Congrats! Mazel tov! Félicitations! The election results in the Best of GayCities 2011 poll are in—and we have the winners!
Over the past several weeks, our sister site asked members and visitors to vote for the ideal locations in eight different categories—plus the overall best city in the world. You pulled your levers (well, clicked your mouses) and the people have spoken.
*When it came to the crème de la crème, the big winner in the Best City of GayCities 2011, in a somewhat surprising turn of events, was…
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It received the most votes by GayCities readers in the “City of the Year” category. And it wasn’t a close call: The Mediterranean metropolis took the category with a whopping 43% of the vote, barreling over its nearest competitor, New York City, which only scored 14%. Hmm, did residents of Tel Aviv pool their online resources to push the Israeli oasis over the top? We may never know.
In the other categories:
*New York took the prize in the Best Nightlife City category, edging out London by a pretty sizable margin (32% to 14%). William and Kate are ever so cross!
*It’s not an earth-shattering shock that San Francisco was named Best Pride City, but the Western Hemisphere dominated overall: Sao Paolo and Toronto came in second and third place respectively. We’re gonna have to make a trip to our friends to the north and south and see how their rainbow flags fly.
*When it comes to the Best Resort City, some like it hot—Palm Springs got 24% of the votes—but in the end it was divine Provincetown that took the cake, with 28%.
*The City of Lights lit up your taste buds: Paris nabbed Best Food City, outpacing New York, New Orleans and Barcelona.
*They’re crazy about the sharp-dressed folks of New York City: The Big Apple took top honors in the Best Dressed City poll, beating London, Rome and Tokyo by more than just a stitch.
*Who’s got the beach to beat? Sydney, apparently—the Down Under metropolis surfed into the Number One slot for Best Sand & Sun City, leaving Puerto Vallarta and Honolulu in its wake.
*Queer firestarter Dan Savage calls Seattle home. Could that be why QueerCities readers picked the gem of the Northwest as the Best City to Settle Down In?
*If you want to be a part of the next big thing, you better pack a parka: Chilly Buffalo won Best Up & Coming City. Apparently Cape Town, Guadalajara and Santiago are so last season.
*Unlike the GOP primaries, there was something in it for voters: One participating GayCities member, Harvey Robinson of New Orleans, was chosen in a drawing to win a vacation package for two to Palm Springs, courtesy of GayCities and our friends at American Airlines. Who says one vote doesn’t matter?
For all the voting results, visit GayCities.
Image: Dan Allen
Triple S
Sydney makes the final! Yay!
Oron
Mazal Tove Tel Aviv!!! 🙂
Oron
@T2:
Israel***
is much more safer then New york first of all.
second of all, racist? not any more racist then other europien countries or the U.S.A 🙂
CBRad
NYC winning Best Nightlife totally negates the legitimacy of this whole questionable poll.
John
@CBRad:
What did not like the results?
CBRad
@John: I live in NYC and know there’s virtually no good nightlife now. I save going out for when I visit other cities. The “results” have got to be fake or a bunch of people, who haven’t really been anywhere, voting according to their imaginations.
Ryan
I guessing Sarah Schulman and CO will call think pinkwashing or racist or something
CBRad
@Ryan: That horrid academic. Actually, I’d think it’s great if Tel Aviv won for real, but I just think this whole “poll” was hokey.
Evan Mulvihill
@CBRad: You think the results are moot just because you have a personal distaste for NYC nightlife?
CBRad
@Evan Mulvihill: I can’t have a distaste for something that doesn’t exist. Anybody who voted that way just …is going by an old stereotype. It’s as ridiculous as voting for Best Dressed city. Every major city has both : “fashionable” people and people who are slobs or dress ridiculously.
Evan Mulvihill
@CBRad: I don’t understand. A hundred gay bars doesn’t count as nightlife?
CBRad
@Evan Mulvihill: Bars? Only somewhat. Other cities have all that, but with actual dance places like the Roxy still there. Big venues. And more than one leather bar. The private parties everywhere from Coney Island to the Upper East Side can be great, and parties for some events can be cool, but every other place has that too. Let’s see what others have to say here…
Timmmeeeyyy
New York has some great fashion, but New Yorkers (and Americans) in general really don’t dress that great. Regarding London, what’s fashionable about brown sweaters? Tokyo is hands down the most fashionable city in the world. Unfortunately, I’m guessing most voters have never visited. I think Rome beats NYC too in the percentage of well-dressed citizens, if not in the diversity of style.
Matt
Yay! Go Tel Aviv!
Timmmeeeyyy
The only fashionable people in NYC are over 70.
http://youtu.be/nWKTfqivbRQ
Ricardo
loved my visit to tel aviv last year, fun and easy
vick
hot guys (and gals) + sea + sunshine + great food + fun parties + awesome music = tel aviv…what’s not to like?
Valerio
I’ve been to Tel Aviv and it’s just woooow!!!
Fagburn
Does anyone believe this wasn’t fixed?
Interesting
Yeah, I am not buying it. There are cities like Rio.
Ari
@Interesting: What do not like the results? Of a free vote? I guess the people have spoken and proves Sarah Schulman was a idiot after all
Isaac C
VERY surprised there is no mention of L.A.
Interesting
@Ari: Just because bunch of people got together to probably game some survey online does not a truth make. The reality is that I am just pointing out that Rio as far as excitement of gay life is probably better than Tel Aviv. Its not a knock on Tel Aviv. Its a “what city has the most for gays” statement. You can choose to get offended, or you can choose to realize Tel Aviv is an odd choice. It would be like saying Chicago.
Mike UK
would these all be places American Airlines fly to by any chance!!!!
Oscar Raymundo
@Mike UK: No. But great job on that 2012 resolution of being a complete cynic.
Dmitriy
@T2:
sounds like the west bank is for gays like you
you know it’s not racist at all there(apparently the official no jews allowed policy of people who live in Judea(you know the place the gives jews their name isn’t racist at all, while Israel where 20% of the citizens are arab is the real racist country).
On top of that you’ll enjoy the wonderful honor killings that you’ll receive if you attempt anything close to a pride parade in public.