It's happened to us all before: wandering through an
unfamiliar part of town, you suddenly realize you're surrounded by
throngs of devastatingly attractive people. It's as if you stumbled into
a dream, or at least onto the set of an Abercrombie & Fitch
catalogue shoot.
And while your good fortune might appear to defy the laws of science,
allow us to be the Scully to your Mulder by suggesting that there is,
in fact, a perfectly logical explanation for this phenomenon. Thanks to
chic shopping, trendy bars, and high-end real estate, certain
neighborhoods just happen to be populated by really ridiculously
good-looking people. Here are 10 of them.
10. Shimokitazawa
Tokyo, Japan
"Shimokita" for short, this hood is one of Tokyo's hippest hangouts --
meaning that the crowd is young, trendy, and about as far from the
Salaryman stereotype as you can get. Untouched by WWII bombing,
Shimokita's bustling (if narrow) alleys and streets are littered with
live-music venues, swanky bars, and chic secondhand shops that draw
fresh-faced college coeds from all over the city.
9. Saint-Germain-des-Pres
Paris, France
Just about all of Paris seems filled with smoldering Frenchies and high-end shopping -- it is one
of the world's top fashion destinations after all -- but no part of
town offers quite the same number of sights as Saint-Germain-des-Pres.
Whether you're people-watching from the Cafe de Flore or indulging in a
little window shopping, if you know what we mean (we mean looking into
store windows but not buying anything), there's no shortage of eye candy
in this part of town.
8. El Born
Barcelona, Spain
With a reputation as one of the most visually stunning neighborhoods in
Barcelona, El Born sports enough chic boutiques to ensure that its
denizens remain equally as alluring. Highbrow attractions like the
Picasso Museum and the Santa Maria Del Mar, together with the boozy
cocktail and tapas bars that riddle the alleys and side streets, make
this hood a perfect storm for both body and mind.
7. Palermo Soho
Buenos Aires, Argentina
This hip area of Argentina's capital city is actually a part of the
larger Palermo neighborhood, acquiring the unofficial "Soho" descriptor
thanks to the number of high-fashion outlets and upscale eateries.
Palermo Soho's crowd is a blend of young, trendy locals and
internationals, all swirling together in nights of reckless,
Fernet-fueled abandon that inevitably end with a steak and bottle of
wine -- just like everything in Argentina, right?
6. Tamarama
Sydney, Australia
A predominantly gay beach town during the '80s and '90s, "Glamarama" (as
it was affectionately known) is decidedly less gay these days, though
equally as welcoming. With nearly half its residents between the ages of
20 and 39, this seaside suburb of Sydney is exactly what you'd expect
from an Australian beach community: laid back, insanely expensive, and
packed to the gills with obnoxiously attractive yet friendly Aussies.
5. Le Plateau-Mont Royal
Montreal, Canada
In a town already filled with a staggering number of beautiful
Québécois, the Plateau elevates MTL's "holy crap these people are
gorgeous" game to new heights. It's bisected by Boulevard St. Laurent,
which is one of the city's main drags and peppered with lively bars,
clubs, and scores of nubile young coeds -- most of whom speak French and English! -- from nearby McGill University.
4. Quadrilatero della Moda
Milan, Italy
Internationally regarded as one of the most important fashion districts
in the world, Milan's "Quadrilateral of Fashion" contains a dizzying
array of high-end boutiques, and is a prime destination for svelte
Milanese models looking to keep up with the latest trends.
The district also contains one of the oldest shopping malls in the
world, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, which features breathtaking
glass ceilings, luxe retail outlets, and a healthy abundance of Italian
mall rats milling about with pensive looks and Roman noses. If only
Kevin Smith had set his movie here.
3. SoHo
New York City, USA
If NYC's the fashion hub of America (it is), SoHo's the Inception-style
hub within a hub. Thanks to the boutique shops that line streets like
Prince and Spring, the sidewalks are crawling with an inordinate number
of stunning lookers. Also, apparently sexy women doing yoga in their
underwear. Add in the high density of modeling agencies, not to mention a
close proximity to the NYU campus, and it'd be weird if you didn't see as many model-types as you do.
Also, Thrillist HQ is in SoHo. Just sayin'.
2. Gan Hahashmal
Tel Aviv, Israel
Israel's renowned for its gorgeous citizenry, having produced the
wonders that are Bar Refaeli and Gal Gadot, but Tel Aviv in particular
serves as a crossroads of international and domestic hotties. Add in the
fact that the city's population is overwhelmingly single, and you'll
start to see how a hip neighborhood like Gan Hahashmal -- with its
public garden, late-Ottoman-era houses, and cutting-edge boutiques --
can be a hotbed of sexy people doing sexy things.
1. Ipanema
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
In a land populated by arguably the sexiest individuals on the planet,
Rio has no equal; and tucked between the posh Leblon district and the
famous Copacabana beach, Ipanema's about as jam-packed with tight bodies
and svelte curves as any municipal district should probably be allowed.
It provides the best of both worlds -- outrageous designer fashions,
and outrageous designer physiques.
Gianni Jaccoma
is an editorial assistant for Thrillist Travel, and he really hopes
people don’t take this too seriously. Follow him to the fine dimes on
Twitter @gjaccoma.
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