The 2014 Traveler 50: World's smartest cities

"A city needs a heart and soul-typically the center, where people congregate for work and leisure. Smart cities are well-connected locally and internationally, have a sustainable lifestyle, and are places where people come first," he says. Here's our essential list of things we love in the world's most exciting cities, National Geographic reports. 1 California Dreamers Wanted "A history book from the 1930s described San Francisco in the 1840s: ‘Everything was conceived on a vast scale, and there was always plenty of cash available for any scheme that might be proposed, no matter how impossible or bizarre it seemed.' Nothing has changed: The city is the global epicenter of big ‘unrealistic' dreamers. Drop what you're doing and meander through our twisting streets for inspiration, for the excitement of new possibilities." -Tim Ferriss, early-stage tech investor and author of the best-selling The 4-Hour Workweek 2 Pedaling Paris Bike-share for les enfants? But of course! New rental stations in pedestrian zones opened in the city this year, geared toward city cyclists in training. Petits Parisiens-and visitors-ages two to eight can choose from four models equipped with helmets, including balance bikes or training wheels, to ride in parks or along the Seine. Classes also test stability and teach cycling etiquette, since good habits start young. 3 Passage to India Travelers might spot the peacock feather motif throughout terminal 2 of Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji airport. This and other lofty designs were unveiled earlier this year at the Jaye He Museum, now India's largest public art program. Some 7,000 works pack the four-story museum. Considering that 40 million people pass through the airport each year, the exhibit rivals the Louvre in number of visitors. 4 Rome: For Time Travelers "In 2015, the nearly 2,000-year-old Colosseum and the baroque Trevi Fountain in Rome will reopen, following multimillion-dollar restorations. But the past is always present here. In the 12th-century Basilica of San Clemente, stone stairs take you back to a fourth-century church that now lies beneath ground level. From there, dark passages lead down to a first-century temple. In this space, where ancient streets run deep beneath modern Rome, the long history of a great city comes alive." -P. D. Smith, author of City: A Guidebook for the Urban Age

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