A century and a half ago, Athens was a humble, forgotten city of about 8,000 people. Today, one out of every three Greeks packs into this city of over 3 million.
The city is infamous for its sprawl, noise, and pollution. For a long time, my advice was to see the big sights, then get out. (The islands of the Aegean Sea are just a few hours away, and the Peloponnesian Peninsula, full of natural, historic, and cultural wonder, is just a couple hours’ drive south.) But over the years, Athens has dramatically changed. There are now trendy neighborhoods filled with edgy street art and creative eateries just a short walk from the famous sights and museums. And the city has made a concerted effort to clean up and pedestrianize the streets, spiff up its museums, build a new airport, and invest in one of Europe’s better public-transit systems….