Emily Leayman is the editor of ALXnow and contributes reporting to ARLnow and FFXnow. She was previously a field editor covering parts of Northern Virginia for Patch for more than eight years. A native of the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania, she lives in Northern Virginia.
Alexandria is vying for its ninth consecutive ranking in Condé Nast Traveler’s 2026 Readers’ Choice Awards. The city is nominated in the “Cities” category and hopes to retain its place among the “Best Small Cities in the U.S.”
Visit Alexandria, the city’s tourism organization, is asking for public support to keep Alexandria on the list. High-profile rankings in Condé Nast Traveler and other publications are one of the organization’s strategies to boost visitor-related tax revenues that fund core city services.
