27 April 2010

The most fun in US: NYC

New York City 30 years ago was called "Fun City," an accolade that was updated when a new analysis by Portfolio.com/biz journals found it to be still No. 1 in various categories for visitors.

It offers the broadest range of options for recreation and entertainment, according to the study. Several factors put it in the lead:

Ã¯'š~§ It’s the No. 1 market in three of the study’s seven categories: shopping, food and drink, and culture. And it’s a runner-up in three others, ranking second for high-impact sports and third for popular entertainment and low-impact sports.

Ã¯'š~§ It overwhelms all other markets in sheer volume. The New York City area, for instance, has 431 museums and historical sites. That’s more than the combined total of 349 in Los Angeles, Chicago and Dallas, the next three metropolitan areas in population.

Ã¯'š~§ It boasts impressive concentrations in several fields. New York City has 399.7 stores, 82.8 restaurants, 12.5 fitness centers and 2.3 museums per 100,000 residents, topping Los Angeles, Chicago and Dallas in all four head-to-head match-ups.

Second place on the list of America’s "fun places" belongs to Chicago, which ranks among the 10 leaders in six of the study’s seven categories. Its best performances are third place for food and drink, and fourth place for popular entertainment.

Rounding out the top 10 are Boston, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland (Maine), Philadelphia and Minneapolis.

By David Wilkening