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Looking for romance? Head to Honolulu. But if you are single, like
live music, boutique hotels and want a wild weekend, New Orleans is the
city to visit.
In its latest survey of America's favorite cities Travel and Leisure
magazine asked readers to pick the best places for everything from the
most attractive, intelligent, stylish and the friendliest people to
where to find the best museums, restaurants, bars, museums and
affordable hotels.
"The big news this year is that New Orleans received the most number
one rankings over New York," said Travel and Leisure Assistant Editor
Stirling Kelso.
"It is a popular weekend destination. You can go to New Orleans and feel like you have left the country," she added.
The city known as the "Big Easy" also came out tops for people
watching, singles scene and the metropolis with the best bars and
concerts and bands.
"In the nightlife category, New Orleans beat Las Vegas. Last year
New Orleans swept all of the night-life categories and New Orleans did
this year," Kelso added.
Miami topped the charts for the most attractive people, followed by
San Diego and Charleston but southern charm seemed to come into play
with Nashville, New Orleans and Charleston having the friendliest folks.
New York was the U.S. city with the most stylish residents with
Miami and San Francisco and Los Angeles also coming up with high marks.
But when it comes to most intelligent Minneapolis/St. Paul took the
crown, followed by Austin and Boston. The twin cities also scored top
marks as the cleanest city.
The results were based on an online survey of more than 60,000
people who rated 30 U.S. cities in various categories. Five new cities,
Providence, Kansas City, Cleveland, Houston and St Louis, were added to
the survey this year.
Washington D.C. was the top choice for best museums, galleries and
historical sites, with New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Boston also
in the top five.
"In regards to culture, Washington D.C. and New York really tied in
that category. New York got the No. 1 ranking for classical music and
theatres, and Washington D.C. did for historical sites and monuments
and museums and galleries. It was a nice East Coast tie," Kelso said.
For more sedate family fun, Orlando, Florida was the top choice with
Washington D.C. coming in second, and San Diego third. If money is a
consideration, Cleveland scaled the chart for best affordable getaway.
New York may have bowed to New Orleans in the nightlife ranking but
it was still scored top marks in a category considered important by
many -- shopping.
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