Legion of Angels News Archive

(Travel + Leisure) – It’s no surprise: Americans are super-opinionated, especially about the cities they live in and the places they visit. In fact, their feelings are so strong that in the 2008 America’s Favorite Cities survey — conducted by travelandleisure.com and CNN Headline News — Americans voted more than 600,000 times on 45 characteristics of 25 cities, weighing in on things like shopping, food, culture and nightlife, as well as cleanliness and affordability.

In 2007, there was a lot of cheering from cities that clinched the No. 1 spots, like Chicago, Illinois, (dining) and Austin, Texas, (best singles scene). But we also saw a lot of upsets — upset people, that is. After all, someone had to come in last. Unfortunately for the proud people of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, America voted them dead last in the category of attractive people. And Los Angeles, California, took the prize for least friendly city, a category that most expected New York City to sweep.

Notable changes

For the winners in each category, 2008 brought some surprises. New Orleans, Louisiana, elbowed New York aside as the best city for fine dining. Las Vegas, Nevada, took the No. 1 spot for best singles scene as former No. 1 Austin tumbled to No. 5. In the cleanliness category, Portland, Oregon, swept Minneapolis, Minnesota, out of first place this year.

But other cities maintained their dominant positions. New York held its No. 1 ranking as the country’s best spot for people-watching, while Charleston, South Carolina, was once again voted America’s friendliest city.

Find your vacation

There’s plenty more to explore beyond the rankings. If you’re in the market for a great destination, the Vacation Finder at travelandleisure.com can help you find the perfect city for your interests. Austin and New Orleans, for example, are rollicking destinations for live music, cheap ethnic food and vintage shopping. If something more high-minded is your style, check out Washington D.C. (No. 1 for museums) or New York (No. 1 for classical music).

Travelers seeking the sophistication of cities paired with the exhilaration of the outdoors should head to Honolulu, Hawaii, (No. 1 for active/adventure vacations), Portland (No. 1 for public parks and access to outdoors), or Denver, Colorado, (No. 1 for athletic/active citizens).

If you’re planning a trip with the kids, Orlando, Florida, is still on top, but alternatives like San Diego, California, and Washington D.C. still rate high with travelers. Seekers of romantic getaways should try their luck in Honolulu, Charleston or San Francisco, California, which hold their own particular charms.

And what happened at the bottom of the scale? Did Philadelphia rally voters and push themselves up the attractiveness scale? Did Angelenos take the criticism about being the least-friendly city to heart and begin using a kinder, gentler salute to fellow drivers on the freeway? Read on to find out.

Here are the top three cities in some of the categories, as voted by visitors. Visit travelandleisure.com for the full results, best and worst, for each city and category, as ranked by residents and by visitors.

2008 America’s Favorite Cities Survey

travelandleisure.com and CNN Headline News collected 600,000 votes on 45 characteristics of 25 urban destinations across the United States. Here are the top three cities in some of the categories, as voted on by visitors:

Live Music/Bands

1. New Orleans, Louisiana
2. Austin, Texas
3. Nashville, Tennessee

Destination Restaurants

1. New Orleans, Louisiana
2. New York, New York
3. San Francisco, California

People

1. Miami, Florida
2. San Diego, California
3. Austin, Texas

Skyline/Views

1. New York, New York
2. Chicago, Illinois
3. San Francisco, California

Source — CNN