The best and worst of Boston

Travel and Leisure magazine released the results of its annual survey of “America’s Favorite Cities’’ this month, with Boston getting high marks from visitors for its classical music, culture, and history. But the grades for local barbecue, driving, and weather weren’t so kind. Here’s where Boston finished in the top 10 and bottom 10, according to visitors, of the 35 cities involved in the survey.

Whether it’s the celebration of 100 years of Fenway Park or the anguish of the missing Bruins season, Boston, second only to Philadelphia, cheers and cries with its teams.

Despite the influx of mobile restaurants over the past few years, Boston didn’t fare well when it came to food trucks. Interestingly enough, Providence finished fourth overall.

Just behind Chicago, Boston takes watching its sports in a fun environment as seriously as it takes its championships.

Boston almost finished highest in the classical music category, beat out by New York City for the top honor.<br>
<br>Pictured: Guest conductor Thomas Ades with the Boston Sypmphony Orchestra in March 2011.

We’re no Seattle or Minneapolis-St. Paul, but Boston has enough intellectual horsepower to place us third on this list. Las Vegas finished last, just behind Miami.

Boston beat out Washington, D.C., (No. 13) but not No. 1 San Diego or Minneapolis-St. Paul for this patriotic honor.<br>With fireworks like this, who can argue?

At the top of the list are Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, but Boston boasts a number of historical landmarks. Some of those historical buildings also probably helped the city take eighth on the list of architecture and cool buildings.

We sure know how to get our gadgets on. Boston came in fourth, behind Seattle (home of Microsoft), San Francisco, and Austin, Texas, for the title.<br>
<br>Pictured: Karl Stier, owner of Watershed Media, with his assortment of computer-based technology at his home office station in West Roxbury.

Chicago comes out on top, beating the other US city famous for pizza, New York. Providence actually finished second, narrowly edging past the Big Apple (4.55 to 4.54).

We may not have as much city pride as New Orleans, which took No. 1 in this category, or the other four southern cities, but Bostonians are proud to call this city home. At the bottom of the list is Orlando. They wish they were from Boston, too.

They may be fun destinations, but Las Vegas and Orlando, Fla., the bottom two in the survey, can’t match what Boston and Santa Fe (No. 1) can offer in terms of culture. Boston also finished eighth in terms of theater and performance art.<br>
<br>Pictured: Time Stamp, a music project, involved 15 musicians recording improvised experiments at Somerville Theater.

Visitors liked the museums in five other cities more than they did Boston’s: Washington, D.C., New York City, Chicago, Santa Fe, and Philadelphia. <br>
<br>Pictured: The Museum of Fine Arts.

Bostonians may grumble about the T, but visitors indicate it’s worse elsewhere, giving Boston high marks for public transportation and pedestrian access. Portland, Ore., finished first.

Places like the Arnold Arboretum (pictured) make Boston a top destination with free attractions, behind Washington, D.C., and a handful of Southern cities.

Even though Portland, Maine, ranked third in this list, Boston managed to edge out Providence for eighth.<br>
<br>Pictured: Harpoon brewery in Boston.

New England must have some great ice cream. Providence finished second, and Portland, Maine, finished sixth above Boston in eighth.

We may not paahk our caahs in Hahvahd Yahd, but we do love our chowda. Coming in behind Southern accents, San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Honolulu, Boston accents apparantly charm our tourists.

Las Vegas came in No. 1 in this category, but Boston still made the top 10. New York City and Los Angeles also made the top four.

It’s New England. What do you want? An explanation how Providence finished 14th? Sorry, no clue.

We’ve moved up quite a bit on this list, from No. 31 in 2011. But apparently we’re no Nashville, Savannah, or Charleston.

Sorry, Boston, a Samuel Adams Boston lager doesn’t count. Boston finished near the bottom of the pack. New Orleans topped the list, while Salt Lake City came in dead last.

Apparently, the Swan Boats aren’t enough to keep the lovebirds happy. Boston placed just ahead of Chicago, but no city was as enchanting enough to top San Diego or Honolulu.

College students would rather bask in the sun in San Diego (No. 1) than visit Boston, Portland, Maine (No. 33), or Salt Lake City (No. 35) in the midst of winter? Go figure.

Only Honolulu, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City finished with lower scores.

Boston shouldn’t feel all that bad. New York City, arguably one of the country’s top holiday destinations, only finished fourth. Predictably, the warmer destinations finished first in both categories.

So, we’re not Kansas City or Memphis, and we have a reputation for some pretty weak barbecue. At least we ranked higher than Anchorage, Seattle, and Salt Lake City.

Most Boston drivers might even agree with this one — just not about themselves, of course. New York City, and Washington, D.C., are the only cities that ranked lower.