Did you know you live in one of the coolest neighborhoods in the whole wide world?
A new Lonely Planet book has named Ballard one of the coolest “secret” neighborhoods on the planet, along with just a few other American neighborhoods: Hawthorne, Portland; Commercial Drive, Vancouver; French Quarter, New Orleans; and Bridgeport, Chicago.
The book is called Secret City from Lonely Planet: The insider’s guide to the world’s coolest neighbourhood and includes 50 cities around the world. The guide highlights “eating, drinking, partying and where to delve into local culture,” plus a map to the ‘hood.
Other cool neighborhoods around the world include (list compiled from Malay Mail):
- Africa & the Middle East: Woodstock, Cape Town; Kasbah & Mellah, Marrakesh;Â Neve Tzedek, Tel Aviv
- Asia: Dadar, Mumbai; Siam, Bangkok; Changi Village Singapore; Tai Po, Hong Kong; Tomigaya, Tokyo
- Europe: Madragoa, Lisbon; Rathmines, Dublin; El Raval, Barcelona; Noord, Amsterdam; Vesterbro, Copenhagen; IX District, Copenhagen; Bethnal Green, London; Highgate, London
- Oceania: Fitzroy, Melbourne; Surry Hills, Sydney; Thorndon, Wellington; Ponsonby, Auckland
- South America & the Caribbean: Miraflores, Lima; Palermo, Buenos Aires; Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro
The book will be released May 19 in the U.S.
Photo: SeafoodFest, one of Ballard’s biggest events of the year