I'm filming a documentary on the urban landscape of the late 20th century. I need to find a bustling downtown, BESIDES NYC, what cities should I look into. I'm looking for a busy nightlife, with lots of pedestrians after 5PM, I need a vibrant city center with ***** restaurants & hotels, and first class shopping, Any suggestions?

Seattle is howns down, the most exciting downtown outside New York. We have a plethora of 5 star restaurants not to mention the Four Seasons Olympic Hotel. Its the place to be

I think that San Francisco has a vibrant downtown. It is very interesting and diverse. It is very crowded and there are a lot of good places to eat and stay. I would say that the Shopping district( Union Square) is one of the nations 3 best.

I agree that Seattle fits your description.

I live in Seattle and, although in the last few years there has been some increase in pedestrian activity downtown, I think you would be sorely disappointed. There are a lot of nice things about Seattle - the scenery outside of town is great and downtown has some restaurants, hotels, and shopping, but bustling it is not compared to, say Chicago, or Miami Beach, or San Francisco, or Boston, or Vancouver, or Toronto, or Montreal. One thing to consider: look at cities that have rapid transit for more street vitality, and/or cities where the weather is not so cold at night. Maybe some day we will have rapid transit - not sure about a weather change.

I would suggest Indianapolis. It has a lot of night life and sports centers. It is a safe and clean downtown area. Lots of variety in restaurants.

Okay, it's not Indianapolis, but Las Vegas qualifies as having busy nightlife, shopping, hotels, restaurants, and it IS the fastest growing city in the country.

Having lived in Seattle nearly 30 years, I can say it does have most of what you mentioned, but frankly, there's not much "pedestrian travel" after 5:00 especially in the winter. There'd be more activity in the summers along the waterfront and other areas in the evenings.

How about New Orleans? It may be small, but it meets all your requirements. There's no where else quite like it.

Indianapolis?? Gotta be kidding. We joke about Indy's post A-bomb atmosphere on weeknights unless there's a game or something.
Seattle? Definitely 'bustles' more than it did 10 years ago, but c'mon, folks, it's not going to do the trick for a vivid backdrop in a movie.
The people that suggest these cities need to visit NY or Michigan Avenue in Chicago or Montreal or Toronto or London. If it doesn't raise your blood pressure a bit, it ain't "bustling".

I would vote for San Francisco and Las Vegas. Seattle is pretty lame compared to either of these cities.

Did I just read that Seattle bustles in the same way San Francisco does? Please, we wrote the book on urban life in the west. I counted maybe 5 pedestrians in Downtown Seattle after dark. San Francisco is an International hub of real restaurants,i.e. Chez Pannise, Aqua, Fleur De Lys,Zuni Cafe Farrallon, etc. real shopping;i.e. Chanel, Giorgio Armani, Escada, Gianni Versace, Prada,Gucci, etc. and real hotels,i.e. Ritz Carlton,Mandarin Fairmont, St. Francis, Inter-Continental
,Palace Hotel, etc. Plus there are millions of tourists each year, hundreds of thousands of inbound commuters and theater, art and culture. If youre looking for a real, sophisticated, urban experience, very few cities in the world can compare to San Francisco.

I have to agree with the last post. Seattle is charming, but its not terribly exciting. I also find Downtown Los Angeles extremely deserted after dark, and seedy too. Manhattan is by far the King of busy city centers and in my opinion, San Francisco would be the Queen( how Ironic)

Have you ever been on the main drag in a university town such as Madison, WI? The streets, restaurants, shops, & bars are busling from early morning right through bar time & after. State Street & the Capitol Square & surroundings areas always seem to be loaded with people & things going on, even though it is a small town. & has people from all types of cultures in the mix. But I have to admit, it does not compete with Vegas.

I don't think you'll find too many pedestrians in San Francisco strolling over to Chez Panisse. At least, not unless they can walk on water across the Bay to Berkeley.

San Francisco is very unique as stated in previous replies. Its a very busy place teeming with pedestrians of every color and income-tax bracket. Business people, students, protestors, shoppers, tourists. Then you have all the skyscrapers. Its not New York, but in America, I think it comes the closest.

My suggestions would include: San Francisco, Boston, Toronto, and best of the best - Montreal...

Chicago's North Michigan Avenue has it all. This time of year...dress warm...but the millions of tiny lights in the trees cast a spell that warms one's heart. In summer, it's a great place for strolling, window-shopping, and people-watching. Grab a park bench by the Water Tower, and the world will come past you as you sit.

Downtown Berkeley (CA) might fit what you're looking for, except it only has one hotel and it's not very big in size.

Honolulu