Travel + Lists? Priceless

You run into the most interesting things while traveling. This inviting street scene is along Quebec City’s Rue Petit-Champlain.

I don’t think I’ve ever come across a list I didn’t love. Seven Wonders of the World? David Letterman’s Top 10 lists? The 100 Places to See Before You Die? Any of the many ongoing New York Times Best Seller lists? Yes, yes, yes and yes! I’ll even admit to a particular fondness for “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.”

If you too are compulsively lured by lists, you know exactly what I mean: all those items placed in rank order to highlight the biggest, the best, the finest, even the worst are simply too hard (and too good) to resist.

Which brings me to AmericanStyle’s Top 25 Arts Destinations. Started 11 years ago as what we thought would be a one-time-only readers’ poll, our U.S. arts cities competition has grown over the years into a major event fueled by travel-minded readers and encompassing everyone from city boosters, cultural organizations, grassroots arts groups and visual arts bloggers to the national media.

In the beginning the list was simple: 25 cities, large or small, selected by sheer number of votes cast by AmericanStyle readers for locations they felt had the most to offer travelers focused on the visual arts. Top performers in the early years always included New York, Chicago and San Francisco, as well as smaller cities like Santa Fe, New Hope, Saugatuck and (in 2000) all of Cape Cod.

As the competition continued through the years, however, we saw it becoming increasingly difficult for smaller (yet considerably arts-worthy) communities to compete. So in 2005 we leveled the playing field and restructured the ballots into three distinct categories based on population.

The result? Three lists of 25 Top Arts Destinations, large, mid-sized and small, and an even wider range of fascinating cities hand-picked by AmericanStyle readers to put on your own “Best Arts Places to Visit” list. Enjoy!

Hope Daniels, Editor-in-Chief
hoped@rosengrp.com