My Top 20 TV Shows of 2025: #5 - #1

5.)  Alien: Earth  (Season 1, FX)

Halfway through the season, I mentally had Alien; Earth pegged higher up. It hit all the notes for me - Noah Hawley (of Fargo) at its centerpiece. Great acting performances, from Tim Olyphant to Sydney Chandler (Kyle's daughter) at its centerpiece. Just enough weirdness and mystery to keep you guessing but not too much to make it all silly (liek what happened with another more ill-fated, to me, Hawley product in Legion). It took legendary source material and twisted it with enough wider world building for it to work excellently on the small screen. And then it became clear that Sydney Chandler's character Wendy could essentially communicate with and seemingly order around Xenomorphs. This seemed to upset a lot of people (granted, people who have more a connection to the Alien franchise than I do), and it did make me pause a minute, because the ramifications of this are so big. Furthermore, where this takes place in teh larger Aliens universe timeline doesn't make a whole lot of sense. It begs a lot of questions, I'm saying.

But despite all of that, hell if that wasn't amazing television for ten episodes. The action scenes with teh Xenomorph adn the various other crazy creatures Hawley drew up (the spider with many eyes being the best) were just incredibly haunting. These were scenes that were worthy of something based on the genius of Ridley Scott and James Cameron at their best. The whole storyline of capitalism gone to its most extreme and awry - while on the nose of course, did work in teh larger setting. The whole idea of what synthetics are in this world seemed, truly, as interesting as it did in the grand reveal in the initial Alien film. The season ends in a weird note, with the Lost Boys breaking free and it clearly seeming they have a Xenomorph fully in toe, and I do think Hawley will have to deal with the wider raminifactions of this decision in the context of the Aliens franchise (Hawley is nothing but ultimately reverential to the source material - see Fargo), and for whatever questions we have about those decisions, I can't help but wait to see where Wendy and the Lost Boys go next.

4.)  The Lowdown  (FX)

A few years ago, I made one of the weirder Top-5 picks, naming The Good Lord Bird my #3 show of 2020, a period piece where Ethan Hawke plays a crazed version of the abolitionist John Brown - a show that reinforced how great an invested Ethan Hawke is as an actor, and how telling a story around race relations isn't always preachy and dour. Well, five years later, Mr. Hawke was back at it here - even if less overtly so, with his performance of Lee Raybon (modeled after Tulsa newsman and race relation historian Lee Roy Chapman - even if the comparison is fairly thin). But even more than the Good Lord Bird, this show sung not just because of Hawke's earnest, zany, brilliant portrayal of a dastardly noir newspaperman, but because of how rich the rest of the story was - which brings us to the real star: creator Sterling Harjo. I've never seen Reservation Dogs, but after watching this, I realize how much of a hole that is in my viewing history.

The Lowdown was full of brilliance in all its characters, from Lee's daughter (a star-making performance by Ryan Armstrong), to the various forces of evil and slightly less evil he came up against (Kyle Maclachlan, Scott Sheppard, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Tracy Letts, and so many others in a show filled to the brim with great, if still understated, TV actors). The story got fairly complex, but at its heart was aroudn race relations and the way the evangelical South as they got more and more powerful took advantage of the native americans, but it did it again in a fairly deft way (making that the sideplot to the larger murder/suicide mystery) that it wasn't heavy handed. The show taught us a lot, while still being entertaining, captivating at times (great thrill scenes) and way more funny than it had any right being. Seems like Ethan Hawke should just put out a graet period piece every five years from now on. 

3.)  Andor  (Season 2, Disney+)

I'm not a Star Wars guy. I have watched the original trilogy quite a few times and realize it is incredible. I never watched The Rise of Skywalker or whatever that last film was and never will. I find Rogue One quite good, lost hope on the Mandalorian and honestly will hope the idea of new films goes away forever. With all that said - believe me this ranking is in no way influenced by it being Star Wars IP. No, on its very own merits, Andor Season 2 was one of the best things I've seen in years. Sure, the connections to Rogue One at the end was thrilling, and the various allusions, and by the last quartet of episodes ouright performacnes by known film-verse Star Wars people was great, but what this was is a story of showing how the Empire was built, how that dictatorship was created on the ground. It did a far better job of explaining the dominance of the Empire than any lore-building shit Lucas tried in taht prequel. If you want to make The Empire a villain - show them the three parter where they systematically false-flag their way to raining hell on Gorman. That whole section could as easily have been Game of Thrones, or, hell, our own government. That was magical television, if harrowing in its wider context.

What I really loved about this season though was how its 12-episode format - really played out as four three-part movies - gave it some room to breath. Yes, not each three-part installment was as good as the other, but in a world where all TV shows, if especially so IP heavy ones, are trying to figure out a way to live off of giving us six episodes every two years, here Andor gave us twelve. It gave us the magic that was the wedding rituals in its first act. It gave us some great family dynamics in its second. It gave us Vader and the link to Rogue one (the link to the prequels) in its final. And of course, gave us that third set of episodes with the riot of Gorman, a weirdly now seminal moment in Star Wars canon. This is the show that IP should be creating. Andor after its first season, full with the prison break-out episodes, was already living a world well above its IP imitators, but this season capped Andor for good. I think it is clearly obvious to say that Andor is the best IP related TV show to ever come out - be it Marvel, Star Wars, DC. The hit rate is so, so low, but Andor showed that you can make great television in this world.

2.)  The Rehearsal  (Season 2, HBO)

I was hooked when he made HBO build him a replica of IAH Airport, specifically a part of the airport concourse I know quite well. I was further hooked with his amazing Paramount as Hitler spoof (which seems even more prescient now as I write this when they are trying a hostile takeover of HBO). I was out of my mind when he cosplaying as Sully, put those headphones in and blasted "Bring Me Back to Life" recreating the Miracle on the Hudson. And of course, I was shellshocked when we watched him fly a fucking 737 and land it. The Rehearsal season 1 was a great concept with some amazing moments that took a weird turn at the end when it became a bit awkward thinking if he adversely impacted a kids life. The Rehearsal season 2 was what that show, and truly Nathan Fielder himself, was put on earth to do - take a weird idea ("Does lack of Pilot Communication cause crashes") and do as Fielder does which is take it to every extreme. None better than when we learned he trained himself to be a pilot, realized almost immediately why lack of communcation is prevalent, and then, of course, flew a fucking plane load of real people.

I think a lot of focus on the show as a legacy piece will focus on that finale, and secondly the Sully episode, where he farcicly recreates Sully's life centering around why the CVR goes silent for 30 seconds before Sully says "we're landing in the Hudson". And yes, seeing Nathan get HBO to build him a giant bedroom set for him to recreate being Sully as a baby was perversely funny, but him piecing together what assuredly is a ludicrous Evanescence theory was captivating in the best way. By the time he put those headphones on, well hell I was ready to believe it. But anyway, the best part of the show to me is the earnestness of his underlying theory - that power dynamics causes a lack of communcation which leads to many crashes. Not sure it will go anywhere, but beyond all the zaniness, the introspection, the brilliance that Nathan Fielder brings to the world, as always lies a kernel of truth and if this show can make flying safer - as someone who does fly on a plane ~90 times a year - then we're all the better for it. All I know is that we're all better for Nathan Fielder existing and continuing to put out masterpieces like this.

1.)  The Pitt  (Season 1, HBOMax)

For the second straight year, I watched a show that premiered early in the calendar year and thought to myself fairly immediately that "yeah, this is my #1. It will be nigh impossible to top it." Last year, it was Shogun, which aired in March. This year, it was The Pitt, which aired first on January 9th. 15 episodes - as close as we'll get to an old school TV season (not-broadcast division). Fifteen episodes, fifteen hours of the rawest, most emotional, most ethereal, most dramatic television you will ever see. The Pitt was brilliant for many reasons, from the acting including me discoverin Noah Wyle (I never watched ER), to the dramatic beats, to its deft take on so many issues from abortion to trafficing to gun violence. But two aspects set it apart - the realness and the way it respected its viewers. The concept of a hospital drama is far from a new one, but no show took it to this extreme. This was to hospital dramas what The Wire is to cop shows, and that is the best compliment I can give any show.

Much like The Wire packed the show with cop parlance from day one that normal people would have to take notes to keep up with, The Pitt did absolutely the same thing with medical terminology, and more than that medical procedures. The way it spared no damn expense in showing us the gore of emergency medicine, but the glory of its practictioners as well. It respected its audience. and paid that respect back by giving them a truly eye-opening view of what medicine is. More than that, we got to see competent people act competent. So much of TV is about lampooning the opposite. So much of our world is mired in the opposite, where seemingly dumbness is rewarded - or more pointedly, expertise is maligned. Well, The Pitt showed the world why that view is dumb, that highly trained people can do amazing things. Of course though, it was also human. The way it could craft some crazily meaningful and more than that lasting characters while all this zaniness was happening in the course of a day is mystifying. I'll never forget everything to do with Dr. Santos and Whitakers dynamic, or seeing Dr. Jahvadi stand up to her Mom, or seeing Dr. Langdon spiral downwards but then revive himself, and of course anything to do with Dr. Robbie. Few shows create this many indelible characters over seasons, let alone in theory one shift of work. The Pitt was truly something amazing, and easily was the best thing on TV in 2025.

My Top 20 TV Shows of 2025: #10 - #6

I don't know if this is true, but truly this might be the best set of a Top-10 yet. I'm sure if I actually looked back I could find a year to rival it, but more than anything what I love about my Top-10 this year is how damn all over the place is - from sitcoms to dramedies to dramas to whatever the hell it is Tim Robinson and Nathan Fielder are doing. Anyway - let's get to the Top 10.

10.)  The Righteous Gemstones  (Season 4, HBO)

On the one hand, this was probably outright the most "drama" or "story" heavy season of Gemstones yet, culminating with that incredible staged shootout at their summer estate. But when taht shootout also involves and already shot Jesse and Judy Gemstones are crawling across the floor to reach chekov's gun? Well, you've still got yourself gold. I did like that the season went to the root of how the Gemstone dynasty was created - from of course ex-Civil War turncoats and robber-barons. It also explore a lot around adult depression, loneliness and loss. The show was always more intrested in exploring religion and psyche than it was given credit for - none better than the alternating raunchiness and sadness around Eli's relationship with Lori. Also - of all the guest stars, my God was Sean Williams Scott brilliant as Corey. He is someone that needs a second career at this point, a good 25 years on from Stiffler. And of course, I can't leave this without talking up Baby Billy, which remains one of my favorite sitcom characters ever, and the role that even more than Boyd Crowder that Walton Goggins was born to play - hearing him say about his nanny that "we're not paying her to put on fashion shows. We're paying her to nan!" will remain with me long after this show has now left the air. Looking back, I appreciate that the early seasons were actually far more interesting about the question of if these churches are good or bad (there was more pro-church stuff than people will remember in those early episodes) but ultimately, mega-churches suck, but man as Gemstones showed, are they lampoonable.

9.)  The Chair Company  (Season 1, HBO)

I don't know if I Think You Should Leave is ever coming back, but if Tim Robinson has graduated to stuff like this (which combines the outright lunacy of ITYSL well with the serialized nature of The Detroiters) than I'll forgive him for it. The Chair Company was at its best when it didn't really know how close to ITYSL zaniness it should get - the best part being that conflict playing up mostly in Tim's own character - balancing a perfectly funny but staid sitcom type family life with a ITYSL everything else. Episodes like the fifth where we go to the bar and all hell brakes loose starting with the guy with a hole in his head. Like most best ITYSL stuff, writing plot points and siliness in text is a fool's errand to describe just how amazing it all is. What really impressed me though about the season was the mystery aspect. Yes, on its face Ron thinking there is a grand conspiracy against him because his office chair broke on stage is ITYSL stupid, but damn if he didn't figure out a way to make it compelling noir-type theater, from scary phone calls to voyeurs to actually revealing he was to some degree right about it all (after the brilliant drug-smuggling red herring). The season ended setting up multiple potential mysteries for Ron and daughter Natalie to explore with the other bunch of zany characters, and God I'm already smiling thinking of what ridiculous nonsense Tim Robinson will stuff into this crazy world of midwest Ohio. 

8.)  Dept. Q  (Season 1, NETFLIX)

We go from a noir played for comedy with just enough noir / mystery brilliance to keep you coming back to a noir played for dark as fuck topics, with just enough verve and fun to keep you coming back. Department Q flew way under the radar when it came out, but from word of mouth it grew into a surprise NETFLIX hit. In recent years, NETFLIX has done so well co-producing English/BBC stuff (Bodies, Adolescence) but Department Q may have been the weirdest to really succeed. The Wire meets Veronica Mars (though, to be fair, not as good as either), the show really showcased some small moments so well, while exploring PTSD, racisim, biases and so much more ailing police work around the world. The idea behind it was fairly novel, but its approach of putting a gruff leader-type managing a team of wackos wasn't all that novel. Either way, it combined to something special (and a graet theme song to boot). By the end of it, when it revealed just how dark the plot at its center was, it almost washed over you, focusing us all more on the success of this ragtag group actually cracking the case. Few characters have been more captivating than Matthew Goode's Carl Morck. Really curious where this show goes - flash of pan shows like this that get renewed have a mixed track record, but there are so many more cold cases to explore, so many more weird randos to run into in the weird world of Scotland, that I'll be happy to be along for the ride. Just maybe next time no holding humans hostage for years on end.

7.)  The Bear  (Season 4, FX)

My #1 show in 2023 deservedly fell on the list quite a bit last year in its misbegotten Season 3. It wasn't bad, but was way up its own ass, and truly not all that funny. Well, it's fourth season was an amazing return to form - from the comedy, to the heart, to the lack of famous chefs who can't act (a very annoying part of its 3rd season). It seems clear that Christopher Storer realized what made this show special in its first two seasons, and what made it a bit of a mess last year, and stripped it back. This was the restaurant being fairly normal and successful (apart from computer's countdown clock) but focused back on the core group off characters - from Carmie's realization on his self-destructive streak turning away Claire, to a brilliant Richie storyline of him coming to terms with his ex re-marrying and sharing affection for his daughter with her new stepfather, to even the nice storyline of the beef window being the only real profitable part of the company. The season set its sights so far more narrow than bringing in Thomas Keller types as guest stars - focusing on The Bear, making it finally a working restuarant worth visiting, and just given the characters an air of professional competence that allowed us to better appreciate their personal incompetence and failings. It may never reach the singular beauty that was its second season, which had still the best character-showcase episodes, but I'm heartened how much The Bear's creative team seemed to learn from the poor press its third season got to scale it back and sharpen it back to something so lovable. The fourth season ended with its best cliffhanger yet, with Carmie ceding the restaurant fully to Sydney and (reluctantly, of course) Richie, but we know he's coming back for something great, much like the show will itself.

6.)  It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia  (Season 17, FX)

Alan Sepinwall recently released his list of his 10 best TV shows of the year. The list shares some overlap - three of my Top-5 were on his list, including a shared number one. Surprisingly, he had Sunny rated higher than I do. Not sad in any way - if anything I love it - the show deserves it flowers. It's great reassurance that I wasn't crazy thinking how insanely good this season was. I'm honestly not even trying to grade them on a curve given the show is 17 years in and no other live action sitcom other than Curb has come within a decade of them season wise in a while. What was so incredible about this season was the consistency - there were no bad episodes. Hell, there were no average Sunny episodes. To me, they ranged from above average (e.g. Thought Leadership: A Corporate Conversation) to all-timers (Mac and Dennis become EMTs). The finale focusing on Frank finding love on the Golden Bachelor was also just a truly brilliant episode mixing normal Sunny sophomoric hilarity (Cock Chewah!) with poignancy that has been present often for Sunny at its best in recent years (Frank pouring his soul out to Carole King!). Between that, we got Mac and Charlie at a dog park, Frank as cake, a weirdly great Succession riff, their whole journey at Abbott Elementary (which worked perfectly despite me not watching that show), to Rob and Charlie accosting Cricket about if he ate a dick. This was Sunny distilled into something brilliant - to me their best 8-episode season yet (Season 14 to now). Technically, they're contracted to do an 18th and seems certain that such a season will exist. It's a bit of an unknown after that. One day this show will end, but it's clear at this point when it does, it will be because Rob, Charlie and Glenn chose to stop it, not because they lost an ounce of their brilliance.

My Top 20 TV Shows of 2025: #15 - #11

15.)  Task  (Season 1, HBO)

Mare of Easttown but darker, if that was somehow possible, but this one did it. The same accents (if anything, even more earthened). The same tone centering around catching a murderer, but this one ripped the cord in a way Mare didn't - showing the unlimited way crime infiltrates in small town America, the way loss never truly leaves. The way forgiveness is such a fleeting concept. The performances were all great, but truly Mark Ruffalo was something else in this one, playing so many emotions at all times. Yes, the depressing nature of his backstory seemed a bit like piling on, but in this case, it worked because everything else was as dark. The beautiful moment where Grosso and Stover start dancing and cozying up, you know in a show like this that this was a death sentence. What was made clear as we went as the criminal side was even better and more captivating - the character of Maeve drawn so interestingly. Darkness knows no limits in rural Pennsylvania I guess, but it still remains captivating. I do hope coming back for a 2nd season is not a mistake - doing the one thing Mare never did - double down for more darkness.

14.)  Paradise  (Season 1, Hulu)

One of the earliest shows of the year to make the list, Paradise was like throwing three great ideas together, from Political Thriller to Neighborhood Crime Show to, of course, the reveal of adding a final course of Apocalypse show. The Apocalypse aspect seemed at first an amazing reveal at the end of the pilot, than something shoehorned in, but by the back couple episodes, it was all I could think about. The episodes that went into the actual apocalpytic event, the supervolcano in the Antarctic, the slow tidal wave coming across the world, the grainy image of the reporter seeing it unfold. All of it was raw, all of it was real. All of it made teh political thriller stuff of who killed the President (and the President's own dastardliness) a bit trite, but let's not lose how good some of that stuff was as well, from Sterling K. Brown, to even an against-type James Marsden, playing the dastard so well. There was a craft here, even if the apolcapyse aspect kind of swallowed everything else, much like that tidal wave. Excited to see where this goes from here as we see that there is some life left "above".

13.)  Adolescence  (NETFLIX)

The whole one-er of it all got the headlines, and yes the fact they pulled it off so well was an amazing feat of filmmaking, but if anything it overshadowed how good a small, but incredibly well acted and told story, Adolesence was at its core. In a way, this is similar to the other famous recent one-er, in Birdman, which also maybe overshadowed a great movie. In this case, yeah ti was a small story, but of heartbreak, fear, delusion, bullying, and so much more without ever not treating the source material as anything other than real. Stephen Graham was great (as he basically always is), but Owen Cooper put in one of the better child perfroamnces ever for a character that was asked a hell of a lot. Some of the social media commentary felt a bit heavy handed, but maybe that is the one area it is easier to connect with from a younger person's perspective. I connect more with the cops and the dad, which were all just brilliantly raw and real. In this case, I really don't hope there is a second saeson - this was just a perfect, poignant showcase for something dark but raw.

12.)  Hacks  (Season 4, HBO)

Hacks continues to be just such a well oiled machine - it is incredible how flawlessly Jean Smart plays the role of a comedian. From my knowledge of Dame Smart she was never really a comedic actress - more a brilliant dramatic one. Well, can she method-act the shit out of being a comedian. If anything, this was to me her strongest season yet - even if other parts of the show are starting to feel a bit stale, like the two talent managers budding office romance, or the lack of a real story of Deborah's old Chief of Staff. But anyway, the up-and-down simultaneous success or failure of Deborah's late night show, and for once believable spite and animosity between the two lead characters, did still carry the day. It ended on a great note for what seems to be the final season ahead, but while we await it, we can marvel at a show still mining interesting, new storylines out of two comedians. However real or not the writer's room scenes were, they seemed great and so indicative of what that is probably like. The pressures of modern television also were so well played - expertly with the Dancing Mom character. They narrowed the story, and truly I think it paid off and sets us up for a great finish.

11.)  Death by Lightning  (NETFLIX)

I'll admit, the four part story of the assassination of James Garfield - easily the least notable presidential assassination / death - was not one I expected to lead to compelling television. I guess it is because, as Garfield's widow greatly foresees towards the end, history has kind of forgetten about him. But man did this show reveal firstly how interesting a character he was, but more than that how natively crooked and interesting politics were at the turn of the Century (the last turn). The amazing characters of Roscoe Conkling (brilliant Shea Wigham), James Blaine (Whitford) and even the great Mrs. Garfield were excellent, but it's the three leads that made this sing. How pitiful a charlatan Charles Gaiteau was (the best being when it was revealed he couldn't get laid during his tenure at a polygamy cult), how boorish a loaf Chester Alan Arthur was (I'm sure taking taht particular affectation way beyond what was real), and how decent a man Garfield was. It did showcase a lot of truth - that in Garfield's death, Chester Arthur changed tune on backing Garfield's wish to end the spoils system (granted, seems like that system is 100% back in Trump's America), that Garfield really was the ultimate compromise candidate foisted on the country out of nowhere, adn he did just campaign from his farm's porch. All of it so interesting. The only two reasons it isn't higher are (a) there is a lot of great television to come and (b) it was just four episodes. I easily could've watched 8-10 on this random ass topic.

My Top 20 TV Shows of 2025: #20 - #16

First, a look back at what's missing from last year (as always, a lot). What's interesting is this year 14 of the 20 are shows that will air multiple seasons (e.g. not mini-series), a big number compared to recent years. Now, two of them ended this year, and probably at least half of the remaining 12 will not air in 2026, but still, a lot of these will be back, which is nice.

Shows Ended / Were a Miniseries

#20 - Under the Bride (miniseries)

#18 - Letterkenny (RIP, but what a ride)

#13 - Interior Chinatown (I hope I'm right)

#10 - Baby Reindeer

#8 - The Sympathizer

#7 - The Penguin (though maybe it will come back?)

#4 - What We do in the Shadows (double RIP)

#2 - Ripley

Shows that didn't air in 2025 (but will be back)

#19 - A Good Girls Guide to Murder

#17 - Three Body Problem

#14 - House of the Dragon

#6 - The Gentlemen

#3 - Fargo (gonna assume until Noah Hawley officially says no mas)

#1 - Shogun (can't WAIT)

Shows that weren't as good / Didn't Watch

#16 - Only Murder's in the Building (still fun, but run its course)

#15 - Nobody Wants This (will watch, but don't think it would crack my 20)

#9 - A Man on the Inside (may regret not watching it yet)

20.)  The Residence  (NETFLIX)

A weird Knives Out style, Clue style mystery romp across random white house lackeys, servants, cooks, and mainds, all of it led brilliantly by Uzo Aduba at its center, The Residence was surprisingly low on the totem pole of what NETFLIX seemed to care about and market in 2025. Sad, because it was a little gem. Yes, the story was overly convoluted, and a lot of random things thrown in to stretch it out to eight episodes (this would've worked better as a Knives Out type movie / run-time), but still just great performances at its core, from Aduba, to Giancarlo Esposito, to Kan Marino and so many others - the cast list reading with length and impressiveness becoming of a Wes Anderson film. Again, that is probably why this isn't higher - this type of material is enhanced by brevity. At its best two hours, it deserves a spot higher up - just happens there were some more hours.

19.)  The Beast in Me  (NETFLIX)

Late, late entry to the till (and before we go further, I'm holding off Stranger Things until 2026 as I will mnot be watching that finale on Christmas Damn Eve), as The Beast in Me was a tight, psychotic thriller that was super well acted, lifting a fairly thin, ridiculous plot. It was so obvious from the beginning that the Matthew Rhys character did kill his old wife, that I stupidly kept trying to convince myself that they'll go for something smarter. But in the end, they did not. They did give us some great moments between Rhys and Claire Danes, a great return spot for Jonathan Banks, even he was playing effectively a Mike mashup with Gus. The show could've been better, but in the end, it was still quite a riveting few episodes with some magical scenes interspersed.

18.)  The White Lotus  (Season 3, HBO)

I don't think the show has lost the plot, I'll just say that they probably need a few more tweaks to the recipe in Season 4 to keep the magic going. Thailand was an interesting local, and while there were some of the most memorable stories on the "rich, spoiled white people" side of the spectrum (everything to do with the two brothers, primarily), they were counter-balanced by teh weakest set of Lotus Employees so far. Still, didn't stop from some amazing scenes with Carrie Coon and Michelle Monaghan, to of course Parker Posey saying "Piper" all the time. The highs were still super high - haven't even mentioned the amazing Sam Rockwell cameo speech, but we need a bit more magic, mystery and class warfare this time around. Go back to that drawing board, Mr. White. Basically, we need another Armond.

17.)  The Diplomat  (Season 3, NETFLIX)

If the season ends with Kate not shacking back up with Hal, this might end up higher. For most of its third season, which took the graet idea to narrow the focus to effectively the immediate aftermath of the President's Death and the fact only a few people knew about the false flag attack, it sharpened the story quite a bit. The dynamics between Kate and Allison Janney's president were exceptional. The London stuff itself felt way weaker this season (including a slightly offputting, pervy view from the Prime Minister), but was replaced by a lot better palace intrigue on the US side of things. The closer Kate got to the affairs of the President, teh better the show got - in a weird way the same thing happened with Veep. It was always a bit silly how in the know and in the mix the "ambassador" was to everything, but the "second lady who was spurned for VP who is also ambassador"? yeah, that's a position that makes a ton of sense to be in the know, and the show was better for it.

16.)  The Last of Us  (Season 2, HBO)

Having not played the game, I had no idea Joel was going to get killed. I commend them for staying true to the game and killing essentially the star character (and more shining a light taht the actress playing the kid character isn't all that great yet in their career), but I do wish they could've squeezed a couple more episodes out of him. The plot itself leading up to that death was riveting, as were the performaneces, the pain the relationship between Joel and Ellie was so haunting. Yes, killing Joel woke up something in Ellie, crystallized the revenge plot (that I understand does become a compelling story in the game) and sharpened what could be a sprawling show, but some of the best parts of the first season of the show was that sprawl. The trek to Seattle and goings on there were intriguing; the character of Dina became more and more compelling as we went; but it is a clear sign of what drove the show when the most memorable, best episode of its post-Joel timeline was the flashback one that brought him back. Super interested to see where this show goes from here, and mostly can they recapture the magic they  threw away by staying true to the source material (which I believe for the artistry, was the right call).

Nostalgia Diaries, Pt. 31: The Malice at the Palace

It happened 21 years ago tonight, so basically, someone born the day Ron Artest got water thrown at him setting-off the most disgraceful but, in a weird way, incredible moments in NBA history, can legally buy a drink today. More than that, I was twenty-one years younger when I watched this game in my family's old house's basement, on that small little TV. Yet even then, that thirteen year old me, knew this was a world-changing moment I was witnessing.

The weirdest part looking back is I'm not sure why I was watching that game to begin with. I wasn't a huge NBA fan at this point. Weirdly enough, it was the exploits of that season, with the rise of Shaq's Heat, and more than that, the Seven-Seconds-Or-Less Suns, that got me into the sport (following my Jordan dalliance as a truly young kid). But anyway, it was an early-season Friday Night game on ESPN, back when that mattered, and it was between the two teams that contested the prior season Eastern Conference Finals. I guess I bought into the game's hype. 

But there I was, thirteen years old, watching this game between two defensive-heavy East stalwarts, where late in teh game the Pacers were cruising. I guess I also watched the game because I knew the teams had bad blood. So it wasn't really a surprise when Ben Wallace fouled Ron Artest super hard. Hell, that's what all of us were kind of watching the game for, to see some fireworks. And we got it - and then Artest comically went to the side boards to lay down on them to not get into some sort of pissing match. It was comical at that point - comoical and dramatic and everything we all signed up for. If the game more or less ended there (the Pacers were up by a lot), it probably gets remembered fondly. And then taht cup was thrown...

I still remember watching all of it unfold. The Malice at teh Palace is probably one of those events that many people will claim to have been at even if they weren't, and millions more will claim to have been watching when they weren't, but I was. And it is all so seared into my mind watching all of that madness unfold. Even being thirteen, I knew this was a landmark moment in the NBA.

Almost more than the events of the Malice, I remember listening to WFAN the next day (I was a daily listener at this point on my walkman-that-had-radio) and remember this being the only topic of discussion. Of course the general sense was of being horrified, and it being a scourge on the league, and it being a moment that would never die (hey - those people were right). There was also a lot of commentary that looking abck had racist undertones - the thug league unleashed, but you know what - there was some merit in that very moment. Yes, the fans were to blame - but let's not forget Stack Jack running into the stands to lay haymakers. It was the #1 story even before we knew the ultimate outcome of the suspensions (which curtailed a potentially dominant Pacers team). It was everything. It took over sports.

Back to the moment itself, there were so many surreal ones that were just insane and memorable and infamous in the moment. From the start of it all with Artest running up, to Jermaine O'Neal clocking the fan who ran onto the court (probably the single best "shot"), to Stack's nonsense, to the image of coaches escorting Artest off the court minutes later with Artest acting like he had been shot and near death with all the added drama. All of it was just so hauntingly beautiful. Of course, this was horrifying, but it was also just a moment that no one will ever forget, for good or bad (mostly bad, I guess).

In the end, I do love the fact I watched it, I remember every second of it. I have few other memories of the 2004-05 NBA season in terms of actually watching things, other than a memorable Suns - Wizards game near Christmas when the SSOL Suns beat Arenas who dropped 50+ or something, and then various playoff games. One shouldn't necessarily remember a regular season NBA game twenty one years later. But this one - this game.. yeah we should all remember it.

Looking back, other than the suspensions and the immediate fury of "have thugs taken over the league", nothing much really changed. The NBA instituted a dress code the next season in effort to "un-thug" the league (whihc probably only served to memorialize photos of NBA players in various levels of hilariously loose, baggy suits...). But it's not like they moved the fans any further back from the action, and not doing so led to many other incidents which luckily (or not) did not escalate into the Malice. The same event could easily happen tomorrow for all I know. The next powder keg is out there. Crazy players, from Draymond Green to others, still exist. If it does happen again, all I'll say is I hope I'm around to witness it live like I did twenty-one years back in a grainy, small ass TV in my basement.

My Favorite Siteless Cities

I was thinking about this when I ventured to Toronto for the umpteenth time to do a quick 2-3 day trek to one of my favorite cities in North America (if not the world) to do a quick trek. It's great because the CAD is weak, it has graet food, great lowkey beer and cocktail spots, a great skyline, and a coolness in its urban maw. But the weird thing is, if someone asked me what to see if they visit Toronto, I would have a hard time telling them what to do. There's a lot of nice things about Toronto, but so little "unique" or "historic", in the sense there are no ancient ruins of Rome, there are no Rocky Mountains close by. There is no "you can't do this except in Toronto".

Ok, I guess there are two exceptions to some degree. One is the Hockey Hall of Fame, which you can't do anywhere else because it is only in Toronto. Secondly, there is the CN Tower, the tallest structure in the Western Hemisphere. I guess also in theory Niagara Falls is within 90 minutes or whatever, but you get the point - there's nothing too unique about Toronto. The AGO is a fantastic art museum, but there's dozens of equally good art museums in myriad cities. But despite all of that, I love Toronto anyway.

That got me thinking, what are my favorite cities that have no real unique, defining feature. Where there is no super specific history, or site, or natural beauty feature, or cuisine (for instance, Lima is worth visiting due to the Peruvian food itself, despite not having any of the prior things in any real "you must go there" sense). I'm not going to rank them because I don't really know how to do so but I just wanted to talk through them.

= Toronto (closest thing to a "site" = Hockey Hall of Fame)

Won't rehash this one since I spent three paragraphs talking about it, but again you can have a great three day weekend in Toronto without ever doing something that you can't do anywhere else (again, except for teh HHOF)

= Minneapolis (closest thing to a "site" = the Sculpture Garden)

Ok, this is a fun one. It crystallized in my mind when I realized when I first went there and realized there aren't any mountains around (I guess to me Minnesota = North = Mountains...). But still, there's amazing stuff in Minneapolis, from breweries, to food, to a great art museum (taht will be a running theme here), to the Skyloft, but many other cities have all of these to some degree or another plus something more unique.

= Houston (closest thing to a "site" = honestly, nothing)

I got nothing or Houston other than it having some amazing food. Go there in winter, when it is quite temparate, and explore the various food villages from Sugarland, to the Woodlands to Downtown, and have amazing Mexican food (obviously), but more than that graet Vietnamese, Korean and many other cuisines. I guess drive through Rice or whatever, but yeah there's almost nothing that woudl qualify as sightseeing.

= Chicago (closest thing to a "site" = The Field Museum??)

This might be my most controversial pick, but I stand by it. Chicago is an amazing city, one of the best the US has to offer. It is a mecca of business, culture, charm, etc., but truly - if you are not from the US, I don't know if I would recommend visiting. The Field Museum is great (so is their art museum) but I'm intentionally downplaying museums from this unless they're truly one-of-a-kind (arguably, the Field is). The lake is nice, but many places have a fun coastline. The skyline is amzing, but many places are. The closest actual interesting natural beauty spot is hours away. Still, absolutely go there!

... in case you thought these were just going to be US/Canada places....

= Helsinki (closest thing to a "site" = The Orthodox Cathedral?)

Helsinki is lovely, but truly other than vibes and coolness and some good food, nothing all that notable to see. Some nice museums on design and art and what not, and everything in the city just oozes pleasantness (in summer at least), and the Finns are a good ol' time, but there's also no reason to rush a trip there vs. so much else of Europe.

= Brisbane (closest thing to a "site" = Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary)

Actually.... you know what, Lone Pine is too good. It's a site. It's a must visit - life is not complete until you pet a koala.

= Melbourne (closest thing to a "site" = The MCG / Rod Laver Arena)

Melbourne is a great place to live (assuming you are wealthy). It has some amazing food - Australia's answer to Houston, a food mecca of all asian cuisines. The museums are fine, the gardens are fine. I guess it isn't fair to rank it here when it hosts a tennis grand slam, but every other city that hosts one has way more to actually offer. 

= Singapore (closest thing to a "site" = Singapore Airlines / Changi Airport)

Singapore has done an amazing job becoming a pristine, modern, beautiful city. It also is fairly soulless (apart from some graet food) and capitalist and all of that by design, whacking the culture away that defines so many of its Southeast Asian neighbor metropolises. I don't even think this is that controversial a take. I'm not even kidding saying the best way to understand, if not outright experience, Singapore is to flying through it on SQ and roam around Changi.

Circling back to America, before my last two super controversial picks....

= Atlanta (closest thing to a "site" = probably nothing... Magic City??....)

Lovely city, great southern food, great nightlife, a world famous strip club (famous for its food as much as the... you know...). Atlanta is a burgeoning metropolis for a reason, but that also explains why so much of this list is places where it is great to live, but not necessarily visit.

***And now maybe a quick aside... let's give my quick three "Only Site Cities" where tehre is little to no reason to visit other than their unique element, which is good enough to be worth a trip - to be fair, I'm only going to choose cities with 1,000,000+ people (so to not say like Victoria Falls, which only exist due to the site):

3.) Amritsar
The sights are amazing, from the Golden Temple to the Waga Border, to the museums around Indian independence (where Punjab was such a central figure), but the veg heavy cuisine (which even within that purview, I prefer South Indian veg food) and lack of real nightlife, and all the other annoyances of India (roads, dirt, crowds) are present, make it super tough to really enjoy.

2.) Rome
This may be controversial - but let me put it this way, few places in Italy have more important and/or better sites - from the entirety of Vatican City, to the Colosseum, to so many other ruins and museums and what-not. But food? It's good, but so many other places in Italy are better - same with nightlife, vibes, culture, etc. If you want to experience Italy, go many other places. If you want to experience Roman History - well no better place.

1.) Cairo

This will likely never be topped. Cairo is a combination of maybe the most staggering sites in the world - from the Great Pyramids, which combine grandeur and oldness in an unparalleled way, to Saqqara to the Egyptian (and now Grand) Museum. Few cities have better / more insane sights. Few cities have so little else to offer, with Egyptian food being the scourge of Arab food, and it being crowded, limited nightlife, and basically nothing but its incredible sights.***

= Tokyo (closest thing to a "site" = well many things, but I'll explain...)

This is the reverse of my thoughts on Rome. Tokyo has some great sights, it's just many parts of Japan have better ones that don't require you going miles and miles and fighting through maw after maw. If you want sights - Kyoto is way better. If you want nature - go to Hokkaido, or the mountains of Northern/Western Honshu. That said, Tokyo has some great nightlife, great restuarants and food (even cheap options) and anyone going to Japan has to visit it (helps when there's few other places to fly into from distance), but yeah Japan is an amazing country and the best way to see it is to get away from the worlds metropolis to end all metropolises.

= Madrid (closest thing to a "site" = The Prado)

This is a weird one - as I have Madrid as my #2 favorite city to visit in the world. And I stand by that fully. It is an amazing place. I find it better than Barcelona - but.... if I was talking to someone who has never been Spain that was planning a trip to Spain, I would recommend going to Barcelona, Granada and the Basque Region before going to Madrid (hey... that was our friend group trip in 2021!). Do those first, get your fill of Spanish sights and Pintxos and Alhambra's and then go to Madrid and just experience life as it is meant to be lived man. Madrid is a perfect city, even if there is truly nothing unique about the place. Call it "Bernabeu's Paradox".

Throwbacks are Overrated

I have no idea what is compelling me to write this post. Actually, that's not true. I absolutely know what it is - and it was seeing tons of people post, tweet over the weekend that the Giants should wear their 1980s throwbacks every week. The same chorus we hear when the Seahawks wear their 1970s-1990s throwbacks, when the Bucks wear the Creamsicle, when the Broncos wear the Orange Crush uniform, when many NFL teams where what they used to. I will say, mostly I agree - most of these throwbacks are excellent - the Bucs creamsicle (in either white or orange) being a great example. But I do think we're all being a bit brainwashed by nostalgia on this one.

The best example, really, is the Giants. Yes, those 1980s uniforms are great, but here's two things I know to be true, that do a good job undermining this entire throwback exercise. First, no one was all that annoyed when they changed away from these uniforms in 2000. Second, the current Giants uniforms are throwbacks - namely to the uniforms that preceded the 1980s set. This same current Giants uniform, that some call boring, that people complain has too little blue on the road set, is all a further throwback.

And that about sets it, every old uniform, when it reaches its 20-25 year death anniversary, suddenly becomes retro, chic, nostalgic and beloved. This happens without fail, to be honest, including in cases I truly think are nonsense. The Seahawks one is a great example. Yes, it is a pretty sharp set, but again I don't think anyone considered it a classic back in 2001 when they switched it. Like no one. Maybe the foggy, dingy Kingdome haze hurt it, but outside of maybe people in Seattle, this was not a beloved uniform. The idea of anyone clamoring for its return (again, outside Seattle) is nonsense. Yes, the 2001-2011 set was pretty bad, but all things considered, the 2012 onwards set is just fine.

I will say, a lot of the modern takes have been terrible from the start, but teams cycle away from them quick enough (a good thing) that I can't think of anyone clamoring for say the Bucs digital clock font, or the awful Browns and Jags sets from the early-00's, or the Jets disaster taht they undid a couple years back. But the Bucs pewter one is a great example of this too - that was never a beloved uniform, but it is perfectly fine to where people were pretty damn happy when they returned to it.

More to a point, where I think the hypocrisy shows up is when people seem to have no ability to state that any modern uniform is good. Yes, many suck, but there are a lot of generally good ones as well. There are a handful of teams that I think have their best uniform ever today. I'm excluding the Steelers, Cowboys, Packers, Raiders, Chiefs, Colts, Bears (teams that have basically not changed them in decades), but I truly think the following have their best ever set:

= Chargers - and yes I realize this is largely because they brought back the powder blue, but the current font styling I find better than the old Chargers. Too many combinations, but when they go with something normal, it is great.

= Broncos - yes, I think the current set is a true modern classic, a great blend of modernity and orange crush orange. I think over time people will be able to see these as excellent.

= Rams - maybe my most controversial one, but I do find the current version an improvement over the old school blue and yellow, and way better than the metallic nonsense from 2000-2015. This is assuming they never wear dishwasher grey again.

= Texans - granted, they've only worn one other set, but this is where I think people don't give proper credit for teams having good new designs - this is such an improvement over the old one (i'm excluding their weird alternate).

= Bills - yes this is also a semi-throwback but this current Bills set is a true modern classic, and is way, way better than their Kelly-era uniforms. I'll die on that hill (though I think secretly I won't get too much pushback - it's meaningful their 'throwback' is the OJ era, not the Kelly era).

= Bengals - yes, this is better than both the Palmer era uniforms (no real shock there) and the Esiason/Anderson ones, which to be fair the current ones are modeled heavily after

= Lions - granted, their history is pretty spotty uniform wise, but these current ones are quite excellent.

There's also a couple that have been around now for a while that I truly believe are better than their more infamous throwbacks - this would be the Giants (as covered above) and the Eagles - and yes, I mean I prefer their current darker shade of green to Kelly green. Screw Kelly green. The current Eagles set is way better. 

In the end, I think we give too little credit to modern designs when they work. Now that the NFL seems to be past their Nike-inspired nuttiness of the early-10s, most of the recent redesigns have worked really well in my mind (Atlanta excepted, but even with the Falcons, their best uniform to me is the Matt Ryan era ones, not the dirty-bird era).

Even more than giving too little credit to the current, we give way too much credit to the old, and more pointedly these things from 30-40 years ago, that were never all that popular in their time, not really mourned when they were taken away, but have somehow gotten this new life as the fans that grew up with them start running sports media. Just remember this when we're clamoring for the 2000s-2010s Jets uniforms, or the weird groundswell of people wanting a Flying Elvis throwback. The test should always be "did people get upset when these were changed?". More often than not, the answer is "no", especially if we remove the "did people like the new ones?" question. Uniforms today are just better than people think.

My Top 72 Favorite International Cities, Pt. 2: #36 - #1

36.) Palermo (2019)

There's a few cities on this list I like for hard to describe reasons - be it Turin, or Krakow. Add Palermo to that list. The sites can basically be visited in barely more than a day, but the atmosphere and culture of Palermo can last a good week. The old town is one of the nicer ones I've gotten lost in, with so many bars and restaurants that spill out into the streets. As you approach the water, you get fancier, more upscale restuarants that could fit in Rome, Milan or any fancier city - but at small town prices. Palermo is also relatively untouched by tourism, the last vestige of true Italia.

35.) Bilbao & 34.) San Sebastian (2021)

Another combination, this time not because I can't truly remember the difference (like Prague & Budapest), but because they're similar. Both cities have beautiful little old towns just jam packed with Pintxo Bar after Pintxo bar. Both cities have truly world class restaurants as well, including Azurmendi which was a truly amazing experience. They have nice coasts, great scenery and beaches, and so much else. Gun to my head, I would pick San Sebastian, whose old town is a little more cozy and inviting. Bilbao is slightly bigger, with its larger churches and museums, and open squares, but honestly I would gladly go back to either, two gastronomic capitals of the world. Especially would love to go back in a time where we have some ability to go out at night, as the few instances of being out until 1:30am belied towns with great drinks, pretty good craft beer, and a love of dancing. Honestly, the basque region is awesome.

33.) Busan (2024)

Busan as a truly interesting place, built around various mountains and peaks, it's basically 4-5 cities built into one. You can be strolling a beach with a glistening bridge in front and twenty minutes later be up in the mountains at beautiful temples. The food is great, with fresh seafood all over, be it the fish market or just random places to drop in. They have fancy areas (with fancy restaurants) and homely areas. If there's only one thing to knock Busan on is their nightlife seems scores below Seoul. Granted, maybe going in November when they had one of their coldest weeks in years is not the best way to judge, but have to call it like I see it. Amazing city - but also a good way to rest up before going back to Seoul (or detox-ing after...).

32.) Brisbane (2025)

The only new city on this trip (because I am not counting my 12 hours in Auckland) is Brisbane, and it didn't disappoint at all. It had one of the great, scenic riverfronts I've ever been to, along with some nice museums, great greenery, and great people. The food scene is quite elevated, including a great spot in Exhibition and the nightlife is strong, highlighted in my time there by the cocktail spots owned by the same group but doing great to bring inventiveness, diversity and joy. From Mount Cout-Tha to the great Gold Coast, there is also some amazing scenery within 90 minutes, along with two different animal sanctuaries stuffed to the gills with Koala. Just a really great, great up and coming city.

31.) Paris (2006, 2018) 

There’s obviously a ton to see in Paris, and the city center around the Eifel Tower, on either side of River Sein, is beautiful. Paris is a probably a city that certain people would love, but I am not one of them. Of course, I liked it enough to put ahead of some damn good cities, mostly on the ridiculous amounts of things to see alone. I actually don’t remember much of my Paris trip, which is strange given its relative recency, but I do remember thinking one day in the Louvre was far from enough, and the city center of Paris containing some of the best architecture of any European city. **After going back in 2018, I can say I might be being harsh on Paris, but to me it is a slightly less great version of the other great European capitals like London, Madrid, Rome - unsurprisingly all higher up the rankings.

30.) Vienna (2000 & 2009)

The 2^nd time I went to Vienna was on my high school’s Orchestra’s tour of Austria during my Senior year, and much of my high ranking for Vienna is based on that trip. There is a ton of history in Vienna, with the music scene being located there (Mozart and Beethoven’s houses), with the adjoining arts scene with a bevy of theatres. If you like classical music, then Vienna is heaven. I am including the adorable little town of …… where we performed, which was half an hour outside Vienna. The best part of Vienna is how modern it is. The city center has some of the largest streets and public squares of anywhere in Europe, with grand architecture all around. The food isn’t great, but it is no worse than Germany and Switzerland, and Austria is generally less expensive. It took a second trip to get acclimated with Vienna’s charms, but they are there, and plentiful.

29.) Cusco (2016)

Full disclosure, I'm cheating by including Machu Picchu as one of the associated sites of Cusco, which is a large part of the reason it places so high. Machu Picchu is a spectacular tourist attraction, from teh never-ending views of Hauranya Picchu's face, to the cascaiding hills on every side, to the great hikes. When you peel back to Cusco proper, it remains a great secondary city, a South American, high altitude version of Krakow (next on the list). The food is great, with so many small, but fine quality, restaurants. It has a vibrant restaurant and bar scene, and quite a bit of tourism locally, including other Incan ruins near the city limits. Finally, the altitude, as Cusco us probably the highest city that is easily and heavily visited. Plus, I owe a lot to the Loki Hostel, a wondrous place of Blood Bombs and fun.

28.) Oaxaca (2025)

They call it the culinary capital of Mexico, and Oaxaca is definitely that. The food is incredible, but homely Oaxaqueno food in the food markets, to refined Michelin star cuisine, to street tacos and moles. Food is the bleeding heart of Oaxaca, but the rest of the city is quite nice as well, from a few well curated museums, some great lanes decorated to the nines, some beautiful pastel colored blocks of city, all so walkable and lovely. And then the nightlife is something to behold as well. All of it high in a plateau with mountains on all sides. Just all good things.

27.) Tallinn (2024)

My parents visited Tallinn in 2011 and raved endlessly about it, and more pointedly how much I would love it. I think I'm probably a fairly different person in 2024 than 2011, but they were still very right. Tallinn's old town is among the loveliest and most picturesque that I've visited - with maybe just Krakow (to come) as better in my mind. The pastel-colored alleys and shops and cafes around it are amazing, as are the bars and restaurants hidden inside. But where Tallinn is really separating itself is what lies outside the old town, a design/modern forward city with museums, giant parks, great waterfront and incredible restaurants, like NOA Chef's Hall, one of the better tasting menus I've had in Europe. On the whole, Tallinn was a special place.

26.) Taipei (2019)

I should have figured that Taipei would be a really great city. Still, however, I was surprised by how well built, how green, how beautiful it was. The food was great, from beef noodle shops to fancy high-end restaurants. The bar scene was excellent, with a burgeouning craft beer culture was shocking. The tourism was great, with nice pagodas and temples tucked away all across the beautiful green city. If only the cuisine was slightly better Taipei would have ended up much higher. There's also a lot of hills and forests and greenery within an hour of the city in every direction. Taipei has so much going for it.


25.) Berlin (2014)

Berlin is the only German city I've gone to as an adult, and from what I read it was a good one to pick. The city is sprawling, and has covered it's whole 'we had a giant wall' thing with some really modern buildings and a few nice memorials. But what it also hides is an incredible city. The main squares, or platzes are all incredible, including that entire stretch between the Brandenburg Gate, through the Tiergarten, and ending with the Berlin Island. There are various areas of the city with incredible churches, restaurants, bars (and bars, and bars) and historical buildings. The city houses some fascinating museums that touch on the long, varying history of Germany is a country. Berlin as a city is too big to do in 3 days like I did, but it is definitely alluring enough to go back.

24.) London (1999, 2000, 2010, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022)

I probably should just go to London more, because both my Dad and my Sister, who lived there, swear by London as an incredible city. But again, I’m not ranking this by how livable they are, but how good they are as tourist destinations. London definitely has enough to see, including the nicely compact Royal stuff (palace, parliament, other stuff), and a neatly packed city center (West End, Trafalgar Square, other stuff I’m forgetting), but it is a little too big. It’s subway system is clean, but doesn’t have the expansiveness that it needs (something I give huge credit to the NYC Subway System for, no matter how dirty it is). Of course, it is damn expensive, and the weather is mostly lousy. It may get better with more trips, but I think London is too big for its own good, and a little too confused, as it tries to be both Rome and New York. **So I went here in 2017-2019 and 2022, and really have nothing more to add. I think what I wrote back then is more or less accurate. In the end, being in any English speaking city outside of the US just doesn't seem as foreign & exciting. And I really can't get over how bad the street layout is in this city. Makes me really appreciate New York being a grid.

23.) Bangkok (2003, 2013, 2019, 2022, 2024)

Here’s the gist of what I remember from Bangkok: nice Wats to see, incredible food, up all night, eating all the time. Bangkok is a food-lover’s paradise, especially for those who like Thai food. Bangkok is also close to areas where you can do all those Asia type things like ride elephants and see the jungle. The weather is surprisingly decent for a city in Southeast Asia, and from what I remember it is pretty easy to navigate. My thoughts regarding Bangkok have indeed changed with my one-plus day visit. The city is better than I remembered, with sprawling malls, an advanced metro system, and new urban centers. The weather isn’t quite as good, as it is still hard to get to different parts of the city, but the city center of Bangkok is about as good as any I’ve seen in Asia. ** After going again for a few days in 2019, my opinion of Bangkok is largely unchanged, but improved in a way. The food is great, particularly the soon to be closed Gaggan. There are some really nice districts. But what it lacks is the cleanliness and constant modernity of a Singapore. **After further going in 2022, while the food remains Top-5 in the world, the bustle, the maw, the "oversized Bangalore" of it all kind of hurts it to me. Any place with Gaggan, Le Du, #FindTheLockerRoom can't be any lower, but there's a lot to dislike amongst that brilliance.

22.) Granada (2001, 2021)

I'll admit, I have very limited memory of Granada - like I do with most of my trip to Spain and Portugal in 2001. But from what I do remember of Granada, mainly around the magic that is the Alhambra. Granada also has great food (as does most of Andalusia), including amazing seafood and lamb. Spain itself is probably my favorite country to visit, and a large part of that is even outside is major metropoloses (which are good enough to both be in Top-10 for me) it has incredible gems with incredible history and culture. **After visiting in 2021, I'm justified in my original love of Granada. The Alhambra was as good the second time around, but the food even better. The great old town was just lovely to wander about, pick up tapas at their various tapas bars hidden down alleys with great seating spilling into the streets. That is Spain, so were teh wine bars, and even beer bars, in this beautiful little town.

21.) Buenos Aires (2017, 2023)

The only new entrant this time around, Buenos Aires was a joy to visit in full for four days. Similar to its South American counterparts in Lima and Santiago (both higher), Buenos Aitres mixed the culture of South America with the architecture of Europe, leaning a bit heavier on the European side. The neighborhoods of Palermo and Recoleta were an unending joy to stroll around in both during the day to witness the greenery, and at night to witness the joy. The food is more steak and heavy, but when steak is cooked as well as it is in Argentinean parilla's one can forgive that part as well. Someone who is more Europe leaning in their proclivities will probably rate Buenos Aires higher than Lima or Santiago. I don't, but that's more about love for the other two, and the Pacific side of Sud America, than anything negative about the people from the port.

20.) Tokyo (2013, 2023)

As a tourist, I don't care what the work and life culture are of the people in the city, and good thing, because if I did I may hate Tokyo. To see people in full suit in the subway at 11 PM coming home from work is jarring. But this isn't about any of that, it is about Tokyo the city, and it is a really fabulous metropolis. Tokyo is sprawling, in a way that makes New York seem small. There are really bustling regions like Shinjuku, really fun late night spots like Roppongi. There is a ton to see, and great food options. The food may be more corporate than traditional and homestyle in Tokyo, but that isn't all bad. The biggest complaint with Tokyo is just the size. It is so big that it is tiring to navigate at times, getting from one end to the other. Even with the reliability and the local JR Train lines, it takes time to get around. **2023 Update: Going back didn't change my opinion of Tokyo too much, just crystallized what it does so well, from its art museums, its nightlife scene, and of course the food (if you're willing to pony up). Separately, the things keeping it from being higher up, such as the truly just endless urban maw of it all, and the sheer size, are still as true in 2023.**

19.) Budapest (2024)

I had Budapest on the earlier versions of the list before I cut it because I needed slots and I only went in 2000 so barely remembered it. Well, now going in full and I probably underranked it initially if anything, Budapest is a special place, combining many of the bests of Europe without the pretension of a Paris or London. There are amazing museums, great gothic architecture, great parks and castles and palaces. The parliament building is an world-class, stunning building. And then the culture - the great food from street goulash shops to fine dining; amazing cocktail spots and a party district in the Jewish Quarter that is among the most fun, compact places I've explored. There really was no downside of Budapest. Then again, there really aren't many downsides of any of the cities to come either.

18.) Mexico City (2014, 2018)

I put 2014 there, but I went to Mexico City two different times, staying in two different areas of that expansive, massive, festive city. Far safer than most areas of Mexico, La Cuidad is incredibly impressive. There are tons of historical sites, like the entire Zocalo, the Chapultepec, and La Reforma. Mexico City also has a wealth of food options, with incredibly authentic Mexican fare from around the country, including the incredible Oaxacan food. Really fun night spot as well. Mexico City blew me away also with its strange, mysterious beer culture. The City is a sprawling testament to how secretly, behind the dangerous cartels that line the exterior, the soft interior of Mexico is a gorgeous, cultural attraction that is bettered by so few cities. **After going again in 2018, I realize how much I missed out of Mexico City's overwhelming culture. The neighborhoods of Polanco and Condesa may some of the most cultured and serene in North America. The food scene is incredible, be it world class Pujol or the street taco vendors. Just an amazing city.


17.) Dubrovnik (2017)

My expectations were raised on Dubrovnik from a number of friends and families had already visited, and oh man was it great - matching everything I would have hoped for. Dubrovnik, like many cities that line my top half of the list, aren't huge sprawling metropolises, instead smaller, untouched little power-packs of culture and beauty. The actual structure of the town reminds me of a European Cape Town, with the old town and fort replacing the V&A Waterfront area, and the hills of the newer part of the city similar to East Cape Town, and the hills in hte background, fixed with their own version of Table Mountain, being, well, Cape Town's Table Mountain. The history in Dubrovnik is amazing, with the old town such a beautiful array of nooks and crannies, with steep stairs on alleys down to the water. Within it contains history, and amazing restaurants, and, of course, Game of Thrones. Dubrovnik is one of the gems of the Adriatic Sea, right there with the other great ports of the Mediterranean.

16.) Singapore (2012, 2013, 2019, 2022)

Singapore is one of those places that has to be seen to be believed. There is no city any cleaner. There is no city as tightly situated while having enough external attractions. There is no city better built for a short stay. What doesn’t Singapore have? It has a theme park for kids. A bird park (highly recommended) and a night safari for kids and adults. It has a brand new casino for adults. It has a centralized bar/pub/club area near the waterfront. It has a preponderance of food from really, really cheap to really expensive. It has livable weather year-round. It also has the most interesting and enjoyable airport I’ve ever been to (there is a pool and gym that everyone can use for free in it!), and the cleanest, best organized subway system I’ve seen. So why is Singapore only #3? Because there isn’t that much to do, and Singapore’s not cheap enough to just sit around and eat/drink/do nothing. The sights have no historical resonance, and are replicated in other cities. Still, for a period less than a week, there is no better city to visit. **Part of the reason I call this a living document is that I'm not going to correct where I reference Singapore at #3 which it was the first time I did this. Anyway, on subsequent trips, the sterility of the place is what drops it slightly in my mind. Still a whole lot of positives, and a "must visit" at some point, but it just doesn't have the culture some of its Asian brethren do.

15.) Krakow (2014)

By rule I like smaller cities over sprawling ones. Well, while there are expanses to Krakow that extend in all directions, almost everything worth seeing in the city is in a 10x10 block radius circling the best city square (Rynek Glowny) I have seen in Europe. When you get a city that has (their claim) more bars per capita than any in the world, combine that with amazing open space and roadside/streetside restaurants, and an economy that does not use the Euro and is far cheaper than comparale cities in Western Europe, you get a pretty fantastic city. Also, you want history near its borders, you get Auschwitz about 2 hours away. Krakow is an incredible secondary city, arguably the best secondary city I've ever been to. The beer, food and endless beautiful women makes it Top-25; the sites, easily walkable goegraphy, and amazing history (Copernicus lived there too) makes it Top-15.

14.) Sydney (2013, 2025) 

Take the weather and leisurely attitude of Australia, combine the waterfront facade of a Chicago, add some pub and club nightlife of any city in Europe and you get Sydney, a city that combines the great aspects of every major city I have been too. It doesn't have a true culture of its own which hurts it in my mind. What I really mean by that is, much like the problems I have with England, there are too many similarities to the US. You don't really feel you are in a foreign city too much. Of course, that all changes when you walk towards the Opera House, or go to the night spots with the Australians out partying, or eat great meats. Sydney is a wonderful city, probably the most livable of any in the Top-10 (of course, it is helped by being English-Speaking), but sometimes I would sacrifice livability for uniqueness, which is why it isn't any higher. **2025 Update: I can't really move it higher, but to be honest prior to visiting, it was more likely to move down than up the list. Instead, it held firm and really could easily be higher. The good parts of Sydney - from the main two harbor quays, to the elevated fine dining, to the Oxford Art Gallery are special. The museums are excellent, the zoo is great. But at the end of the day, the "this is basically Chicago or Toronto, if slightly better, just 10,000 miles away" is tough to justify it going higher up.**

13.) Lima (2016, 2022)

Lima has a few things going for it. First, its culinary brilliance, with two restaurants ranking in the Top 10 in the World per San Pelligrino's list (the most accepted of that type of list), one being Maido, a Japanese-Peruvian sensation. The sites aren't the best, few major cities are in retrospect, with a few museums and halls. The real sites of Lima are the whisping cliffs, the shops and the eclectic nightlife. The best South American cities combine Andean views with European charms, and few big ones do it better than Lima. Big jump here afer my trip in 2022. The food remains incredible, adding Central to Maido on my list of culinary adventures. But also getting more time in Lima this time around, and doing a bit more research to understand neighborhoods like Barranco and others a bit better, I learned to love a lot of it. The greenery is incredible, the museums are nice. The walk along the Malecon is one of the cooler feelings out there. Everything about Lima is great. **2023 update - it moved up again. I explored more neighborhoods this time, like San Isidro and even now further away from Covid, even the historic center is a bit more vibrant. For what is also a great entry point to a brilliant country outside it, and a place with near perfect weather, Lima is stellar**

12.) Seoul (2022, 2024)

I don't know if there's a city I saw more of in my initial trip visiting a place. I went all over it, to different districts, different elevations, different stories - all of them amazing. The food, from bustling (but clean) night markets, to tasting menu bliss of Ryunique and Mingles. The cocktail houses, all inspired in their design and craft. The clubs that surround buzzing districts like Itaewon (RIP to those who dies on Halloween 2022). Everything about Seoul was great, including the sights, from large palace-come-parks in the heart of the city center, to art museums showcasing the beautiful tranquility of Korean art (white porcelain, jade, buddhas, etc.). Seoul was a masterful city, a place I easily could have spent even more time exploring different areas. Despite spending much of five days there (and the neighboring city of Suwon, that fits in my 90-minute window), I left a bit sad I didn't spend even more time - partially to get more of Seoul, and also because I want to see more of what Korea has to offer having loved their crown jewel so much. **2024 Update: No real change, because my one day in Seoul I basically just retraced steps of places I already loved. I will say, Seoul in winter is extra beautiful.**

11.) Rio de Janeiro (2025)

I probably need to add some descriptive tiers, because to be honest everything from #13 (Lima) to about #7 (Barcelona) is somewhat interchangeable. Rio could easily be higher. Hell, if I liked beaches more, it likely is a bit higher. But in reality, Rio is an incredible city - so many great neighborhoods, so much culture and joy. I've rarely been to a place with just a better overall vibe. From a natural beauty standpoint, other than my city at #1 not sure if there is a better coastal city in terms of just pure beauty. The food is great, with a mix of great low-profile steak, to high-profile tasting menus. The nightlife is endless, whether you want samba, or bossa nova, or hardcord EDM. Everything is available in Rio. Again, that beach aspect is what probably keeps it from being even higher.

10.) Ho Chi Minh City (2019, 2022, 2023, 2024)

The great food, the wide open streets and lanes, the great balloons, the sights. Ho Chi Minh City was truly a perfect Southeast Asian retreat. The place is so full of joy and pride in their city, be it the pristinely conditioned temples, the French architecture. There are great museums and sights all over. What set Ho Chi Minh City apart for me was you get the food of a Bangkok, with the infrastructure and lack of traffic of a Europe - the city so well blending their French history and Asian sensibilities. The nightlife and food was truly incredible. If not for the weather (unavoidable in that part of the world) it probably would be Top-10 for me. **After going back in 2022, Ho Chi Minh City equaled every bit of nostalgia-fueled love and memory from the first time, arguably getting better. Each year that goes by thrusts HCMC into more and more of a first world type city, with amazing food, amazing drinks, and the best (to me) club in the world in The Observatory. There is just a joy, such an energy here. **2024 Update: Still maintains its spot, and yes every time I visit HCMC it seems a bit brighter, a bit more upscale. If anything, I hope it retains its wonderful charm in another 10 years or so as it continues its ascent**


9.) Rome (2003, 2019)

Speaking of Rome, history’s most famous city checks in next. I haven’t spent any time in Rome as an adult, but I don’t think Rome is the type of city that would change much from an adult’s perspective. It is good for its history and sites first, and if you like Italian cuisine, the food second. If you include the Vatican, and as a Catholic I do, in Rome, then there is even more to see, as you have two different parts of history, the formation of the Catholic Church in the awe-inspiring Vatican grounds near and inside St. Peter’s Basilica, and the Roman history which is very well kept up. I can’t remember how their public transport was, and we went in December, so the weather was bad, but I don’t think it is a very big city. And then there is that food. I don’t want personal biases like my ambivalence towards Italian food to sway this. Many do like Italian food, and the city is even better for those people. That said, what hurts Rome in my book is I think it is too dependent on the sites, and if you aren’t there on a religious pilgrimage, I can’t imagine the allure of going to Rome more than once.

8.) Athens (2010)

So Athens is very much like its historical partner, Rome, with a few less sites, a lot less crowds, less expensive, and with better weather. So does that whole equation spit out a better city? In my mind, it does. Part of this has to do with visiting Athens at the perfect time (19, during March) and Rome not (13, during December), but Athens has it all. It has a lot to see, but not so much that sightseeing takes over the trip. It has a city that is hard to navigate by car and by walking, but has an adequate subway system. It has excellent food, and a great environment that bursts with fun and enjoyment. Just a grand old time in Athens, as I’m sure it was 2,500 years ago.

7.) Barcelona (2007, 2021)

I really want to go to Barcelona again, because it could easily be #1. All the ingredients are there. Pristine weather. A people who don’t care about life, making the tourist experience more fun. Good beaches within reach. Stuff to see. An airport that is easily reachable and a city that is easily maneuverable. My issues with Barcelona (other than my dislike for the Blaugrana) are simple. There isn’t a lot to see in terms of history, mainly because the Catalans want their own history so they destroyed or shunned any Spanish national history. Barcelona is a nice city in terms of seeing the sights for a day or two and then doing nothing the rest of the time, but I do want more from my cities. **Going back in 2021 didn't really change my opinion of Barcelona at all. It remains a great city, with a whole lot to see. Getting to see the Sagrada Familia more complete - in that you could go inside - was a nice touch. The food remained excellent, from random tapas bars, to nicer restaurants.**

6.) Istanbul (2007, 2024)

Istanbul is kind of a secret still, but there is really nothing to complain about. It has a waterfront, an easily accessible city center, a lot to see (the palaces, the Bosphuros, the Red & Blue Mosques). Istanbul also has a brilliant food scene, with both Muslim and Meditterannean influences but all sorts of bases (including a ton of seafood). There is little to separate any of the cities this high in the list. My only knock on Istanbul would be the public transport is lacking without a proper Subway (this could have changed since my last visit). Overall, Istanbul combines the palate and affordability of Asia, with the energy and cleanliness of Europe, the best of both worlds. **2024 Update: Istanbul drops a bit, mostly due to some weird fogginess of brilliance I had around the city past my 2007 trip. Anyway, what it did do is remain overall just a fabulous blend of cultures. You want Eastern temples (mosques), architecture, customs? You got it. You want palaces that could rival Versaille? You got that too. You have a unique cuisine that can spread from the late-night-street-food of the world (doner kebab) to refined Michelin-star restaurants, and a burgeouning night scene to boot. The only real reason it drops is that it is a bit too big and sometimes tough to get around in, but as a city it is truly a fantastic blend of East and West**

5.) Santiago (2018, 2024)

Midway through my second day in Santiago, I started debating how high it would go. Honestly, on the initial drive to the airport, through beautiful underground tunnels and well manicured streets, it earned its place on the list. Many great meals, multiple vibrant and differing neighborhoods, enough sites to last you days, and a cleanliness of Europe and culture of the Americas, and Santiago morphed into a truly special city. You have views, like at the top of Santa Lucia Hill. You have museums. You have regal government buildings. The restaurants are amazing, going from good street food to world class tasting menus. The competing Barrio Italia, with its Portland-esque vibe, and Barrio Bellavista, with fun bar after fun bar, add the neighborhood vibe as well. It all mixed to a truly brilliant city. ***2024 Update. So, Santiago is basically as perfect a locale as I remembered, spending more time there this time and getting to see some of the best parts. The museums and cultural aspects remained great, but now let's add on top of it everything about its modernity. You really don't feel you are in South America, with its wide roads, greenery, hills and life. The restaurants like Borago are timeless. Wandering the streets of Barrio Bellavista at night is a never-ending joy. Ride that funicular and cable-car and you see a city jsut bursting with life, energy and fun.***

4.) Jerusalem (2018)

Religion's most important city remains the best new city I've been to since I last wrote this piece. I'm floored by how much I enjoyed every aspect of Jerusalem. The obvious important religious sites were incredible, but the food spots in the city, the areas in the old town that are disconnected to religion, the great beer bar tucked inside the great Mahane Yehuda market. All of it was excellent. If I spend more time in Tel Aviv, maybe I add that to the list to, but for Jerusalem, it was a perfect mix of history and culture. Truly, the religious sites are so enormous in their gravity it is hard to not be astounded, even for someone who is practicing but not necessarily devout. The energy in the city is just tremendous - helps we went around Christmas of course. It was a perfect mix of circumstances, but it was just incredible from start to finish, a perfect mix of first world  luxuries and historical beauty. 

3.) Kyoto (2013, 2023)

Kyoto is the 3rd biggest City in Japan, but resembles so little of Tokyo (the biggest city) that makes it seem like a different country. Sure, the food options and the bustle is still there, but Kyoto, in some ways, is like a supersized Siem Reap. The real highlight of Kyoto is the ridiculous amounts of Temples and historical Japanese buildings. All of these are encircling the downtown area of Kyoto. Of course, that downtown is quite large, with beautiful malls, tall buildings with summer beer gardens (umlimited beer buffets for $30) and plentiful up-scale food options. Kyoto even has the most expansive Geisha area of Japan. Kyoto is the perfect city to experience what people's idea of Japan is, temples and pagodas and sushi, oh my! **2023 Update: Everything I wrote about is true in 2023, but the stuff I didn't get overly into - mostly because I didn't focus on that as much - from the high end restaurants, to the bar & nightlife scene, upped its game. The fact the main parts of the city, be it the shopping districts, the nightlife drag, and where the sights lie, are all within sort of walking distance, ups the game for Kyoto. Also, there is a chance I was, if anything, underrating the sights. There was truly ne negative to Kyoto, other than maybe the heat but that's more on me picking this specific time of year than anything else.**

2.) Madrid (2001, 2010, 2018, 2021, 2022)

I’ll never forget Madrid. It was where I turned 10 years old, in April of 2001. It was where I saw my first naked woman in real life, as I saw two nude woman near the pool in Madrid (given my age and their age, this wasn’t a good thing). It was where I first traveled alone, and where I learned the inherent joy of visiting a place a 2^nd time. Barcelona might be more ‘fun’, but I can’t think of a place that combines everything I want from a city more than Madrid. Madrid has a dependable airport, and a dependable subway system. More than that, the city is small enough in its center that you can easily walk from the Prado side on the East, to the Palace on the West and not break a sweat. It has some of Spain’s best museums. There is more than enough to see. And, of course, you are still very much in Spain. It isn’t as relaxed as Barcelona, but is just as Spanish, with open squares, easy food and drink,  a lot of youngsters (and a lively area for them at night). This wasn’t a criteria, but a lot of people speak English there to boot. Madrid is basically a perfect city. Small enough to walk, with enough sites to not get bored, enough food to not go hungry, and a relaxed, but not too relaxed nature that you won’t ever get tired of doing nothing for an afternoon or two.

1.) Cape Town (2013, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022)

I've been wondering whether doing Cape Town first helped increase my perceptions of it. I was at my most curious and excited at the start of the trip. Then, I remember everything amazing about Cape Town, like the incredible scenery and breathtaking views, the active harbor and Long Street areas (for the youngsters among us), the great food of every type and the wine region to one side with the Cape of Good Hope below it. Cape Town is a special place on the total other side of the word (laterally speaking). I've really never been any place quite like it, which is why I want to go back there more than any place in the world. **I've oddly never updated my write-up of Cape Town since the first time I did this list. Mainly because I from the start had it ranked #2. But after going back (and back, and back...), I think it is time I just move it to #1. The restaurants, bars, clubs, and unending hikes and views just give it such a perfect balance in terms of what I would want out of a city to visit.