceive that in the last half century, that total control that New York seemed to have had over every aspect of US life (save for government.... and that one it often shared with DC behind the scenes anyway) has been reduced, that power has spead out greatly from its old Eastern Establishment (Bowash) days, that our cities in the last half century have been invigorated with a sophistication unknown to them prior to WWII...so that New York, while still our greatest city, needs to be spoken of in the same breath as other US cities? So, which is it...New York leaves the pack in its dust, or that one is an old paradigm: other US cities have grown too sophisticated, have been acquired too many ammentiies, too many aspects of quality urbanism that no city, even New York, is immune from being grouped with the others?>