Compiling a tier list of every city I’ve visited along with some rationale behind why I think that. Very not comprehensive, and very much in need of more cities!
Note: I’m ranking the cities off of how much I enjoyed them. I’ve spent varying amounts of time in different cities and visited them for very different reasons (sometimes I’ve lived in a place and other times it’s just for tourism). This list is completely subjective and probably will mean nothing to you. I’ve also rated these cities at very different points in life, so keep that in mind as well.
T
Tokyo
2024 (1 week)
Special rank for Tokyo. First of all, their transit system is profitable!! which is genuinely not something you can find in the US. I haven’t dug too deep into what’s different, but the Tokyo Metro/JR Lines/Shinkansen are by the far the greatest metro system I’ve ever used, hands down. Beyond that, the food was amazing, culture was amazing, and might be my favorite city in the world now.
S
Paris
2023 (~1 week)
The most magical thing walking out of our Airbnb, going 2 blocks surrounded by beautiful architecture, and buying fresh groceries from a local store. Nothing else has come quite close to this. Also everything in Paris was just amazing; very glad I didn’t suffer Paris Syndrome.
Toronto
2023 (~3 days)
All the perks of NY but clean.
New York City
2023 (~3 days)
The metro system is amazing, and there was just so much to do and see. Absolute hodgepodge of cultures and personalities. Also the fact I could basically cross any street without fear of dying was a very nice reprieve from Orlando.
Sydney
2024 (~2 days)
Mostly just walked around, but the city is really pretty and the public transport was adequate. Could definitely see myself living here in the future, so this is a big plus. Will say, I think it is still a big below New York City even though it felt much cleaner and nicer. Unfortunately, I think my opinions might tend downwards if I spent more time there, so bottom of S it goes (plus it’s Sydney).
Canberra
2024 (~6 months)
This is probably a terrible take, and I’m sure any Australians reading this are rioting that Canberra is rated higher than Melbourne, but I genuinely loved every minute of the semester I spent there. ANU was a great place to stay, and there were plentiful pretty places all around (shoutout to the National Arboretum). Small city vibes but with so much greenery. We don’t have to talk about the public transport and the car dependency cause it definitely sucked, but if you live close enough to the city, you can almost pretend it wasn’t designed by an American in the 20th century.
Takayama
2024 (2 days)
Does Takayama really deserve to be an S tier city? Debatable. Am I putting it here because Hida Beef is pretty much the best food I have ever eaten? Possibly. I’m also putting it here because small Japanese city/towns are some of the most charming in the world. Genuinely loved the slower pace of life here, and the food and views were stunning.
Copenhagen
2024 (1 week)
Gorgeous city with great food, great transit, and just such a lively vibe to it. I was mostly at the IT University of Copenhagen for a conference (shout out to ALIFE 2024), but I was stunned by how much greenery there was during the chances I got to explore. I might have to dock points for the dreary weather (it rained quite a few days), but I’d say it just barely manages to squeak by as a S tier.
A
Boston
2021 (~2 days)
Walkable city with pretty architecture and surprisingly good food. I suppose MIT and Harvard… and BU and BC and at least 20 other universities are there, so if you like an academic vibe, then this is the place to be. To me, it’s a prototypical Northeastern U.S. city.
Charleston
2022 (~1 week)
Lots of culture here, and the whole city is pretty walkable! Lovely river, great farmer’s markets, and you’re never too far from nature. Even after getting stuck in the woods til 2am one of the days, this is still an A rating for me.
San Diego
2023 (~5 days)
Temperate weather and absolute amazing Mexican food! Lots of pretty attractions, and I liked the less frenetic pace of the city and surrounding metro areas. But oh man, that mexican food was to die for, as in the 5 California burritos I consumed per day will probably kill me.
Melbourne
2024 (~1 week)
Lovely city with lots to do. Not enough green space for my liking, and the public transit was fine… not much more to say there. From the places I visited, I’d struggle to see myself living there vibes-wise.
B
Hiroshima
2024 (2 days)
Once again, this is not a fair ranking because… well. Right. The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and historical significance alone makes it worth visiting, but the day trip to Miyajima (little island off the coast) made the trip far better and gave a nice sense of nature to the otherwise bustling city.
Kyoto
2024 (2 days)
They have a really lovely train station that has an amazing light show at night, beautiful views as always. There’s an amazing torii gate walk (the one with thousands of torii gates) and the Imperial Palace to boot. I was feeling quite under the weather, so this may not be the most accurate rating ever.
Hershey
2017 — 2019 (2 years)
There’s a cool amusement park, and this is the Hershey, like the chocolate company. Once again, I think me living there makes me rate it a bit poorly, but it’s a lovely little town. Just be aware that there’s a non-zero chance it smells like manure while driving around.
Ann Arbor
2023 (~2 days)
Quaint little college town, UM is a very pretty campus, and not much more to be said.
C
Kanazawa
2024 (2 days)
Felt like a generic medium sized Japanese city. Some nice attractions and good food, but nothing to really right home about. That being said, you should visit their Ninja Weapon Museum! Pretty quiet but peaceful.
Lansing/East Lansing
2023 (~3 months)
Besides the amazing ice cream, I don’t think any normal human would want to come visit Lansing/East Lansing. Relatively quiet college town, but it is quite pretty and there are tons of nature trails.
West Lafayette
2024 (1 weekend)
Cute little college town like East Lansing, but there’s not too much to do there. I thought it was quite pretty when I went, and it was surprising walkable from where I was staying. Also doesn’t hurt that Taylor Swift was in town (and by town I mean Indianapolis) the weekend I was there.
Beijing
2018 (~1 week)
Don’t remember too much, but the smog was a very clear memory. Pretty sure there wasn’t a single clear/sunny day, so although I liked the architecture, it’s getting bumped down.
D
Detroit
2023 (~2 days)
Mildly felt like a ghost-town celebrating its past success while on last legs.
Miami
2019 — 2021, (2 years)
Lived here and most of the time was during COVID, so I feel like this is a poor rating, but I can’t rate it any higher. (I’ve never explored the city fully, so this is definitely an inaccurate rating you shouldn’t listen to)
Orlando
2021 — 2024, (3 years)
Perhaps it’s because I live here, but not much to write home about. Poor walkability and besides Disney & Universal Park, Orlando, and a few cute spots like Baldwin Park and Winter Garden, there isn’t much to see. This is a place to visit for a weekend for the amusement parks, but I definitely wouldn’t stay here long term.