My Favorite Cities

I have had the opportunity to explore quite a few different cities in the world so far, and with the year 2020 coming up, I thought I could share my 20 favorite cities so far. Here is my Top 20 for 2020 Countdown-

20. Cadaques and Portlligat, Catalonia, Spain:

• My Favorite things-
  • ​Pretty town featuring the former home of Salvador Dali
  • The tiramisu from Cadaqués cafe was absolutely delicious
  • Beautiful ocean views
• ​​My least favorite things-
  • ​Long, winding bus ride to get there
  • Small town with limited options

19. Prague, Czech Republic:

• My Favorite things-
  • With the architecture, walking around felt like I was in movie
  • Bohemian vibes, fun holiday festivities for Christmas and New Years
  • Great coffee and relatively inexpensive
• ​​My least favorite things-
  • ​Harsh, cold weather
  • Relatively limited food diversity

​18. Bristol, England, UK:

• My Favorite things-
  • An abundance of good options for craft coffee and beer
  • Cool street art
  • Nice riverfront area
• ​​My least favorite things-
  • ​The weather was beautiful while I was there, but it can be rough for much of the year
    
  • I was able to stay with friends, but accommodation prices can be very expensive

17. Malaga, Andalusia, Spain:

• My Favorite things-
  • Beautiful sunny weather
  • The downtown area is very walkable.
  • Cool, old-school wine bars and my favorite coffee spot in Andalusia
• ​​My least favorite things-
  • ​The weather can get very hot in the summer
  • Not as much to explore as there is in bigger cities

16. Valencia, Spain:

• My Favorite things-
  • Las Falles festivities
  • Delicious paella
  • I really like what had been done with the old riverbed area
• ​​My least favorite things-
  • Around Las Falles time the accommodation will sell out far in advance and can get significantly more expensive

15. Valletta, Malta:

• My Favorite things-
  • Excellent food and drink
    
  • Interesting mix of cultures and history
  • Beautiful seaside views that have been the setting for various movies
    
• ​​My least favorite things-
  • Once inside Valletta it was very walkable, but due to its geography the only transportation option from city to city is by bus. I tend to get carsick on long bus rides, but fortunately Malta is a small island so no bus ride is extremely long.
    

14. Plakias, Crete, Greece

• My Favorite things-
  • The beaches in and around Plakias were awesome
  • Laid back vibe, not too crowded
  • Nice hikes and great place to disconnect
• ​​My least favorite things-
  • Plakias can be a little tough to get to. After arriving on the island of Crete, you have to take another four hours of buses to reach Plakias.

13. Montreal, Quebec, Canada:

• My Favorite things-
  • Some of the best speakeasies I have been to are in Montreal
  • Great smoked beef and craft beer
  • Beautiful architecture and views 
• ​​My least favorite things-
  • Joe Beef was the number one place I wanted to visit in Montreal, but it was closed for vacation during the time I was there
  • ​It can be brutally cold for most of the year

12. Brussels, Belgium:

• My Favorite things-
  • Belgian dark chocolate covered speculoos are one of the tastiest things I've ever eaten
    
  • The trappist craft brews are delicious
    
  • The Christmas market was outstanding
    
• ​​My least favorite things-
  • Brussels can be very cold in the winter
  • It doesn't have some of the same charms of small Belgian towns

11. London, England, UK:

• My Favorite things-
  • Great food and drink options- Indian food (Dishoom is probably my favorite restaurant in the world), coffee shops, speakeasies, craft beer, cocktails, etc.
  • Great public transport
  • Excellent free museums
• ​​My least favorite things-
  • The weather is usually cold, wet, and gray
    
  • Food, drink, and accommodation in London can all be very expensive
    

10. New Orleans, LA, USA:

• My Favorite things-
  • The food in New Orleans was amazing. The historic cultural mix produces some amazing flavors.
    
  • The music in New Orleans (particularly on Frenchman Street) was great
    
  • One of the best cities in the world for cocktails
• ​​My least favorite things-
  • Bourbon Street- it stunk, it was messy, it was overpriced, and it didn't have the amazing food, drink, and music found in other parts of New Orleans

9. Austin, TX, USA:

• My Favorite things-
  • The Onnit Academy is the best fitness facility I have ever worked out at
  • Great coffee, there are even nitro cold brew taps at some gas stations
  • Best BBQ I've ever eaten, and great Mexican food
• ​​My least favorite things-
  • Austin has some great rivers, lakes, and springs, but no ocean
  • Public transport is limited

​8. Jerusalem, Israel:

• My Favorite things-
  • There is an immense amount of amazing history in Jerusalem, and it now has a unique mix of old and new
  • Razzouk Tattoo is the oldest tattoo shop in the world at over 700 years old. While they currently have modern equipment, they can even still use some of the old blocks stencils they have used for hundreds of years.
  • Unique cultural mix in Jerusalem, and very interesting to walk around the different quarters of the Old City, and to walk around Jerusalem on a Friday night or Saturday morning when the city is virtually shut down from sundown Friday to sundown on Saturday
• ​​My least favorite things-
  • High political tension at times, and the political tension can inhibit travel
  • Due to security concerns, when flying into and out of Israel it can take hours just to go through security

7. Miami, FL, USA:

• My Favorite things-
  • Delicious Cuban food, and plenty of other great food and drink options
  • Wynwood Walls is the best graffiti collection I have seen anywhere in the world
  • Excellent beaches and great weather
• ​​My least favorite things-
  • Can be very touristy in some areas
  • There is a bit of a club/excessive drinking culture in parts of Miami Beach and many people seem to be overly concerned with their image and appearance

6. Jaco, Costa Rica:

• My Favorite things-
  • Great place to surf
  • ​Beautiful, picturesque beaches
  • Inexpensive, tasty, healthy food options
• ​​My least favorite things-
  • No real train system, so transportation are essential sketchy buses or taxis, or water taxis if traveling in certain areas

5. Boston, MA, USA:

• My Favorite things-
  • Very walkable with great public transportation system
    
  • Excellent food options  
    
  • Interesting culture and history
• ​​My least favorite things-
  • Similar to London it can be very expensive
  • Very cold weather for much of the year

4. St. Petersburg, FL, USA:

• My Favorite things-
  • Beautiful, sunny weather
  • Nice, laid back vibe and cool graffiti
  • Excellent and diverse food and drink options
• ​​My least favorite things-
  • Public transportation is virtually nonexistent, so a car is required to get to most places, and parking can be a hassle at times

3. Rome, Lazio, Italy:

• My Favorite things-
  • Rome is my favorite food city in the world- Carbonara, Cacio e Pepe, Gelato, Porchetta- I've never been to a place as tasty as Rome
  • Immense amount of history and culture
    
  • Nice, warm weather
• ​​My least favorite things-
  • Can be overloaded with tourists, and many restaurants and businesses close for most of August
  • Due to the age of the city, there isn't an abundance of great accommodation options 

2. Lisbon, Portugal:

• My Favorite things-
  • Very nice, warm weather
  • Great seafood, and many other great food and drink options
  • Cool laid back vibe to the beautiful, eclectic city
  • Plenty to do and see in and around the city
  • Home Lisbon Hostel is my favorite hostel
• ​​My least favorite things-
  • It is very hilly, and the old cobblestone roads and sidewalks can be very slippery when wet if you aren't wearing the right shoes

1. Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain:
Barcelona is an absolutely beautiful city. With the influence of architects like Gaudi, the city has a unique feel to it. His works such as Casa Batllo and La Pedrera make Passeig de Gracia one of the most beautiful streets in the world, and the Sagrada Familia is the most impressive building I have ever been in. Barcelona also has a great food scene and is influenced by famous chefs like the Adria brothers. The city also has an emerging craft beer and coffee scene, lending to a nice mix of traditional and innovative.  There are also a number of quality food markets throughout the city. Barcelona is extremely walkable (as long as you don't get pickpocketed) and has a relatively good public transportation system. You can walk from medieval buildings to a beach in a matter of minutes, and while the beaches in the city aren't the nicest, there are beautiful beaches to be found on the outskirts of the city.  While there are distinct seasons and the temperature can touch freezing for a day or two in the winter, the Mediterranean coast keeps the climate relatively moderate.​