Photo by Paul Frederiksen.

It turns out Washington isn’t that dirty, despite certain commentariats’ insistence that the city is overrun with pooping hobos: the Daily Mail (which, let’s face it, is an expert in the field of filth), notes Travel and Leisure rankings that claim New York, Los Angeles and, yes, Baltimore are far dirtier than the nation’s capital.

This despite the fact that plenty of visitors march around D.C. every year:

Most of the places that made the top ten were some of the most popular in all of the country, perhaps something to do with the number of tourists who frequent there or the street parties and events that attract hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.

New Orleans, for example, which was voted the number one dirtiest city in the U.S., is known for its yearly Mardi Gras, the clean up of which is of epic proportions. … The top ten was chosen by Travel and Leisure readers who took things such as litter, air pollution and even the taste of local tap water into consideration.

Gee, based on those criteria, you would have thought we’d be a lock.