The sunny beach resort of Acapulco in Mexico ranked second in the group's list, followed by the Venezuelan capital of Caracas.

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Who knows: you may think you are reading this article in a gloomy office, but there could be a parallel universe where some of the electrons in your brain followed a slightly different path a few weeks ago and your alter ego is browsing it on a sunny beach.

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In the midst of this demographic stew lies the relatively new town of Sunny Isles Beach, formerly part of North Miami Beach, which like other villages nearby boasts an ambience resplendent in its sheer ordinariness: Strip malls, high-rises and decidedly unchic motel properties stand cheek by jowl.

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And my fear is that if Washington miscalculates in its game of debt limit chicken later this summer, the markets will be very surprised indeed, and the results could make the post-Lehman Brothers financial collapse look like a sunny day on the beach.

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Admittedly, if you're in search of a sunny garden paradise or picturesque beach cove, then this ancient Gaelic island is probably not for you.

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While their female counterparts had to fight for their gold medal Thursday in wet sand and smog-stained rain, the U.S. men's beach volleyball team had sunny weather.

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At the picnic grounds we sat at one of the sunny-and-shady tables scattered under the high pines that grew at the edge of a small beach.

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