Chicago Named One Of The Top 5 Best Summer Vacation Spots In U.S.
By Stephen Gossett in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 2, 2017 7:34PM
With the warm-weather months finally here, this is usually the time we get the vacation itch worst and start eyeing a camping retreat or mapping those weekend road-trip getaways. It's also of course when outsiders start looking to us more as a destination. Turns out, those flocks of tourists could scarcely do better than a visit to our fair city, according to a new ranking.
Chicago placed fourth overall among 80 American cities in this year's Best Places to Visit in Summer roundup by personal-finance site Wallethub.
Chicago scored best in terms of activities (restaurants, public beaches, music venues, etc.); attraction and "travel costs and hassles" (flight costs, number of connections, etc.), placing in the Top Ten of each those three criteria. Other categories that factored in were local costs, safety and weather.
Here's how we ranked per gauge:
Travel costs and hassles: #6
Local cost: #53
Attractions: #5
Weather: #45
Activities: #4
Safety: #21
Aside from the high ranks for travel, attractions and activities, it's also nice to see middle-of-the-pack placement for weather (remember, it's summer they're looking at) and Top 25, out of 80 cities, in safety. Not bad for a "carnage" magnet, right, Donald?
On the other hand, the methodology seems to take a more quantity-over-quality tack in terms of ranking attractions and activities. That might be the best way of explaining why Chicago fell below both Las Vegas (#1) and Orlando (#3). Sorry for the shade, Nevada and Florida, but c'mon. You can check out the Top Ten below. Just don't tell Rahm we weren't in medal contention; he gets pretty sensitive about tourism.
1) Las Vegas, NV
2) Los Angeles, CA
3) Orlando, FL
4) Chicago, IL
5) San Diego, CA
6) Atlanta, GA
7) Houston, TX
8) Dallas, TX
9) Sacramento, CA
10) New York, NY