Completed / Resolved Help me describe most major american cities

[tacopirate]

Man, I apologize. I totally forgot about this for a few days. Anyway, here is what I have. Feel free to edit or suggest/demand anything as I am not an author by any means:


Detroit is an infamous city that can be very intimidating to some. Despite all the bumps in its past (and present), it has always been a collective of different type of people. From the juice bars and schwarma shops in Dearborn to the Polish haunts of Hammtramck, it is a very unique place. Though it can be dangerous (there are roughly twice as many guns as people), those with street sense need not be afraid. Detroit has a long history of art and music and currently hosts many proud artists and musicians. There is a strong DIY ethic in punk community houses like the Trumbullplex or underground bars like The Painted Lady. Because of the large number of abandoned properties squatting is alive and well here, from the eastside to the west. You can take the Gratiot bus from downtown and see some of the best graffiti in the country, all for a few bucks. Stop in to any of the many coney islands for 99 cent hot dogs, buy a loose smoke and 40oz from the corner store, and see a failed industrial city that is still alive and kicking.

 

[SnakeOilWilly]

if you could keep it to one paragraph with the same tone as the others, i'd totally be willing to add it to the list.

Ok:

Las Vegas generally isn't a place thought highly of by travellers. Hitchhiking is illegal in Nevada, though not enforced that strictly, and cops in Las Vegas will probably give you a hard time if you are bumming around the streets for too long. Public transportation is decent in Vegas, but if you're coming from out of town I'd recommend coming in a group of three or more in a car or van of your own. The punk scene in Vegas consists of a few post-hardcore bands from the mid to late 2000s, so most travellers wouldn't be interested. That being said, if you enjoy gambling and have at least enough money for a hotel room with plenty left over for slots or a table game, Vegas beats Reno any day. Come with some friends, pool your money for a hotel room, and have a good time throwing your hard earned money away. Gambling age is 21 in Las Vegas and you will be ID'ed quite a bit. Play either video poker, craps, or blackjack, but don't think you can get away with counting cards.

Let me know if it's too long.

 

[Ray Lockwood]

Toronto! The 6! The Big Smoke!
North America's 4th largest city after Mexico City, NYC, and LA, and the world's 4th most liveable city (whatever that means)
It's the world's most multiculturally diverse city with endless foreign enclaves, over 150 languages spoken, and over 50% immigrant population and somehow everyone gets along. Toronto has a lower crime rate than any other megalopolis in the world, and lower than most cities in North America. Stylishly post-industrial Toronto has been dubbed "New York City if it was friendly" and for the most part, it lives up to the phrase. Whatever sub-culture you belong to is well represented somewhere in Toronto. Street life is pretty cushy with free places to eat and sleep just about everywhere. Over half of the shoreline is beach, and there's almost 150km of shoreline. There are huge parks scattered throughout the whole city(over 1600 in fact), and ample places to camp or squat. It's home to more than 10 million trees. It gets hot in the summer and winters are pretty mild by Canadian standards, barely lasting three months as opposed to the 5 month winter experienced by much of the rest of Canada. The 24 hour public transit system here is massive, second largest network North America, and you'll never have to walk more than two blocks to catch a bus, even in the most secluded residential areas. The network of bike trails and right-of-ways honeycombs the entire city. Social/public housing is usually located in beautiful brand spanking new buildings. You get over 40 TV channels for FREE with an antenna. Toronto was tolerant before it was trendy, I mean the gay neighborhood is centered around CHURCH STREET! Perhaps you've seen the video of Toronto's mayor smoking crack in the projects, getting drunk with the locals, and then getting re-elected afterwards? Now that's tolerance! The Toronto islands are the world's largest urban car-free community. Toronto's home to mow than 70 film festivals. The St Lawrence market downtown is rated best urban market in the world by National Geographic. Kensington market would be more suited to this crowd though. There are more indie coffee shops in Toronto than there are Starbucks. Toronto has on average 301 days of sunshine out of 365. There are six Chinatowns in the city. I could go on and on extolling the virtues of Canada's greatest city but it'd be pointless because everyone is different, and we'd all have different reasons for falling in love with this city.

 

[Matt Derrick]

this is really great. thank you everyone for your contributions! i still need help with the following:

eugene, oregon
boston, Massachusetts
pittsburgh
louisville
chicago
minneapolis
missoula, montana
hawaii
alaska
brief descriptions of canada and mexico

 

[sd40chef]

I'm interested in hearing about Pittsburgh...heard a bit from some travellers and they all spoke highly of it