Choosing between memorable places requires a method, hence these 30 Walkies awards, calibrated across varied terrains.
Built on shoots of PhotowalksTV at Scripps News, Peacock, and YouTube, they synthesize more than 120 analyzed destinations.
Three criteria dominate: authenticity, photogenicity, accessibility.
The key categories guide your choices: small town, beach, architecture, road trip, music, gastronomy, city, island, hidden gem.
Route 66, Barcelona, and Paris top the photogenicity; New York, Porto, San Francisco, and Taos establish vibrant urbanity.
Concrete choices, no doublespeak.
Manhattan Beach, Victor in Idaho, and Lubec in Maine mark the shore, intimacy, and peripheral escape.
Chicago and Graeter’s impose flavor; Savary Island, Heber City, and the Kingman-Oatman axis elevate routes and horizons.
A ranking ready to inspire your next departure.
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Concept | 30 “Walkies” awards for the best destinations and experiences |
| Base | 120 places explored through PhotowalksTV |
| Angle | Photography, urban walking, s scenic routes, culture, and flavors |
| Best Surprise | Gold Country (California) |
| Friendliest Locals | Sicily (Italy) |
| Most Disappointing | Battle Creek (Michigan) |
| Best Architecture | Barcelona |
| Best Road Trip | Route 66 |
| Most Underrated | San Francisco |
| Most Walkable City | Porto (Portugal) |
| Best Hidden Treasure | Victor (Idaho) |
| Best Culinary Scene | Chicago |
| Best Dessert | Graeter’s Ice Cream (Cincinnati) |
| iPhone in Photos | Rainy Days for creative shots |
| Scenic Route | From Kingman to Oatman (Arizona) |
| Best Photo Spot | Paris |
| Island Getaway | Savary Island (British Columbia) |
| Music City | New Orleans |
| Backroads | Heber City (Utah) |
| Beach City | Manhattan Beach (California) |
| Small Town | Taos (New Mexico) |
| Off-the-Grid Small Town | Lubec (Maine) |
| Big City | New York |
| Best Overall | Nova Scotia |
Spirit of the “Walkies”
This “Walkies” ranking arises from intense wanderings, covering 25 American states and 7 countries, in 120 photographed locations.
The selections result from repeated observations, tests in varied conditions, and constant scrupulous documentary rigor.
Surprises, Disappointments, and Kindness
Surprise
The Gold Country of California surprises with its gold rush villages and low-angle light. The historic alleys suggest tight framing, while the riverbank forests offer generous perspectives.
Kindness
Sicily stands out for its genuine hospitality, spontaneous smiles, and disarming friendliness in everyday life. The markets of Palermo and the baroque alleys of Noto favor authentic and luminous encounters.
Disappointment
The city of Battle Creek betrays an overrated reputation, with currently quiet public spaces. The gap between industrial narrative and urban reality quickly exhausts the perspective and curious spirit of the photographing wanderer.
Cities of Architecture and Images
Architecture
In Barcelona, Gaudí’s curves converse with contemporary diagonals, creating a thriving urban theater. The Sagrada Família offers graphic shadows, while the Eixample provides fascinating symmetries at any hour.
Supreme Photo Location
Photography reaches a peak in Paris, between backlighting on the Seine and the stairs of Montmartre. Paris, a photographic apotheosis. Misty dawns reveal sharp silhouettes, conducive to clean and character-driven narrative series.
Underrated Cities and Walkability
In San Francisco, the digital reputation obscures a poetry of fog, stairs, and mixed neighborhoods. The walkability of Porto stands out, thanks to the banks of the Douro, the viewpoints, and the cobbled alleys. Urban budgets vary greatly, as illustrated by Seattle, while these dreamy inspirations feed the desire to roam elsewhere.
Queen City
The density of New York catalyzes energy, mixing public art, luminous dystopias, and vibrant everyday scenes. The lines of the elevated metro and the straight avenues orchestrate an implacable geometry particularly photogenic.
Routes, Panoramas, and Towns
Mythical Route
The Route 66 offers a cinematic road trip, with retro signs, twilight motels, and Elvis sightings in Illinois. American routes coexist with distant horizons, evoked in these pathways USA, Tanzania, and Costa Rica.
Scenic Route and Byways
The Kingman-Oatman section, in Arizona, multiplies hairpin turns, free-roaming donkeys, and mineral desert perspectives. Towards Heber City, secondary roads unveil agricultural valleys, weathered barns, and dramatic skies.
Discreet Gems
The discreet Victor, in Idaho, combines caring neighbors, altitude cafés, and quick access to imposing Tetons. Between Taos and Lubec, uniqueness reigns, marrying adobe, lighthouses, Atlantic mists, and highly singular vibrant crafts.
Sea, Beaches, and Islands
Benchmark Beach
At Manhattan Beach, the pier, longboarders, and ocean light compose a perfected beach scene. Manhattan Beach, the quintessence of beach life. For a French summer alternative, the Landes coastline of Biscarrosse offers clean waves and fragrant pine forests.
Islands and Sunny Winters
The island of Savary, in British Columbia, juxtaposes white sand, clear waters, and cabins nestled in conifers. To escape the chill, these sunny winter getaways guarantee generous light and saturated tones during the short hours.
Gastronomy and Sweets
Culinary Capital
In Chicago, the table combines deep-dish pizzas, iconic hot dogs, and reimagined Midwestern fusion scenes. Neighborhoods, from Pilsen to Uptown, deliver taste stories as varied as they are stimulating for the explorer.
Signature Dessert
The ice cream Graeter’s, in Cincinnati, charms with its French Pot method and monumental inclusions. The dense texture complements the end of the day, when the city begins to slow down gently and breathe.
Music and Atmosphere
Music Scene
In New Orleans, brass bands animate sidewalks, patios, and clubs, catalyzing an urban sound dramaturgy. The second lines and Creole chants irrigate every neighborhood with an inexhaustible fervor until dawn.
Mobile Photography and Weather
When Rain Transcends
Rainy days reveal mirrors on the ground, multiplied neon lights, and intensified portraits. Rain enhances the iPhone. Wet pavements create a natural softbox, ideal for quick shots without bulky extra gear.
Summit of the Rankings
Best of the Best
The Nova Scotia condenses battered cliffs, solitary lighthouses, fishing villages, and superlative seafood delights. The coastal roads alternate pink granite, sheltered coves, and Atlantic lights of stunning purity at twilight. A dedicated episode unfolds the reasons, images, and choices, without embellishment or complacency on screen.
Resources to Extend Your Wandering
These editorial pathways extend the reflection, with dreamed destinations and Atlantic summers towards Biscarrosse.
Budget-conscious explorers will compare Seattle to distant lands USA-Tanzania-Costa Rica, without neglecting the winter suns.
