Favorite cities in the world (appointed, crime, construction)

[elnrgby]

Normally, I do not post on this sub-forum, or even read it, but I guess it is the best place to ask this question of world travelers: which are your favorite cities in the world, and (briefly) why?


While I have traveled quite a bit, I still have a lot that I need to explore (I just retired last year at 60, and reside in the US, though am not American-born), so the topic is of great interest to me. I don't think I can put the following cities in any very precise order (ie, if you asked me on a different day, I would maybe order them differently :-), but everything on my list is very close to my heart.


1. Kathmandu (Nepal)

2. Buenos Aires (Argentina)

3. London (England)

4. Vienna (Austria)
4a. Budapest (Hungary)

5. Amsterdam (Netherlands)

6. Brussels (Belgium)

7. Singapore

8. Los Angeles (US)

9. Honolulu (US)

10. Bangkok (Thailand)

11. Hong Kong (China)

12. Tokyo (Japan)

13. Tel Aviv (Israel)
------------


Honorable mention ("smaller cities" from global perspective):


14. Boston (US) - where I live!

15. Vancouver (Canada)



In terms of "why", I like places that (A) have strong, living continuity with the past, (B) where a lot of very different people mix (most frequently for reasons like traditional trade/commerce, but then also for some specific interests like international mountaineering in Kathmandu, or entertainment business like Los Angeles). The cities on my list also tend to be (C) populated by polite people, and safe from crime, or at least have large safe parts of the city. Some of the cities have (D) tropical or subtropical climate (which I personally like), and dramatic natural settings.



I would have put Paris (France), New York City and San Francisco (US) also in the list, but all three have to me very offputting atmosphere of crime in the air all the time, and NYC has been to my eyes greatly architecturally damaged with all the new faceless glass construction.


I was debating putting the last two (Boston, Vancouver) in the list, because they are kind of smaller/regional. For the same reason I did not include two definitelly small/regional US cities that I like a lot (Santa Fe, NM, and if you can believe it, Pittsburgh, PA!), or Montreal (Canada).


Of course, there are many other cities that I don't know very well or at all, which is why I started the thread, to find out more. Your choices?

[FL_Expert]

Great list, you picked some good ones!

Out of the cities I’ve visited, here are my top choices:

1. Barcelona
2. San Francisco
3. Los Angeles
4. Rome
5. Florence
6. Seattle
7. Seville
8. Bangkok
9. Madrid
10. Boston
11. Washington, DC
12. Miami
13. Milan

I like vibrant cities or cities with a lot of old world charm. Scenery is a major plus too. Some cities, like Bangkok and Miami, are just very vibrant. Others, like Florence, are exclusively old world. Barcelona is amazing because it has both, plus it is on the beach and has mountains nearby.

I didn’t really care for London or NYC. Tokyo and Seoul were sort of boring. The Swiss cities looked great to live in, but boring.

[LakersWon310]

1. Islamabad, Pakistan (2nd most beautiful capital in the world)
2. London, England (unique)
3. Los Angeles
4. New York City
5. Dubai, United Arab Emirates
6. Seattle
7. Philadelphia
8. Paris, France
9. Washington, DC
10. Las Vegas

I found Portland to be the most boring city. Also want to visit Australia & Turkey next.

[elnrgby]

Originally Posted by FL_Expert

Great list, you picked some good ones!

Out of the cities I’ve visited, here are my top choices:

1. Barcelona
2. San Francisco
3. Los Angeles
4. Rome
5. Florence
6. Seattle
7. Seville
8. Bangkok
9. Madrid
10. Boston
11. Washington, DC
12. Miami
13. Milan

I like vibrant cities or cities with a lot of old world charm. Scenery is a major plus too. Some cities, like Bangkok and Miami, are just very vibrant. Others, like Florence, are exclusively old world. Barcelona is amazing because it has both, plus it is on the beach and has mountains nearby.

I didn’t really care for London or NYC. Tokyo and Seoul were sort of boring. The Swiss cities looked great to live in, but boring.

Cool, thanks for responding... just as I was getting disappointed about the lack of interest in this topic :-). I see that we have some overlap in our favorites. I visited Spain and much of the rest of Europe as a child (I lived in South-Eastern Europe til my early 20s, which would be equal to the early 1980s) as my parents toured the continent when my country of origin opened its borders for travel in 1964... I do have various foggy memories of that, but I was too small to have a concept of a specific country or city, so I don't even know what memories might be from where. So, I can't say that I have any real impression or memory of Spain (I had not visited since), but I have it on my list to make a trip to Madrid/Toledo, with extension to Sevilla/Cordoba/Granada, which I think I will probably enjoy since I like Buenos Aires so much, as well as remnants of Spanish traditions in California and New Mexico.



Other Mediterranean countries are somehow not that overwhelmingly interesting to me (since I am familiar with the setting, ie, spent the first 20 or so of my summers on the coast of Croatia), but, speaking of Spain, I'd like to also spend some time in Balearic, and even Canary, Islands. I'll leave that for my really old age, when I'll probably be mostly interested in escaping the winter in the Northeast of the US, and sitting somewhere in the sun, looking at the blue bay, and smelling the oleander :-).

[elnrgby]

Originally Posted by LakersWon310

1. Islamabad, Pakistan (2nd most beautiful capital in the world)
2. London, England (unique)
3. Los Angeles
4. New York City
5. Dubai, United Arab Emirates
6. Seattle
7. Philadelphia
8. Paris, France
9. Washington, DC
10. Las Vegas

I found Portland to be the most boring city. Also want to visit Australia & Turkey next.

I've heard about some places in Pakistan, but I wouldn't feel safe traveling there with my US passport. Ditto for some countries on the old Silk Road (chiefly Uzbekistan) which I always wanted to visit, but regrettably I don't think that will be safe in my lifetime.

[Koji7]

My fav large cities:

1. NYC
2. Mexico City
3. Montreal
4. London
5. Washington DC

[masssachoicetts]

1. Lisbon Portugal
2. Paris
3. Munich
4. Chicago
5. Boston
6. Amsterdam
7. Salzburg, AU
8. Seattle
9. Vienna
10. Prague

[ccm123]

My favorites:

New York, Vancouver, Singapore, Seattle, Chicago, Washington DC, London, Hong Kong, Osaka, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Montreal, Tokyo, Paris, Honolulu, Sydney, and Boston.

I enjoy vibrant cities with arts, culture, scenery, solid restaurant scene, etc. There are cities I haven’t had a chance to visit yet and will visit in the future.

[MarcBetrus]

1. London
2. Istanbul
3. Madrid
4. Paris
5. Chicago
6. Tokyo
7. Sydney
8. Montreal
9. New York
10. Washington DC

[masssachoicetts]

Originally Posted by masssachoicetts

1. Lisbon Portugal
2. Paris
3. Munich
4. Chicago
5. Boston
6. Amsterdam
7. Salzburg, AU
8. Seattle
9. Vienna
10. Prague

Imma just slide Madrid above Chicago real quick.