Whaddayaknow? All four of the coolest cities prevailed on wild-card weekend. So now I guess ya’ll can start taking this thing seriously.
(Category winners italicized.)
New Orleans vs. San Francisco
Population
New Orleans: 500,000
San Francisco: 800,000
Claims to fame
New Orleans: Mardi Gras
San Francisco: Golden Gate Bridge; steep, curvy streets
Nickname(s)
New Orleans: The Big Easy, The Crescent City
San Francisco: The City by the Bay
Coolest celebrities
New Orleans: Lil Wayne, Ellen Degeneres
San Francisco: Clint Eastwood, Leslie Mann
Hottest celebrities
New Orleans: Reese Witherspoon, Tia Texada
San Francisco: Lyndsy Fonseca, Marisa Miller
Weather
New Orleans: Red
San Francisco: Blue
Winner: New Orleans. But I’d argue San Fran scores more points than any other city except New York.
Denver vs. Boston
Population
Denver: 600,000
Boston: 600,000
Claims to fame
Denver: Altitude and the Rocky Mountains
Boston: America’s higher education Mecca
Nickname
Denver: Mile-High City
Boston: Beantown
Coolest celebrities
Denver: Dog the Bounty Hunter and The Fray (seriously, that’s all we got)
Boston: Chris Evans, Mark Wahlberg, Jay Leno, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon
Hottest celebrities
Denver: Kristin Cavallari, Lindsey Vonn
Boston: Maria Menounos, Eliza Dushku, Daniela Ruah
Weather
Denver: Red
Boston: Blue
Winner: New England. Way cooler celebs despite not having a size advantage.
Houston vs. Baltimore
Population
Houston: 2.1 million
Baltimore: 650,000
Claims to fame
Houston: NASA; health care
Baltimore: Crab cakes; murder; The Wire
Nickname
Houston: Space City
Baltimore: Charm City
Coolest celebrities
Houston: Hilary Duff, Jennifer Garner
Baltimore: Edward Norton, Julie Bowen
Hottest celebrities
Houston: Beyonce Knowles
Baltimore: Anna Faris, Stacy Keibler
Weather
Houston: Red
Baltimore: Blue
Winner: Houston. Field goal game, though. Mainly because Baltimore has produced way cooler people and The Wire rocks our world.
New York vs. Green Bay
Population
New York: 8 million
Green Bay: 100,000
Claims to fame
New York: 47 million tourists visit NYC each year; Broadway; Statue of Liberty
Green Bay: The Packers, cheese
Nickname(s)
New York: The Big Apple, The City that Never Sleeps, Gotham
Green Bay: Titletown, USA
Coolest celebrities
New York: Adam Sandler, Jon Stewart, Steve Buscemi, Jimmy Fallon, Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, Anne Hathaway
Green Bay: Tony Shalhoub
Meet Green Bay's biggest celeb.
Hottest celebrities
New York: Hayden Panettiere, Scarlett Johansson, Olivia Wilde, Emmy Rossum
Green Bay: Heather Graham, Jessica Szohr (both from Milwaukee)
Weather
New York: Red
Green Bay: Blue
Winner: New York. Like, 49-0.
(Weather maps via Weather.com.)
