It's been a hectic few months for London, but England's capital has still come out on top and been named the world's best city of 2023.
From dealing with the effects of Brexit and a global pandemic to the resignation and appointment of two different prime ministers, from the first ever Platinum Jubilee, to one of the biggest funerals of all time, London has been a relatively central point in the 2022 news cycle.
But, despite all of the above and everything that happened in between, London has topped the World's Best Cities list for the seventh year in a row.
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Real estate and tourism consultancy firm Resonance, who put together the annual rankings, focused on six key categories while reviewing the world's top cities: Place, Product, Programming, People Prosperity, and Promotion.
Despite the knock-on effects of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic, London was marked particularly well on both People and Promotion.
Among many things, London was praised for its 'increasingly daring' culinary industry, its boom in luxury properties that are bringing in some of the wealthiest tenants in the world, and its top-tier tourism - with London coming out in front for Instagram hashtags, Facebook check-ins, and TripAdvisor reviews.
Other honourable mentions for London included the return of the London Underground Night Tube, 'the best educated citizenry on the planet', and tax incentives for massive corporations.
To make sure we secure our first place title in 2024, for the eighth year in a row (fingers crossed!), let's all have a spin around the London Eye this year for the hell of it. Invest in a luxury property if you want to go all-out.
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Coming closely behind London in second place is Paris.
The capital city, which boasts a capacity of 11 million, was named best in the world for Sights and Landmarks, and made it into the top three for Best Museums.
They've also been rewarded for their impressive bounce back after lockdown, with new urban projects transforming Paris into a pedestrian city and 2022 marking their highest tourism-spending year on record.
Plus, it's worth mentioning that Paris is already getting set to host the 2024 Olympic Summer Games.
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In third place was New York City, which has finally managed to bounce back after a 'nightmarish' two years.
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From newfangled airport terminals to an explosion of over 9,000 new hotel rooms, the greatest city in America is ready for the crowds to return.
The city was also ranked highly for its cultural opportunities, from museums the star-studded Broadway shows.
In fourth place was Tokyo, followed by Dubai, and Barcelona.
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Finishing off the top ten were Rome in seventh place, Madrid in eighth, Singapore in ninth, and Amsterdam in tenth.
Not to be forgotten, Resonance gave an honorary mention to Kyiv, Ukraine, describing it as an 'urban beacon of courage and resilience', despite the heartbreak that has overshadowed it in the last 12 months.
With mentions of its hidden music venues and bars, its beautiful historic monuments and buildings, cheap and efficient transport system, and the creativity and resourcefulness of its residents, the city was named 'a place of inexhaustible courage in the face of daily tragedy'.
Ali Condon