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The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has is the most popular business of all time in the United States, according to Yelp users.
As the crowd-sourced review website Yelp turns 20, the company has collated data from the past two decades to reveal which businesses in the US have stood the test of time.
To determine the most popular businesses, Yelp considered a number of factors, including the total volume and ratings of reviews and photos since 2004.
The most popular business of all time was revealed to be the Metropolitan Museum of Art with over 3,500 reviews and 22,000 photos uploaded by Yelp users and a 4.7-star overall rating.
The Met has a rotation of exhibitions through the year and is also home to a wide range of collections, such as art from each continent, an arms and armour assortment and the famous Costume Institute.
Reviewers have highlighted the Met’s curated galleries and knowledgeable and friendly staff working at the museum as factors they enjoyed.
Moving over to the West Coast, next on the list is Balboa Park in San Diego, rated highly by Yelp users for its expansive gardens and family-friendly events.
The 1,200-acre space is home to various museums, including the Comic-Con museum, theatres like the Old Globe, a variety of restaurants and the San Diego Zoo. The park also has a collection of gardens, trails and parks dedicated to various plant life and species, such as Palm Canyon, which contains 450 palm trees.
While it has far fewer reviews than the Met, with around 2,680, the park has a 4.8-star rating overall among Yelp users – a fraction more than the New York museum.
Local reviewers said that the park is often very popular for out-of-town visitors, calling it a favourite spot for tourists.
Also in California, the Getty Center in Los Angeles took third spot, with 3,750 reviews from visitors and a 4.6-star rating.
The art museum is popular among Yelp users for its “impressive art collections, memorable architecture, and breathtaking views of Los Angeles”.
The centre holds artworks from the Middle Ages to the modern day, all set amid its modern architecture and gardens, with a tram to its hilltop site giving visitors a glimpse of the city.
Visitors praise the Getty Center for its wide-ranging programmes, exhibitions and events, from talks about ancient cosmos study to exhibitions on experiments in art and technology.
Of the top 20 most popular businesses in the US, the state home the most is California, with 12 entries, while New York, Washington, Nevada and Hawaii have two entries each.
Here is Yelp’s full list of the most popular businesses of all time:
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
- Balboa Park in San Diego, California
- The Getty Center in Los Angeles, California
- Central Park Conservancy, New York
- The Huntington in San Marino, California
- Chihuly Garden and Glass, Seattle, Washington
- Gangnam Asian BBQ Dining, Las Vegas, Nevada
- Howlin’ Ray’s in Los Angeles, California
- Kualoa Ranch in Kaneohe, Hawaii
- Marugame Udon in Honolulu, Hawaii
- Oracle Park in San Francisco, California
- Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington
- Smoke & Fire Social Eatery, La Habra, California
- Shang Artisan Noodle – Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, Nevada
- Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles, California
- Craft by Smoke & Fire, Anaheim, California
- The Vox Kitchen by Kei Concepts, Fountain Valley, California
- Porto’s Bakery & Cafe in Burbank, California
- Nova Kitchen & Bar in Garden Grove, California
- Morrison Atwater Village in Los Angeles, California
For more travel news and advice, listen to Simon Calder’s podcast
