When we heard that Condé Nast Traveller ranked the world's 50 most beautiful cities, we were hopeful we'd find NYC on the list.

We think New York City is pretty beautiful. Honestly, we wouldn't live here otherwise. A casual stroll down the city's streets, gazing up at the city's building and out into the chaos of its rivers fills us with wonder.

Lo and behold, NYC was on Condé Nast's list. We ranked in at number four, and we were ranked most beautiful city in the United States at that.

The list was prefaced with this statement: "We seek beauty in many forms: through art and architecture; from water views and mountain highs; in its people and its history. This list circles the globe, finding the most beautiful cities from Italy to Iran."

Architecture? Check. Water views? Got 'em. People and history? Yeah, we've got that, too.

Often, we're blown away by the splendor of NYC's bridges, the architectural mastery of NYC's buildings, and we're enchanted by NYC's pockets of nature.

[anad]

Last weekend Storm Jonas came, and while the blizzard wreaked havoc on NYC, it also left behind a dazzling city, sparkling with a fresh coat of snow. In fact, NYC knocked us out by how stunning it looked covered in snow.

We never get tired of the city's aesthetic delights, either. We spend countless afternoons marveling in NYC's museums and countless nights climbing our friends' sketchy ladders to their sketchy roofs, to check out the breathtaking glimmer of the city's skyline.

Wondering who ranked in before us?

Condé Nast ranked Venice, Hong Kong, and Istanbul at numbers one, two, and three, respectively. Those are pretty cities, so we guess we're cool with it.

We're especially cool with it because Condé Nast wrote such nice things about NYC in their summary.

"New York's beauty is multi-sensory," the blurb read. 

"It's the sight of historic architecture, from the Flatiron Building to One World Trade Center, dwarfing the 8.4 million humans below; the feel of the grass beneath your feet in the great green oases of Central and Prospect Park; the smell of roasted nuts on street corners; the sound of jazz pouring out of Smalls in the Greenwich Village." 

"It's the art of the Frick and the Met, MoMA and the Museum of the Moving Image; and the beautiful, diverse people walking the city streets with heads held high."

We mean, Condé Nast, you're making us blush. We seriously got the chills when we read that description, mostly because we think they got it spot on.

It's fun to remember we wake up every morning in a city that millions around the globe to visit. Puts a bit of slush on the sidewalk in perspective, doesn't it?

Check out These Incredible Photos Around NYC of This Past Weekend's Snowpocalypse. 

[via Condé Nast] [Feature Image Courtesy Instagram]