Apparently, ranking the world’s coolest cities and neighborhoods wasn’t enough for the intrepid adventurers at TimeOut, the entertainment site. They’ve just released their list of the world’s 30 coolest streets, using input from 27,000 urbanites and experts around the world.
“What makes a street cool (particularly in 2021)?” writers Huw Oliver and Sarah Medina muse. “To sum it up: food and fun, culture and community – and a rooftop bar doesn’t hurt either.”
Who can argue with that?
The results are big fun, with enough colorful photographs and restaurant, bar and shopping recommendations to either scratch or inflame that travel itch you’ve been trying to squelch for the last 15 months.
Melbourne’s Smith Street and its pubs, wine bars, Vietnamese bakeries and vinyl record shops snag the top spot. Rotterdam’s charming Witte de Withstraat (No. 6) gets a shout out for its buzzy nightlife and its Ballroom steakhouse, which is described as a “meat temple” that “doubles as a gin bar.”
Barcelona makes the list, but not for the popular La Rambla. Instead, TimeOut’s list gives the nod to the pedestrian and cyclist-friendly local fave, Passeig de Sant Joan, a promenade with chic restaurants, bars, boutiques and manga shops. And Los Angeles’ Sunset Boulevard — yes, all 22 miles of it — clocks in at No. 5.
Here’s the top 10. Find the full list at www.timeout.com/things-to-do/coolest-streets-in-the-world.
Time Out’s Top 10 Coolest Streets
1. Smith Street, Melbourne, Australia
2. Passeig de Sant Joan, Barcelona, Spain
3. South Bank, London, United Kingdom
4. San Isidro, Havana, Cuba
5. Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles
6. Witte de Withstraat, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
7. Rua Três Rios, São Paulo, Brazil
8. Haji Lane, Singapore
9. Rua Rodrigues de Faria, Lisbon, Portugal
10. Calle Thames, Buenos Aires, Argentina
