Seattle's a top travel destination, per Condé Nast

• It tells visitors the city has changed a lot since the pandemic and urges folks to check out the mixed-use developments Midtown Square and Jackson Apartments near the Central District, saying there's been meaningful pushback "against years of creeping gentrification."
• It lists several minority-owned businesses that are legit worth a look.
• The list goes on to tell people about the "Amazon-led modernization of the high-rise Denny Triangle district, and the gradual transition to a more salubrious waterfront following the removal of the noisy Alaska (sic) Way Viaduct."

Reality check: Seattle is already No. 1 or 2 for domestic travel destinations and one of the most moved-to cities in the U.S. Nobody needs a list to know that.

• Also, is Seattle really a chameleonic city? What does that even mean?
• Thirdly, what's interesting to see in the modernized Denny Triangle? Mostly, it looks like a lot of new, blocky buildings.
• About that "salubrious" waterfront situation. The makeover is taking a long time, and there's still a lot of construction to wend around. It's not a highlight, IMHO, especially for differently abled people. Also, I had to look up salubrious because I originally thought it had something to do with being able to drink your way through the triangle and down to the water.
• But no, it means "healthy." I think plenty of Belltown residents would argue that with issues of homelessness and crime seemingly on the rise that might not be the word they'd chose.

The big picture: People will keep visiting Seattle, falling in love and moving here no matter what any list says and apparently despite the skyrocketing cost of living.

One good thing: Small and petty as this may be, I did get a little thrill from noting that neither San Francisco nor Portland were included.