"Real Simple" Cities That Save Time

Real Simple ranked cities on three factors: "Getting Around (includes average commute, walkability, traffic congestion); Green Time-Savers (includes recycling access and cost, number of farmers' markets and community gardens, bike friendliness)."

Top cities include:

Seattle "With extensive public transit, one of the country's most on-time airports, and 50 miles of new bike lanes in the last two years, our winning city, Seattle, is an icon of urban efficiency."

Portland: "It's no hassle getting around this town, whether by bike or on the nation's fourth-largest light-rail system."

San Francisco: [which] "boasts a 511 phone and online service that provides updates on biking, public- transit, and traffic conditions."