Santiago, Chile

 
Good times are often the simplest times.
There are bigger Carnivals and Tango festivals on the other side of the Andes, but would Buenos Aires or Rio look nearly this poised after being rocked 28 centimeters to the left by an 8.8 earthquake?

Santiago may have smog, sprawl and an epidemic of noisy diesel engines, but what sequestered megalopolis on an economic rebound in an otherwise picturesque valley lined with mountains doesn’t? 

More importantly, here is South America’s version of every fine North American left coast city -- except with nicer weather (than Vancouver), happier music (than Seattle), sexier cafés (than Portland), better bar hours and caipirinha prices (than L.A.) and cooler-looking people in gray suits and shades (than San Francisco). 

No surprise then that The New York Times ranked Santiago numero uno on last year’s “41 Places To Go” list, and also made it the first international Lollapalooza music festival site outside the United States.  

August bonus: if you wanna go heli-skiing for US$200 in the middle of summer (sorry, winter) at a quality ski resort an hour outside of town, no other city can hook you up this quickly and cheaply.