Best American cities to visit

Still trying to figure out where to go this summer? It’s not too late to put together a trip, and you don’t need a passport to explore an interesting city or two.

Here’s our totally arbitrary list of the best American towns to visit:

1. New York: Central Park. The Theater District. Times Square. Food. History by bus, boat or foot. Two new baseball stadiums. What more do you need?

2. Chicago: Architecture. The Arts. A cool downtown river scene. The lake. And, oh yes, the Cubs!

3. San Francisco: Okay, so Mark Twain said the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in San Francisco. Pack a sweater and get over it. A great town with a rich and diverse population and just about any kind of food you’d ever imagine consuming. Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. Drive out to the Wine Country. Drink Irish coffee at the Buena Vista. You can hit the treadmill when you get back.

4. Boston: Arguably America’s best walking town. You can take in a huge chunk of American history on foot, stopping only for the occasional microbrew and maybe a lobster. If you like baseball, pay what it takes to mix in a Red Sox game at Fenway. You won’t be disappointed.

5. Seattle: There’s a myth that it’s always raining in Seattle. Not so. When the sun is out, in fact, this is one of the prettiest towns around. It’s not close to much of anything, and the locals seem to like it that way. Check out Pike Market and catch a sunset over the Sound. It’s worth the trip.

6. Denver: You can get a car and head out to the mountains, but there’s plenty to do in town as well. A really cool zoo. A much improved restaurant and bar scene. And few baseball stadiums can rival the backdrop of Coors Field, which offers an impressive view of the real Rockies.

7. Austin: The Texas capital and home of the University of Texas isn’t the sleepy college town it used to be. Check out Sixth Street, or soak up some real Texana at the Texas Chili Parlor. If you want to be outside, Lake Travis is a short drive West, or you can get more ambitious and venture out into the Hill Country. There’s a good reason Austin has the most educated waitperson population in America — no one wants to leave.

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