by Mehreen Khan
Americans are being told to choose Birmingham over London as their holiday destination by one of the most fashionable and influential publications in the US.
The , written by Julie Earle-Levine, sees the city win top marks for food, music and arts, architecture 鈥 and a lack of tourists.
鈥淟ondoners tend to look down their noses at Birmingham, much as New Yorkers dismiss Boston or Philadelphia鈥 she writes in the Winter 2013 travel section.
鈥樷楤ut thanks in large part to its burgeoning food scene (as of this fall, the city has more Michelin stars than any other English city outside London), not to mention its famed Balti Triangle, packed with over 50 South Asian restaurants, Londoners, as well as the rest of the world, are starting to reconsider the Brums.
This 30 second video was produced by Visit Birmingham. Can you spot all the locations?
鈥樷業ts cultural offerings can keep pace with the capital鈥檚 (there鈥檚 the world-renowned Birmingham Royal Ballet, Birmingham Repertory Theatre Company, and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, plus a rock scene that launched Ozzy Osbourne and Duran Duran), and September saw the opening of a much-anticipated $300 million public library (it looks like a stack of Legos wrapped in mesh and houses a Shakespeare Memorial Room, with an impressive collection of Shakespeareana).鈥欌
One 鈥榤ust-destination鈥 highlighted in the article is the Custard Factory, which is bizarrely described as an 鈥渁malgam of East London and Dumbo.鈥欌
Vintage clothing shop Urban Village, live-art gallery Eastside Projects, and Digbeth Dining Club also get a mention in the article.
It adds: 鈥樷楤irmingham also lays claim to one of the 海角视频鈥檚 biggest and oldest jewellery quarters, the famed Cadbury chocolate factory, and something else London definitely doesn鈥檛 have: very few tourists.鈥欌
Additional words are provided by Lucan Gray, of the Custard Factory, while the city's newest Michelin star chef Adam Stokes suggests five places to eat traditional British food.
Emma Gray, director of marketing services for Visit Birmingham, welcomed the coverage.
She said: 鈥淏irmingham鈥檚 popularity as a leisure tourism destination continues to grow, with an 11% increase in visitors over the last six years.
鈥淲e have seen a surge in international media interest in Birmingham鈥檚 food and cultural scene in recent months, hosting journalists from key countries including the US, India and China.
鈥淓xciting new developments such as Grand Central and Resorts World, along with the recently-opened Library of Birmingham, promise to further strengthen the city鈥檚 offer to a global audience.鈥
