The Friend Score
The Friend Score is AskTheCity’s editorial ranking: a single 0–10 number that answers “would a local friend actually send you here?” It is a weighted blend of five components, scored by our editors and refreshed on a fixed cadence.
The five components
| Component | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Authenticity | 30% | How genuine and locally-rooted the experience is, versus manufactured-for-tourists. The heaviest component — it is what a friend actually vouches for. |
| Value | 20% | What you get for the money and time spent, independent of absolute price. A free spot and a splurge can both score high. |
| Freshness | 20% | How recently we verified the facts on the page. Scores decay as the last-verified date ages toward the 120-day re-verification clock. |
| Crowd level | 15% | How manageable the crowds are at a typical visit. Higher means easier to enjoy without fighting the throng. |
| Accessibility | 15% | How easy the place is to reach and move through — transit, parking, step-free access, and hours. |
| Total | 100% |
Each component is proposed 0–10 by our research system from verified, sourced data, and every page must pass automated quality gates — sourced facts, complete components, editorial standards — before the formula mints a score. Components are multiplied by their weights and summed; the result is the published Friend Score, rounded to one decimal. Editors audit scores continuously and can adjust or unpublish any page; insider tips are published only after a human editor verifies them. Freshness is computed mechanically from the last-verified date (see cadence below), so it stays accurate between reviews. Practical guide pages carry no Friend Score — the metric applies to places, not advice.
Update cadence
Every landmark carries a last-verified date. Freshness decays nightly as that date ages; at 120 days the page is automatically re-checked against current sources — if every fact still holds it is re-verified and republished, and if anything changed it is pulled back for editor review before returning. The methodology itself was last reviewed on July 1, 2026.
Editorial independence
Friend Scores are assigned by AskTheCity editors and are never for sale. Sponsored placements, when they exist, are disclosed and do not influence a score. Every factual claim on a landmark page traces to a cited source, and the local-signal notes are verified, never fabricated.