Jaunted

Books

Find Yourself a City to Live In

April 14, 2006 at 1:01 PM | 0 Comments

We just got our hands on Lonely Planet's "The Cities Book". Aside from being about six pounds, it's a pretty entertaining coffee table book. After all, we can't think of that many coffee table books that are as good for starting arguments. Maybe something published by Taschen, but that's a different kind of argument.

The cities, all 200 of them, are ranked in order of popularity from a LP reader survey, with Paris first, New York second, and Sydney, Australia third. Fair enough; those are all big, fun bustling places. The format gives a snapshot of each burg; pros and cons of living there, what a typical resident is like, even the nickname. (Glasgow is nicknamed "Red Clydeside", apparently)

It's ideal for inspiring heated discussion, as often happens with lists. San Francisco is number seven, but L.A. is number 49. Ouch. Prague is number 14 while Krakow is number 30 and Budapest is 33; that discussion has been going on for over fifteen years and isn't going to stop as a result of this ranking.

Take a look; it'll be perfect fodder over drinks at the bar tonight.