San Francisco

San Francisco has been listed as the best place in America to visit, according to U.S. News & World Report. Top tourist attractions include Chinatown, which is the oldest Chinatown in North America, and the Golden Gate Bridge, which has been the backdrop for numerous films, including Superman (1978), Star Trek (2009), and X-Men: The Last Stand (2006).

Travel site Kayak.com offers flights from New York in mid-August for $432, from Miami for $410, and from Chicago for $398. Travel website Expedia.com has flights from New York for $472, from Miami for $380, and from Chicago for $357. (For reference, the prices we checked reflect roundtrip airfare departing Aug. 18, with an Aug. 23 return.)

U.S. News & World Report used a user and expert score system to come up with the rankings; it includes readers' votes, travel guides, articles and interviews.

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