The New York Times compiled a list of the 53 Places To Go in 2008 and a handful of American cities made the cut, including San Diego.

It appears that the luxury hotel quotient represents a heavy weight in determining the list. As one commenter pointed out:

"I'm disappointed that the NY Times seems to have centered this piece on luxury hotels; it reads more like a boring advertisement section from an airplane magazine than Times-caliber travel journalism.

These choices seem to have more to do with the opening of luxury hotels than the interesting cultures or natural settings that make travel actually interesting."

But you got to rest your head somewhere, I suppose.

San Diego made the list at #44 and the reason being the opening of the Hard Rock Hotel [where: 207 Fifth Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101] and because Virgin Airlines will fly here. Perhaps the real reason should be simple that San Diego is ‘America’s Finest City’ and we’ve had a hard year and could really use that tourist money.

Here are the other American cities chosen, and why:

#5 and #6
Mid-beach and South Beach, Miami, Florida
Why: Sparkling new resorts

#8
Death Valley, California - Nevada
Why: Rain showers bring 1000s of May flowers

#39
San Francisco, California
Why: The opening of the $500 million California Academy of Sciences built by Renzo Piano near Golden Gate Park.

#40
Detroit, Michigan
Why: Because it’s not as violent as people say it is? No, because of new hotels and the reopening of the Detroit Institute of Art.

#50
Las Vegas, Nevada
Why: Trump towers and new eats

#53
New York City, New York
Why: Broadway, baby