Okay, so here’s an odd/interesting list of the world’s great cities.
TimeOut magazine asked 24,000 people in 150 cities around the world about their fave cities, and then balanced that with views from their team of city experts to come out with a new ranking.
I’ll give them credit for including some smaller or lesser-known destinations such as Bath, England and Antwerp, Belgium, as well as Lagos, Nigeria. But, for the life of me, I don’t know how ANYONE can come up with a list of great cities of the world and put Paris in the 22nd spot. That boggles the mind. Also: Naples made it, but no mention of Rome, Florence, Milan or Venice? WHAT??????
Still, it’s an intriguing list. Note that there are only three U.S. cities represented; New York, Chicago and San Francisco. And there’s only Canadian entry, Vancouver. (Insert sound of Canadian resident crying into his pillow). Also note there are several great places left out that would normally make a list such as this, including Los Angeles, Barcelona, and Stockholm, which is definitely one of the world’s most beautiful cities.
Here’s the Time Out top 50, with the odd, random and possibly useless thoughts from yours truly.
Edinburgh Castle in Scotland. E Mens/Unsplash Photo
- Melbourne (I was only thee for a day, and that was 26 years ago, but it’s a cool city)
- Shanghai (very interesting place, where you can – or could a few years ago – find a Starbucks across the street from the historic site where the Communist Party of China was founded. Great food, too.)
- Edinburgh (one of the world’s most beautiful and historic cities)
- London (won’t the Scots love finishing ahead of the Brits?)
- New York City (don’t know what I can add that hasn’t been said before about this great, great city)
- Cape Town (perhaps the world’s most beautiful city setting; and this from a native of the San Francisco Bay Area)
- Mexico City (an astonishing city with tremendous food and culture)
- Bangkok (also a spectacular food city, and not at all expensive)
- Seoul (haven’t been, but hear great things)
- Tokyo (another fascinating metropolis, with perhaps the world’s best food scene and beautiful temples)
- Zurich (underrated in my opinion; a lovely lake where you can swim in summer, romantic streets and rich culture)
- Rio de Janeiro
- Copenhagen
- Sao Paulo
- Hong Kong (amazing place for foodies and shoppers, with surprising nature and hiking)
- Krakow
- Porto
- Guadalajara
- Madrid
- Valencia (wonderful architecture, and tasty paella)
- Sydney (ooh, 20 spots behind Melbourne might have Sydneysiders’ knickers in a twist)
- Paris (Dear Time Out: You CAN’T be serious)
- Singapore (a place I really love; quite multicultural, with great neighborhoods and fab food stalls)
- Marrakech
- Hanoi (a vibrant, enjoyable city with very reasonable prices)
- Bath
- Bilbao
- Berlin
- Adelaide (hope to spend some time there before too long, as I love Australia)
- Beijing
- Antwerp
- Chiang Mai (terrific spot in Thailand)
- Naples (best pizza in the world, but not sure I’d go this high in the rankings)
- Amsterdam
- Medellin
- Lima
- Vancouver (nice to have some Canadian content)
- Ho Chi Minh City
- Osaka
- Athens (hard to beat the history and energy of this city)
- Chicago (amazing museums, terrific sports, world-class culture and that Lake Michigan shoreline)
- Cairo
- Buenos Aires
- Vienna (surprisingly diverse, beautiful city)
- Dublin
- San Francisco (I’d push the city higher, but I’m biased)
- Lagos
- Auckland (fun city I always enjoy visiting)
- Lisbon (ditto)
- Bogota (terrific spot only 5.5 hours from Toronto, with amazing street art and food)
The City of Arts and Sciences is a sleek bit of architecture in surprising Valencia, Spain. JIM BYERS PHOTO
COLORADO CELEBRATES CANADA
Governor Jared Polis, joined by the Consul General of Canada in Denver, Sarah Quigley, celebrated the proclamation of the second annual Colorado-Canada Friendship Day this week by raising the Canadian National Flag at the Colorado State Capitol.
“I am very excited to be celebrating our second Colorado-Canada Friendship Day, joining together with our neighbors to the north to recognize the importance of working together internationally and building strong cultural and economic partnerships,” said Polis. “Usually raising the Canadian and Colorado flags together means a competitive Rockies vs. Blue Jays game is about to happen, but in this case it is symbolic of our great partnership with Canada, proving that even in challenging times, we can work together to grow our economy and celebrate our cultural connections.”
It’s a tough time for Canada-US relations, so we Canadians appreciate the support from the good folks of Colorado.
