The Last Word

What’s your favorite city in the world?

That’s what we wanted to know.
Here’s what some readers said in response to this month’s Passport poll.

• Paris. It’s the most beautiful.
• Tel Aviv. An amazing mix of traditional and modern, creative designers, beautiful people, fantastic food, joy, and great energy.
• Sydney. A perfect evening would be to sit at a waterfront restaurant with a plate of lobster and a glass of Australian bubbly then watch the sunset over Harbour Bridge.
• New York. Because the subway never closes (unless an underground pipe bursts), because you can hear dozens of languages spoken…on a single city block, and because it’s the best city in the world!
• Cape Town, Vienna… Every city has its own charm, but my favorite is Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, simply because I was really happy there.
• Rome. It’s got the perfect combination of architecture, culture, shopping, food, and licentious men.
• Montreal! For a million reasons: It’s not too big and not too small. It’s European and North American at the same time. It couldn’t be more international — you can find a Jewish bookshop next to a Muslim butcher next to a Jamaican food shop next to a Vietnamese restaurant … Winters are REAL winters with lots of snow, summers are hot like they’re supposed to be. Excellent public transportation, museums, restaurants, the Jazz Festival. Quebec et Montreal — Je me souviens!
• St. Petersburg, Russia. The culture, the history, and, of course, the canals.
• San Francisco! The Bay, the fog, the Bridge, Ocean Beach, Golden Gate Park, and Mission Dolores, the city’s oldest…
• Hong Kong. The only place I have been that fizzes and buzzes more energy into you than Moscow.
• Istanbul. European beauty and Asian colorfulness, marketplaces and wonderful historical monuments, it’s big and cozy at the same time. I feel at home there. Each visit puts me in a good mood for months.
• Chicago. The arts, the natural beauty. Lake Michigan. Its grid design makes it easy to navigate. As long as you know which way North is, you’re good to go!

And lest we forget the most popular response, MOSCOW. Because…

… it’s vibrant, alive, breathing, lots of things to do, you can FEEL the energy pulsing in the air, a mix of ancient and futuristic.

… I still can’t grasp how deep its soul is.

… I’m addicted to the dynamic. It’s a 24-hour city in every way.

… I am here, now: Why yearn for somewhere else instead of making the most of what is on site? The best beer in the world is the one in your hand!