ENROUTE TV   ENROUTE FM   MEDIA KIT   AIR CANADA   LINKS   WRITERS'   GUIDELINES	CHICAGO vs BERLIN Text: SHAWN BLORE Illustration: NORMAND COUSINEAU 1. Soft Drink/Beer Ratio In the windy city, a six-pack of Goose Island beer costs US$8.10, a chunk of change more than six Cokes. But watch out. As one policewoman warned about public drinking, "You could go to jail." In contrast, two half-litre Berliner beers are € 1.40, just a wheat sheaf more than a one-litre Coke at € 1.15. Buy beer right on the street, morning or night, and drink it without the baton-wielding Polizei batting an eyelid. In a perfect world, 1:1 or a score of 100; anything lower is sobering. Chicago 36.2 Berlin 92.1 FORMULA > 2. Carbohydrate Comparison Chicago’s carb is a slice of deep-dish (half-inch-thick crust!) pizza from Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria. Quality was high at 73, as were grams of fat (27 per slice). Lou offers 11 ingredients, five combos, cheese and crust options… for just over 6 billion variations (officially, 18). The Berliner, a jelly-filled, sugar-coated doughnut, scored 80 (offset by 25 grams of fat). We found several varieties, including the ("Ich bin ein") JFK Berliner. A Parisian croissant is a baseline 100; other carbs must rise to the challenge. Chicago 64 Berlin 62 FORMULA > 3. Babe and Hunk Index Scoping Chicago’s babes and hunks at four locations during the St. Paddy’s Day parade, we say it’s a good thing the Irish are lucky. Even with seasonal adjustment for a chilly day, the city of broad shoulders came in butt-ugly last in our standings. Temperatures were ein bischen colder in Berlin, but measurements from four points still yielded up a respectable 52 (equally split between men and women). Summed average of stylish head turners in a crowd of 100. Chicago 26 Berlin 52 FORMULA > 4. Street Life Indicator Chicago’s Magnificent Mile yielded neither food nor drink but had flags for sale; African drummers and a man banging on a bucket; a StreetWise newspaper vendor; an "I hate commies" protester (the Cold War is so over); and beggars. Berlin’s streets featured beer and soft drinks, fruit and veggies, sausages and hot dogs, Soviet army surplus, a mime dressed up as Napoleon, panhandling punks and Amnesty International fundraisers. Percentage of goods and attractions available on a busy street or square. Chicago 71 Berlin 100 FORMULA > 5. Public Order Index The decent burghers of Chicago set an occasional (5.25) jaywalking foot on the pavement. But the traffic is abysmal: A 4.3-km Saturday afternoon trip from the Gold Coast to Lincoln Park crawled along at 23 minutes. In Berlin, a sizable 21.67 jaywalking score shows that "only following orders" doesn’t extend to pedestrians. A swank Mercedes taxi ride from Nollendorfplatz to Alexanderplatz (5.6 km) in the afternoon rush hour took only 14 minutes. Average number of jaywalkers in a crowd of 200 people (low score, low fun factor). Chicago -0.07 Berlin 19.2 FORMULA > Conclusion Chicago plays Second City not just to Berlin but to every other major city so far sampled. Ouch! Chicago 197.1 Berlin     325.3 ----- STANDINGS: Rio 383.3 Rome 380.3 Paris 353.5 Mexico 346.1 Amsterdam 343.2 Buenos Aires 331.8 Zurich 325.8 Berlin 325.3 London 294.1 Mumbai 289.5 San Francisco 283.8 Tokyo 283.8 Hong Kong 281.5 Moscow 277.9 Shanghai 259.2 New York 255.1 Toronto 249.1 Washington 242.0 Montréal 233.9 Los Angeles 220.6 Vancouver 213.1 Chicago 197.1 Next Match : St. Petersburg vs. Havana – exclusively at enroutemag.com in December 2004. Watch for a Civilization Index finale in January 2005. [ ] St. Petersburg vs Havana Rome vs Buenos Aires Washington vs Moscow Mexico vs Tokyo London vs Mumbai Chicago vs Berlin San Francisco vs Shanghai Toronto vs Zurich Hong Kong vs Vancouver Montreal vs Amsterdam New York vs Paris Los Angeles vs Rio de Janeiro STANDINGS Top   |   Home
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