Oxford Economics comes out with a yearly, scientific study of the world’s best cities. The group analyzes a city’s economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance and combines them into an overall score. It’s probably no surprise that Western democracies score well, but you might be surprised (a bit) by the number four entry on the list. Note, also, that Canadian cities did quite well, as did the major cities in Europe, the U.S.A. (especially California), and Australia. New Zealand also has a couple entries. Here’s the top 25 for this year. New York City London Paris Seattle Read more
Seattle
The folks at Resonance Consultancy, one of the most respected research firms in the world, have published their 2026 America’s Best Cities report and ranking. It’s their most comprehensive study ever, with all 393 U.S. metropolitan areas ranked for the first time. THE 2026 TOP 25 1. New York 2. Los Angeles 3. Chicago 4. Miami 5. San Francisco 6. Seattle 7. Las Vegas 8. Dallas 9. Houston 10. Boston 11. Austin 12. San Diego 13. Atlanta 14. Washington D.C. 15. Orlando 16. Denver 17. Nashville 18. Portland 19. Phoenix 20. Philadelphia 21. Tampa 22. Charlotte 23. New Orleans 24. Read more
The Caribbean’s best beach bars, Air Canada adds direct flights to the Canary Islands, new Hyatt Unbound Collection hotels near Niagara Falls and in Santa Monica, Seattle and the Dominican Republic, plus early packages for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Today’s blog post covers tons of ground. BEST BEACH BARS IN THE CARIBBEAN I’ve been a big fan of the Caribbean for many years. There’s an amazing variety of islands and things to see and do, as well as great beaches by the bucketful. (Here’s a story I posted in 2024 on top Caribbean beaches). As someone who Read more
There’s no denying it: this summer is absolutely sizzling. If the only things getting you through the season are chafe sticks and ice in every liquid (even soup), it might be time for a coolcation – or a trip to somewhere temperate. The folks at KAYAK have rounded up our cheapest flights to chiller-than-average cities. So you can dial the temperature down from a boil to a simmer. 1. San Francisco, California ($539) Highest average temperature: 18°C 2. Seattle, Washington ($539) Highest average temperature: 23°C 3. Reykjavík, Iceland ($860) Highest average temperature: 11°C 4. Lima, Peru ($925) Highest average temperature: 18°C 5. Dublin, Ireland ($965) Highest average temperature: 18°C 6. Edinburgh, Scotland ($1089) Read more
A new report from the highly respected Resonance Consultancy group and Ipsos gives New York City the nod as best city in the United States. Chicago came second, with Los Angeles placing third. San Francisco was number six, making California the only state with two cities in the top 10. San Diego just missed coming 11th, while San Jose was 26th and Sacramento 47th. Four other California cities were in the 90-100 range. New York City was ranked first for livability, lovability and prosperity, as well as first for shopping and sights/landmarks. Here’s some of what the group had to Read more
