The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011: Second Round
The first round of The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 was a voting frenzy, with generally tight competition in close races like Stockholm over Cairo and Bratislava edging out Valletta. Of all the races, I’d say Bellagio eliminating Tel Aviv was probably the biggest upset, although I’m not sure many would have foreseen Lubeck putting Washington DC out of the running. There was a single tie at the end of round one, and being the tie breaker, Vilnius squeaks into the second round just ahead of Mexico City.
Will it be Stockholm or Kyoto, Istanbul or Chicago, Barcelona or Amsterdam to make it to the Sweet 16 in The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament? Vote below before next Monday March 14th, 09:00am US EST and help choose who moves closer to the $150 prize. (Email and RSS subscribers will need to click through to this page to vote.)
The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - Second Round: Jerusalem vs. Quito
- Jerusalem - (Judy) (51%, 59 Votes)
- Quito, Ecuador - (Felipe) (49%, 57 Votes)
Total Voters: 116
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - Second Round: Prague vs. Singapore
- Prague, Czech Republic - (Jeruen) (70%, 81 Votes)
- Singapore, Singapore - (Paul) (30%, 34 Votes)
Total Voters: 115
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - Second Round: New Orleans vs. Bellagio
- Bellagio, Italy - (Daryl) (56%, 60 Votes)
- New Orleans, USA - (JoAnna) (44%, 47 Votes)
Total Voters: 107
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - Second Round: New York City vs. Chiang Mai
- Chiang Mai, Thailand - (Jeremy) (53%, 66 Votes)
- New York City, USA - (Michaela) (47%, 58 Votes)
Total Voters: 124
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - Second Round: Barcelona vs. Reykjavik
- Reykjavik, Iceland - (Dave) (59%, 62 Votes)
- Barcelona, Spain - (Katrin) (41%, 43 Votes)
Total Voters: 105
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - Second Round: Montreal vs. Lubeck
- Lubeck, Germany - (Stina) (54%, 66 Votes)
- Montreal, Canada - (Kate) (46%, 56 Votes)
Total Voters: 122
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - Second Round: Seattle vs. Budapest
- Budapest, Hungary - (Stephanie) (58%, 62 Votes)
- Seattle, Washington - (Mike) (42%, 44 Votes)
Total Voters: 106
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - Second Round: Sydney vs. Porto
- Porto, Portugal - (Stephen) (52%, 54 Votes)
- Sydney, Australia - (Mark) (48%, 49 Votes)
Total Voters: 103
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - Second Round: Paris vs. Vilnius
- Paris, France - (Amy) (53%, 55 Votes)
- Vilnius, Lithuania - (Julia) (47%, 48 Votes)
Total Voters: 103
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - Second Round: London vs. Bratislava
- Bratislava, Slovakia - (Molly) (51%, 55 Votes)
- London, England - (Erica) (49%, 53 Votes)
Total Voters: 108
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - Second Round: Amsterdam vs. Rio de Janiero
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - (Rachel) (54%, 58 Votes)
- Amsterdam, Netherlands - (Alouise) (46%, 49 Votes)
Total Voters: 107
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - Second Round: Istanbul vs. Chicago
- Istanbul, Turkey - (Natalie) (64%, 66 Votes)
- Chicago, USA - (Nestor) (36%, 37 Votes)
Total Voters: 103
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - Second Round: Florence vs. Rome
- Florence, Italy - (Ashley) (58%, 57 Votes)
- Rome, Italy - (Akila) (42%, 42 Votes)
Total Voters: 99
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - Second Round: Vancouver vs. Cuzco
- Cuzco, Peru - (Katrina) (55%, 53 Votes)
- Vancouver, Canada - (Scott) (45%, 44 Votes)
Total Voters: 97
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - Second Round: Kyoto vs. Stockholm
- Kyoto, Japan - (Todd) (58%, 56 Votes)
- Stockholm, Sweden - (Alan) (42%, 40 Votes)
Total Voters: 96
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - Second Round: Edinburgh vs. Bangkok
- Edinburgh, Scotland - (Betsey) (59%, 56 Votes)
- Bangkok, Thailand - (JW) (41%, 38 Votes)
Total Voters: 95
Loading ...You can view the entire tournament bracket in full size or click the image to view in wide-screen.
Vote for your favorite cities to travel to and next Tuesday, March 15th we’ll have a sweet 16 left on the road to the best city to visit in 2011.
Don’t worry if you missed this contest, I run several throughout the year. You can be the first to find out about the next one by signing up for my email updates, RSS feed, or bi-monthly newsletter.
Al Alam Palace In Muscat, Oman
March 4, 2011 by Anil P.
Filed under Pictures and Video
Al Alam Palace is a home of Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said, who has been in power since 1970. (He overthrew his father after being under a de facto house arrest for 5 years prior.) Oman is an absolute monarchy and Sultan Qaboos is still fairly popular in the country despite recent protests against unemployment and corruption. (By chance, just like in Bahrain, I left right before the demonstrations began.) Many quality of life indexes have improved significantly over the approximately 40 year reign of the Sultan – which have done well to protect his personal reputation, especially of late.
The area around the palace is full of wide open spaces and the Al Jalali and Al Mirani forts situated on nearby cliffs. You can’t go inside the Al Alam Palace itself, which is said to be incredibly luxurious inside. The entire area, aside from a few construction workers, gardeners, and the occasional tourist was almost deserted. Muscat, and the rest of Oman in general, feels like a place you have all to yourself; there are often so few people around even the most popular spots in the country.
Oman is one of the most visually impressive places I’ve ever seen. In a week or two I’ll share more sights and sounds from the beaches, mountains, and people who live in the oldest independent Arab state.
The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011: First Round
The preliminary round of The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 ended yesterday and your votes helped to rank these 64 cities from number 1 all the way down. Those ranks are what I used to determine the match ups for this first round – and there are some intriguing ones to vote for down below. There’s the battle of the Canadas (Montreal versus Toronto), Olympics past and present (London vs. Beijing), and last year’s champ Zermatt up against New Orleans.
Cast your votes below before Monday, March 7th at 9am US EST – today there are 64 cities but once all is said and done in 3 days, there will be only 32. Your votes decide who moves on – good luck to all of the cities and contestants! (Email and RSS subscribers will need to click through to this page to vote.)
The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: Jerusalem vs. Playa Del Carmen
- Jerusalem - (Judy) (56%, 49 Votes)
- Playa Del Carmen, Mexico - (Sergio) (44%, 38 Votes)
Total Voters: 87
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: Prague vs. Toulouse
- Prague, Czech Republic - (Jeruen) (80%, 53 Votes)
- Toulouse, France - (Deniz) (20%, 13 Votes)
Total Voters: 66
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: Tel Aviv vs. Bellagio
- Bellagio, Italy - (Daryl) (54%, 40 Votes)
- Tel Aviv, Israel - (Jeff) (46%, 34 Votes)
Total Voters: 74
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: New York City vs. Boulder
- New York City, USA - (Michaela) (68%, 52 Votes)
- Boulder, Colorado - (Leigh) (32%, 25 Votes)
Total Voters: 77
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: Barcelona vs. Naples
- Barcelona, Spain - (Katrin) (76%, 52 Votes)
- Naples, Italy - (Adrian) (24%, 16 Votes)
Total Voters: 68
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: Washington DC vs. Lubeck
- Lubeck, Germany - (Stina) (53%, 43 Votes)
- Washington DC, USA - (Yilmaz) (47%, 39 Votes)
Total Voters: 81
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: Seattle vs. Safaga
- Seattle, Washington - (Mike) (72%, 53 Votes)
- Safaga, Egypt - (Sabrina) (28%, 21 Votes)
Total Voters: 74
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: Sydney vs. Sao Paulo
- Sydney, Australia - (Mark) (55%, 38 Votes)
- Sao Paulo, Brazil - (Tamara) (45%, 31 Votes)
Total Voters: 69
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: Paris vs. Bogota
- Paris, France - (Amy) (61%, 43 Votes)
- Bogota, Colombia - (Shannon Lee) (39%, 27 Votes)
Total Voters: 70
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: London vs. Beijing
- London, England - (Erica) (62%, 44 Votes)
- Beijing, China - (Paul) (38%, 27 Votes)
Total Voters: 71
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: Amsterdam vs. Curitiba
- Amsterdam, Netherlands - (Alouise) (78%, 51 Votes)
- Curitiba, Brazil – (Anna Luiza) (22%, 14 Votes)
Total Voters: 65
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: Istanbul vs. Chiclayo
- Istanbul, Turkey - (Natalie) (81%, 52 Votes)
- Chiclayo, Peru - (Mica) (19%, 12 Votes)
Total Voters: 64
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: Florence vs. Mcleodganj
- Florence, Italy - (Ashley) (84%, 52 Votes)
- Mcleodganj, India - (DNP) (16%, 10 Votes)
Total Voters: 62
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: Vancouver vs. Manila
- Vancouver, Canada - (Scott) (53%, 35 Votes)
- Manila, Philippines - (Kevin) (47%, 31 Votes)
Total Voters: 66
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: Kyoto vs. St. John's
- Kyoto, Japan - (Todd) (70%, 46 Votes)
- St. John's, Canada - (Lisa) (30%, 20 Votes)
Total Voters: 66
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: Edinburgh vs. Izmir
- Edinburgh, Scotland - (Betsey) (64%, 42 Votes)
- Izmir, Turkey - (Anjuli) (36%, 24 Votes)
Total Voters: 66
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: Stockholm vs. Cairo
- Stockholm, Sweden - (Alan) (52%, 33 Votes)
- Cairo, Egypt - (Giulia) (48%, 31 Votes)
Total Voters: 64
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: Bangkok vs. Swansea
- Bangkok, Thailand - (JW) (58%, 38 Votes)
- Swansea, Wales - (SM) (42%, 28 Votes)
Total Voters: 66
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: Rome vs. Pokhara
- Rome, Italy - (Akila) (73%, 48 Votes)
- Pokhara, Nepal - (Barbara) (27%, 18 Votes)
Total Voters: 66
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: Rio de Janeiro vs. Luang Prabang
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - (Rachel) (58%, 38 Votes)
- Luang Prabang, Laos - (Gabebritto) (42%, 28 Votes)
Total Voters: 66
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: Chicago vs. Dubai
- Chicago, USA - (Nestor) (61%, 40 Votes)
- Dubai, United Arab Emirates - (Raymond) (39%, 26 Votes)
Total Voters: 66
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: Singapore vs. Bishkek
- Singapore, Singapore - (Paul) (62%, 41 Votes)
- Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan - (Kirstin) (38%, 25 Votes)
Total Voters: 66
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: Cuzco vs. Seoul
- Cuzco, Peru - (Katrina) (69%, 44 Votes)
- Seoul, South Korea - (Chris) (31%, 20 Votes)
Total Voters: 64
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: Berlin vs. Quito
- Quito, Ecuador - (Felipe) (52%, 33 Votes)
- Berlin, Germany - (Andrea/John) (48%, 31 Votes)
Total Voters: 64
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: Budapest vs. Honolulu
- Budapest, Hungary - (Stephanie) (64%, 42 Votes)
- Honolulu, Hawaii - (Lauren) (36%, 24 Votes)
Total Voters: 66
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: Reykjavik vs. Lisbon
- Reykjavik, Iceland - (Dave) (57%, 36 Votes)
- Lisbon, Portugal - (L Machin) (43%, 27 Votes)
Total Voters: 63
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: New Orleans vs. Zermatt
- New Orleans, USA - (JoAnna) (57%, 39 Votes)
- Zermatt, Switzerland – (Jen) (43%, 29 Votes)
Total Voters: 68
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: Montreal vs. Toronto
- Montreal, Canada - (Kate) (69%, 46 Votes)
- Toronto, Canada - (Priyank) (31%, 21 Votes)
Total Voters: 67
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: Guilin vs. Chiang Mai
- Chiang Mai, Thailand - (Jeremy) (69%, 41 Votes)
- Guilin, China - (Marijus) (31%, 18 Votes)
Total Voters: 59
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: Bratislava vs. Valletta
- Bratislava, Slovakia - (Molly) (52%, 32 Votes)
- Valletta, Malta – (Mike) (48%, 30 Votes)
Total Voters: 62
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: Vilnius vs. Mexico City
- Vilnius, Lithuania - (Julia) (51%, 33 Votes)
- Mexico City, Mexico - (Lynn) (49%, 32 Votes)
Total Voters: 65
Loading ...The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 - First Round: Madrid vs. Porto
- Porto, Portugal - (Stephen) (51%, 27 Votes)
- Madrid, Spain - (Lisa) (49%, 26 Votes)
Total Voters: 53
Loading ...You can view the entire tournament bracket in full size or click the image to view in wide-screen.
I will act as the tie-breaker in the event that any two cities end up with the same number of votes in this round. The second round of The Best City To Visit Travel Tournament 2011 will continue next Tuesday, March 8th.
Don’t worry if you missed this contest, I run several throughout the year. You can be the first to find out about the next one by signing up for my email updates, RSS feed, or bi-monthly newsletter.
The Best Comments Of The Month (With Prizes!): February 2011
It’s hard for me to pick the best comments of the month in general because so many of you leave wonderfully engaging, informative, and entertaining thoughts below each of my posts. Limiting myself to only 5 from February was even more difficult – so many more could have made it this month. As I promised last time, these folks will receive a small $10 Amazon.com gift card for their comments.
- At the beginning of February Shane was in Dahab, Egypt and gives a glimpse of what the revolution looked like from that town.
- Do the underground subways systems of the world reflect their counterparts on the surface? Mark H gives a different look at public transportation you might not have seen before.
- Wondering what will happen to your Continental OnePass frequent flyer miles now that they’ve merged with United – Stephen does some digging for the answer.
- I love this suggestion (as did Akila and Jeremy) by Priyank for the Best City To Visit Travel Tournament – I plan on using it for next year’s contest.
- Amy does an excellent job of weighing travel, work, and getting the scales right.
I’ll be sending out your Amazon.com gift cards sometime over the weekend directly to your email in-boxes. Thank you to everyone who left a comment this past month – next Friday I’ll give all of you several more opportunities to win one of five $100 gift cards at the Apple store. A good present to help you chip off a bit on the cost of a Macbook, or new iPad 2 perhaps 
