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…
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
