With over three million residents, the cosmopolitan city of Santo Domingo is possibly the most vibrant place in the entire Caribbean. Santo Domingo features a rich culture and history juxtaposed against modern developments. In the historic Colonial City, newer hotels are located on ancient cobble-stoned streets; luxury cars share the roads with horse-drawn carriages; an avant-garde international cuisine scene thrives amid classic Creole cuisine; and 21st century buildings rest beside 15th and 16th century traditional houses. As the oldest city in the New World, Santo Domingo's Colonial City boasts the first street, cathedral, university and hospital in the Americas. In fact, visitors usually notice that the well-preserved ancient city, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1990, makes them feel as if they had been transported back to another time. Furthermore, and thanks to being selected as the 2010 American Capital of Culture, The Cultural Capital Organization, with the collaboration of the Dominican authorities, recently invited the public to help select from among 27 cultural sites, the seven treasures of cultural heritage in Santo Domingo. The seven treasures elected by unanimous vote include the Columbus Palace, the first Cathedral in the New World, the Ozama Fort, the Museum of the Royal Houses, the National Botanical Gardens, the Caribbean seaside boardwalk called the Malecón and the Palace of Fine Arts.