Philadelphia makes Nat Geo’s 2020 top 25 trip list

PHILADELPHIA — Philadelphia is one of 2020’s must-see places, according to National Geographic, which puts it alongside destinations in such countries as China and Egypt.

National Geographic released its “25 Best Trips in 2020,” putting Philadelphia about a third of the way into the list, just after Zakouma National Park in Chad and just before Puebla, Mexico. National Geographic encouraged travelers to visit the City of Brotherly Love in the new year to “rediscover an American classic.”

The only other location in the U.S. to make it is Grand Canyon National Park.

“Think of Detroit, Cleveland, and Cincinnati: resurgent, postindustrial American cities that are channeling creative forces to reinvent themselves for a new generation,” the write-up reads. “Philly is like this but better.”

Elements such as Philadelphia’s art community, historical attractions and museums cemented the position on the list. However, we are going to dock National Geographic for the inclusion of the apparently obligatory cheesesteak and Rocky references — even if done a little self-consciously.

“It’s a scrappy underdog with a heart of gold and — who can resist the Rocky reference? — the eye of the tiger,” National Geographic wrote. “Slowly but steadily Philadelphia has changed from a city of industrial might in the first half of the past century to a city of ingenious makers.”

Released annually, National Geographic’s Best Trips is a collaboration between its editorial teams for the 17 international editions of Traveler magazine.