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From City to City: Three of America’s Best

By: Roberto Raffa

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Don’t even bother looking for the ‘real’ America because such a notion really does miss the point of this vast and varied nation. However expensive the USA’s physical parameters it still manages to pack in more cultural diversity across its 50 states than many continents. Imagine spending one day reveling in the decadent tropical heat of Miami and the next bracing the arctic wilderness of Alaska then boggle at the fact that two such disparate experiences are somehow contained within the borders of one country.

Yep, it’s pretty much impossible to accommodate the awe inspiring breadth of the American experience in one visit but, on the upside, this is a nation that really does have something for everyone. The only thing left for anyone considering a visit is to decide which version of America they fancy. Below is an overview of three of our favourite cities in the US, our attempt at some sort of an introduction to the many and varied possibilities:

Las Vegas
On visiting Vegas for the first time it quickly dawns on you that it really is exactly how you imagined it would be - a huge plastic tribute to American consumerism and shallow cultural simulation. Money is in gaudy evidence everywhere, from the quarters silver haired gambling addicts pump blankly into the millions of slot machines to the brazenly unsubtle displays of wealth favoured by the hordes of Prada clad nouveau rich to the stupefying excess of the casinos themselves.

Take The Venetian, a $1.5 billion casino/resort that attempts to recreate the streets of Venice, complete with a canal that winds through the casino and shopping mall and is (inevitably) traversed by singing gondoliers. There is surprisingly convincing mock Venetian architecture, a Titian-esque sky painted on the vast ceiling for that Truman Show fake environment vibe and a liberal sprinkling of Renaissance style frescos.

Whatever your take on the Vegas experience it’s hard not to be awed by the overwhelming spectacle of it all and, for a few days at least (anymore and you may find your grasp on reality is beginning to slip), there really are few more fun and exciting cities to visit.

Los Angeles
It’s probably foolish to attempt a succinct summary of LA and, likewise, highly unlikely that a short visit will do this sprawling collection very distinct districts any sort of justice. The clichés are easy of course - LA is LaLa Land, a city built on dreams and fantasy, where impossible glamour veneers an all too real underbelly of rough edges and disappointment , where Hollywood sparkle flickers seductively across a surface of smog and traffic that stretches out into a seemingly endless suburban mass.

Perhaps it’s best not to bother trying to deconstruct the ‘City of Angels’ thoroughly self mythologized image, for the tourist LA is most likely a more manageable section of metro area at the heart of the city – Hollywood, Santa Monica, Venice, Beverly Hills, Downtown. The itinerary seems likely to include such quintessential LA sites as Hollywood Boulevard, mansion gawping in Beverly Hills, window shopping in Rodeo Drive, hitting a beach or two, a rambling drive along Mulholland Drive or up to Malibu and, for those anxious to cram in a little culture a visit The Getty Centre.

All this might not get you any closer to really understanding this chimera of a city but, hey, what do you expect, this is LA after all.

Boston
It would be easy to characterise Boston as a city defined by its history and, hell, it does have an awful lot to offer on that front. From its origins as the puritans ‘shining city on a hill’ Boston (dubbed rather imposingly ‘The Cradle of Liberty’) has consistently commanded a position at the forefront of America’s cultural and political landscape and still exudes an undeniable gravitas.

Given this steadily acquired image one could be forgiven for imagining a city weighed down by a sense of staid historical self importance. Such off-putting preconceptions do Boston a great disservice however; visitors will find a city that is indeed rich in history, pretty green expanses and period architecture but equally overflowing with a more contemporary energy. In fact Boston is experiencing something of a cultural renaissance right now, with a thriving visual arts scene, forward thinking architectural developments and impressive new landmarks like the Institute for Contemporary Arts.

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