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
Tampa
It’s not the easiest time to sell a U.S. destination in Canada. But Visit Florida folks are a determined bunch. The new head of the group charged with boosting tourism to the Sunshine State, Visit Florida President and CEO Bryan Griffin, was in Toronto this week to chat about the state’s ongoing efforts to keep Canadian travellers heading south. I sat down with him for a one-on-one chat that covered off everything from lesser-known corners of the state to explore to Michelin restaurants. And, of course, the ongoing problem of diminished Canadian visitation to Florida. “This is part of my Read more
Baseball spring training is officially underway, and that means even more reasons to visit the Tampa Bay/St. Pete region, where you’ll find the spring training homes of the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies, as well as the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Yankees train in Tampa, the Phillies in Clearwater, the Pirates in Bradenton, and the Jays in Dunedin. I’ve been a regular visitor to the area since I began covering the Blue Jays for the Toronto Star in the early 1990s, and have probably been 15 times or more by now. Here’s a list of some of Read more
It’s that time of year. Time to thank all the people who’ve been nice to me in my 2024 travels. And, more than likely, time to annoy all my friends who feel like I’m bragging. It may seem that way, but I really am just trying to send another thank you to the hotels, restaurants and destinations that hosted me this year. It’s also fun to look back a bit, and to post some silly or inspiring photos. So, without further ado, here are some great experiences I had this year in Ontario, Florida, Alberta, Alaska, Hawaii, Vancouver, New York Read more
World’sBestCities.com has unveiled its list of, well, the world’s top cities. To no one’s surprise, London, New York and Paris take the podium spots, followed by Tokyo and Singapore. Rounding out the top 10 were Rome, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin and Sydney. That’s six European cities in the top 10, which tells you something. In fact, I count 28 European cities in the top 100. The website says they considered a variety of factors, both the “performance and perception of cities around the world. I can’t say I fully understand the methodology, but I think they’ve missed the mark on a Read more
