Chicago Is Not The Sexiest City In America, According To Playboy

By Kate Shepherd in News on Aug 21, 2015 3:55PM

Hugh Hefner notoriously started his Playboy empire in Chicago, and the magazine was headquartered here until 2012, but that doesn't make Chicago the sexiest city.

Playboy just released its rankings for America's 25 Sexiest Cities 2015 and Chicago makes the cut at #3, trailing New York in #1 and Los Angeles in #2. Maybe if NBC's short-lived "Playboy Club" had lasted, Chicago would have been #1.



The rankings were determined by a "combination of hot locals, cool nightlife, a great setting and an undercurrent of desire," according to Playboy.

One of the reasons New York was named "the sexiest city in America" is a great nightlife scene easily accessible by walking, subways, taxis and Ubers. Playboy does have a point. Chicago is easy to walk, and full of taxis and Ubers, but the CTA can't compete with New York's transit system. Los Angeles lost points for its low walkability score, but not enough to edge Chicago ahead.

Here's what Playboy wrote about the Windy City:

"This muscular, cold-weather, sports-crazy city may seem a surprising pick, but there's more to Chicago than great architecture, major museums and da Bears. Its walkable neighborhoods- including upscale Lincoln Park, up-and-coming River North and bar-dense Wicker Park and Bucktown- amp up the sexy quotient, attracting young professionals who seek same in restaurants, dives, blues joints, shops and galleries. At one time Chicago was a major stop on the burlesque circuit, and you can still take in feathers-and-fans acts at nearly a dozen dopamine-release venues, including the Kiss Kiss Cabaret and Naked Girls Reading (what it sounds like)."

It could be worse. At least Chicago warranted a write-up, unlike #6, Boston, and #7, Seattle. And we're not the top city for cheaters like Washington D.C, which earned the #19 slot.