Skip to content

Top Navigation

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
  • Trip Inspiration
  • Plan Your Trip
  • World's Best
  • Destination of the Year
  • A-List Travel Advisors
  • Cruises
  • Travel Tips
  • News
  • Food + Drink
  • Travel Accessories
  • Check-In

Profile Menu

Your Profile

Your Profile

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Travel + Leisure

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
  • Explore

    Explore

    • World's Best

      The greatest islands, cities, hotels, cruise lines, airports, and more — as voted by you. Read More Next
    • The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2020

      Whether you're traveling solo or planning a family vacation, here are the 50 best places to visit in 2020. Read More Next
    • Let's Go Together Podcast

      Start listening to T+L's brand new podcast, Let's Go Together! Hosted by Kellee Edwards. Read More Next
  • Trip Inspiration

    Trip Inspiration

    • Trip Ideas
    • Weekend Getaways
    • Spring Travel
    • Summer Travel
    • Fall Travel
    • Winter Travel
    • Solo Travel
    • Romantic Getaways
    • Luxury Travel
    • Beach Vacations
    • Adventure Travel
    • Road Trips
    • Family Travel
    • National Parks
    • Holiday Travel
    • Travel Photography
    • Photo of the Day
    • Culture and Design
  • Plan Your Trip

    Plan Your Trip

    • Travel Guides
    • Flight Deals
    • Travel Deals
    • Ways to Save
    • Hotels + Resorts
    • Attractions
    • Amusement Parks
    • Disney Vacations
    • Festivals + Events
    • Airlines + Airports
    • Buses + Trains
    • Ground Transportation
  • World's Best

    World's Best

    • Top Hotels
    • Top Cities
    • Top Islands
    • Domestic Airlines
    • International Airlines
    • Tours
    • Safaris
    • All World's Best
  • Destination of the Year
  • A-List Travel Advisors
  • Cruises

    Cruises

    • Find A Cruise
    • Caribbean Cruises
    • River Cruises
    • European Cruises
    • All-Inclusive Cruises
    • Family Cruises
    • Alaskan Cruises
    • Disney Cruises
    • See All Cruise Vacations
  • Travel Tips

    Travel Tips

    • Travel Trends
    • Packing Tips
    • Points + Miles
    • Budgeting + Currency
    • Customs + Immigration
    • Responsible Travel
    • Travel Etiquette
    • Travel Warnings
    • Weather
    • Mobile Apps
    • See All Travel Tips
  • News

    News

    • Wellness
    • Celebrity Travel
    • Animals
    • Jobs
    • Offbeat
    • See All News
  • Food + Drink

    Food + Drink

    • Restaurants
    • Wine
    • Beer
    • Cocktails + Spirits
    • Bars + Clubs
    • Celebrity Chefs
    • Cooking + Entertaining
    • Food Fairs + Festivals
    • World's Best Restaurants
    • See All Food + Drink
  • Travel Accessories

    Travel Accessories

    • Travel Bags
    • Shoes
    • Travel Tech
    • Shopping
    • Style
    • Gift Guides
    • See All Travel Accessories
  • Check-In

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Profile

Your Profile

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Travel Tips
  3. Most Popular T+L Features of 2012

Most Popular T+L Features of 2012

By Travel + Leisure and Travel + Leisure Staff
November 30, 2012
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin

1 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Credit: Evan Sung

Find out which entertaining, informative, and provocative Travel + Leisure features caught readers’ attention in 2012—and join the conversation.

We know our readers are passionate about travel, and nothing stirred those feelings more this year than our coverage of U.S. cities.

The most-read feature ranked America's rudest cities, generating plenty of heated debate in the comments section, as did our take on the hipster hubs across the nation, and where to find the very best burgers.

Other popular features shared insider recommendations, from the best affordable beach resorts to a report on which airports are likely to provide a smooth travel experience. And it's no surprise that beautiful photos, whether of cool staircases or the world's most fascinating beaches, are transporting and can inspire that next great trip.

So, take a look back at T+L's biggest hits, and then tell us: which was your favorite, and what travel topics would you like us to tackle in 2013? —Kate Appleton

See more Best of 2012 coverage.

1 of 21

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

No. 1 America's Rudest Cities

Credit: Getty Images

Which is worse when you’re traveling: the local driver who blithely cuts you off in traffic or the surly cabbie who gives you attitude right to your face? Such skirmishes no doubt fueled this year’s America’s rudest cities rankings, as determined by Travel + Leisure readers. Three-time-champion Los Angeles went head-to-head with classically brusque East Coast cities such as Boston and New York.

Get the Details >>

See more Best of 2012 coverage.

2 of 21

3 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

No. 2 America’s Best and Worst Airports

Credit: Andrew Theodorakis / Stringer / Getty Images

The major American airport that delivers the most seamless experience isn’t on any coast. When we asked readers to rate America’s 22 major airports, Minneapolis (MSP) came out the winner for its shopping and dining options, the ease of check-in and security, and the friendliness typical of its city hub. Find out how other airports ranked and where you’re most likely to develop air rage.

Get the Details >>

See more Best of 2012 coverage.

3 of 21

Advertisement

4 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

No. 3 America’s Dirtiest Cities

Credit: iStockphoto

Atlanta introduced a frightening fine on smoking in public parks (up to $1,000) earlier this year, but that didn’t stop the city from ranking near the bottom of the cleanliness category of our annual America’s Favorite Cities reader survey. Litter, smog, and rats also plague some of our nation’s cities—and T+L readers have rated the worst offenders.

Get the Details >>

See more Best of 2012 coverage.

4 of 21

5 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

No. 4 America’s Best Cities for Hipsters

Credit: Jake Stangel

Ah, hipsters. They sport vintage bowling shoes and the latest tech gear, but they also know all the best places to eat and drink—and Seattle is crawling with them. The local Churchkey Can Company produces a pilsner requiring an old-fashioned “church-key” opener to drink it. It’s one example of the taste for the retro, artsy, and ironic that boosted Seattle to the top of America’s best cities for hipsters, according to Travel + Leisure readers.

Get the Details >>

See more Best of 2012 coverage.

5 of 21

6 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

No. 5 Funny Signs from Around the World

Credit: Alamy

Signs can be our biggest allies; they can also lead us far astray. A sign in Scotland assures us that trespassing is acceptable—as long as you ask permission first. Humor can also come from signs that lack punctuation: “CAUTION PEDESTRIANS SLIPPERY WHEN WET.” Still others leave you scratching your head, such as a triangular sign that bears no words, but illustrates a wheelchair speeding down a hill toward the open mouth of an alligator. See for yourself in our slideshow.

Get the Details >>

See more Best of 2012 coverage.

6 of 21

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

No. 6 World’s Best Hotels 2012

Credit: Courtesy of Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek

Everyone wants to know where to stay, and for 17 years running, we’ve asked T+L readers, who are passionate about travel, to vote on the hotels they love the most. The resulting properties go above and beyond. The Four Seasons Hotel Istanbul, for instance, ranked No. 24 with for its riverfront location and refined elegance. Surprising newcomers include the romantic Nayara Hotel, Spa & Gardens in Costa Rica, and Southern Ocean Lodge, Australia’s first wilderness luxury resort.

Get the Details >>

See more Best of 2012 coverage.

7 of 21

8 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

No. 7 Best Italian Restaurants in the U.S.

Credit: Courtesy of Frasca Food & Wine

“There are two kinds of people in the world,” says chef Mario Batali, “those who are Italian, and those who wish they were Italian.” No wonder: Italian restaurants across America are raising the bar. Trattoria Lucca in Charleston, SC, showcases local seafood and homemade ricotta cavatelli and hosts a weekly prix-fix communal dinner. Even Chicago locals are ditching the deep dish for Parmesan budino and Italian eggplant. Did your favorite make our list?

Get the Details >>

See more Best of 2012 coverage.

8 of 21

9 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

No. 8 Best Seafood Restaurants in the U.S.

Credit: Andrew Thomas Lee

Today’s culinary landscape is all about über-local ingredients and farm-to-table cooking. But America’s seafood restaurants were sourcing fish from their backyard long before it was popular. Many of the finest are down-and-dirty—where no-frills décor meets the freshest grouper, blackened, simply dressed with mayo and lettuce. Look for them in Florida’s Sarasota Bay, Maui’s northern shore, and in Atlanta.

Get the Details >>

See more Best of 2012 coverage.

9 of 21

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

No. 9 World’s Coolest Staircases

Credit: Davide Cazzola

Staircases are fundamentally a means to get from one point to another, but they become cool when form is made just as important as function. A structure in Germany’s Rhine Valley that curves and loops like a rollercoaster. Glass staircases that seem to float within Apple stores. A lavish red Art Nouveau staircase in a bookshop in Portugal. And more cool examples that provide interesting perspective on a destination.

Get the Details >>

See more Best of 2012 coverage.

10 of 21

11 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

No. 10 Best Affordable Beach Resorts

Credit: Courtesy of B-Lay Tong

The key ingredients of a beach vacation are simple: sun, sand, surf. It certainly isn’t about watching your bank account wash out to sea. So, we’ve rounded up our favorite affordable beach resorts worldwide, with starting nightly rates between $50 and $250. Options are as varied as Auberge Carnish, a modern cottage on the Scottish coast, India’s hippie-chic Amarya Shamiyana, and a rustic surfing retreat in Panama.

Get the Details >>

See more Best of 2012 coverage.

11 of 21

12 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

No. 11 World’s Top Hotels

Credit: Courtesy of Little Palm Island Resort & Spa

Every year. T+L readers vote on thousands of hotels based on rooms, location, service, food, and value. In 2012, the winners present a mix of remote escapes and city hotels. The number of high-scorers in Africa increased this year, with nine in the top 25, including Singita Grumeti Reserves in Tanzania. Meanwhile, California has the largest percentage of T+L 500 hotels in the U.S., with 37 winners.

Get the Details >>

See more Best of 2012 coverage.

12 of 21

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

No. 12 America’s Worst Dressed People

Credit: Nigel Hicks / Alamy

What’s worse: layer upon bulky layer of long underwear and puffy coats? Or flashy, barely-there outfits? Locals in Anchorage strut the former, earning them the honor of No. 1 worst-dressed city in America, according to T+L readers. These Alaskans “aren’t alarmed when a person wearing a ski mask enters a room.” Baltimore, however, can’t blame icy temperatures for its No. 3 spot. Even Dallas, known for its upscale shopping, ranked as the No. 6 least-stylish city.

Get the Details >>

See more Best of 2012 coverage.

13 of 21

14 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

No. 13 America’s Most and Least Attractive People

Credit: Dean Kaufman

Can just traveling to a city make you better looking? Some claim the sand, surf, and sunshine in California will have your skin glowing. Headed to a chilly city instead? Minneapolis, Nashville, and Kansas City nonetheless all scored high in beauty and friendliness, while charming accents also put Phoenix and Seattle at the top of the list, according to T+L readers. See where your hometown ranks.

Get the Details >>

See more Best of 2012 coverage.

14 of 21

15 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

No. 14 It List: Best New Hotels 2012

Credit: Mike Toy Photography

What makes a hotel not just recommendable, but groundbreaking? Consider Tierra Patagonia, which rises from a glacier-scape on the edge of Torres del Paine National Park. Rooms are stocked with hand-woven throws and wool-upholstered armchairs. Closer to home, we love the Washington School House in Park City, UT, for its French and Swedish antiques and easy access to the ski slopes, as well as Florida’s St. Regis Bal Harbour—part of a $700 million development on Miami Beach.

Get the Details >>

See more Best of 2012 coverage.

15 of 21

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

No. 15 Best Secret Beaches on Earth

Credit: Melanie Stetson Freeman / Getty

Good news: there are still undiscovered beaches out there—blissful hideaways where tourism hasn’t yet eclipsed the local culture. T+L went scouting and turned up everything from a quaint fishing village in Portugal to world-class surfing waves in Todos Santos, Mexico. The marine life around Ibo Island in Mozambique is ideal for divers, while hikers can wander ancient ruins in Cirali on the Turkish Mediterranean.

Get the Details >>

See more Best of 2012 coverage.

16 of 21

17 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

No. 16 America’s Best Burger Cities

Credit: Courtesy of Harry's Bar and Burger

Once the ultimate cheap comfort food, the burger is becoming a gourmet indulgence. According to T+L readers, Los Angeles is the current reigning champ, and it has a storied burger pedigree, having launched both the first McDonald’s and the In-N-Out Burger in the 1940’s. Minneapolis/St. Paul is famous for the Juicy Lucy, a burger with cheese cooked inside the patty. While some cities keep it simple (Dick’s Drive-In in Seattle serves an old-school $1.50 burger), others like Philadelphia’s Hickory Lane American Bistro are getting creative.

Get the Details >>

See more Best of 2012 coverage.

17 of 21

18 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

No. 17 New York’s Top Restaurants

Credit: Evan Sung

A memorable meal is guaranteed at each of these restaurants in New York, a more interesting, varied, and exciting dining destination than it was even a few years ago. Serious food no longer means starched white tablecloths. There’s a new breed of quirky, market-driven joints where the music is loud and the tables are packed tight. We’re also awash in one-off spots that give the star treatment to cult foods like meatballs, artisanal donuts, and a Neapolitan fried pizza.

Get the Details >>

See more Best of 2012 coverage.

18 of 21

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

19 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

No. 18 World’s Strangest Beaches

Credit: Getty Images

Most of us would relish a day at any beach. But there’s a certain thrill in sinking your toes into sand at a different shore. Travelers hike along sea cliffs to reach the deep olive green sand at Hawaii’s Papakolea Beach. African penguins take over the rocks at Boulders Beach in Cape Town. At Siesta Beach in Sarasota, FL the sand is so pure it squeaks like powdered sugar when you walk on it.

Get the Details >>

See more Best of 2012 coverage.

19 of 21

20 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

No. 19 World’s Most Beautiful Universities

Credit: Dan Addison/ U. Va. Public Affairs

University designs are deeply tied to a nation’s history and identity, and it feels fitting that a campus should reflect dignity and grandeur. At Trinity College in Dublin, cobblestoned paths wind among elegant 18th- and 19th-century stone buildings. Meanwhile, students at Peking University in Beijing enter campus through an ornately painted gate guarded by stone lions.

Get the Details >>

See more Best of 2012 coverage.

20 of 21

21 of 21

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

No. 20 Celebrities Banned by Top Hotels

Credit: Melvin Surdin / Alamy

Mixing celebrities and hotels makes for glamour, buzz, and a whole lot of chaos. So what does it take to get banned these days? “Creepy” behavior got John Travolta forbidden from the spa at New York’s Peninsula. Even being a hotel heiress won’t help you—Paris Hilton was banned from the Wynn in Las Vegas after her arrest for cocaine possession. But if you really want to get rowdy, the Hard Rock Hotel in Vegas embraces debauchery.

Get the Details >>

See more Best of 2012 coverage.

21 of 21

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Travel + Leisure and Travel + Leisure Staff

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 21
2 of 21 No. 1 America's Rudest Cities
3 of 21 No. 2 America’s Best and Worst Airports
4 of 21 No. 3 America’s Dirtiest Cities
5 of 21 No. 4 America’s Best Cities for Hipsters
6 of 21 No. 5 Funny Signs from Around the World
7 of 21 No. 6 World’s Best Hotels 2012
8 of 21 No. 7 Best Italian Restaurants in the U.S.
9 of 21 No. 8 Best Seafood Restaurants in the U.S.
10 of 21 No. 9 World’s Coolest Staircases
11 of 21 No. 10 Best Affordable Beach Resorts
12 of 21 No. 11 World’s Top Hotels
13 of 21 No. 12 America’s Worst Dressed People
14 of 21 No. 13 America’s Most and Least Attractive People
15 of 21 No. 14 It List: Best New Hotels 2012
16 of 21 No. 15 Best Secret Beaches on Earth
17 of 21 No. 16 America’s Best Burger Cities
18 of 21 No. 17 New York’s Top Restaurants
19 of 21 No. 18 World’s Strangest Beaches
20 of 21 No. 19 World’s Most Beautiful Universities
21 of 21 No. 20 Celebrities Banned by Top Hotels

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message
Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap
  • Travel Guide Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletters
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
Travel + Leisure is part of the Travel + Leisure Group. Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. Travel + Leisure is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation Travel + Leisure Group All Rights Reserved, registered in the United States and other countries. Travel + Leisure may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.travelandleisure.com

View image

Most Popular T+L Features of 2012
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.