A Tale of Two-Cities

There are these beautiful places: beautiful because they are exotic and exotic because they are mysterious. They are famous places and rustic secrets; Paris, Vienna, Rome, Siena, and each brings its own charms to the table, creating a persona either real or imagined, that is portrayed to the world via film, literature, art, music, and spoken tales.

It's possible to visit these places we hear and read about, although our experiences will differ from those of Shakespeare, Moliere, Thoreau, or Charlie Chaplin. But where their stories end our own can begin. When we travel to visit these places we develop our own narratives, create our own characters and plots and are anxious for the day we return to normalcy and relive our own narrations, while adding to the fantasies of others who have not been, and rekindling the fond fires of those who have.

Unfortunately for my kind, these fantasies are but one side of the story. It's in the fiber of my body, like lungs or eyelids, that when I find one of these magical places I want to know why it works, how it's made, why it feels so special, and how I can bring this experience to everyone. This brings a course of analysis and critique. I do what I can to find the source of this enchantment and unfortunately for myself in the very process of understanding its beauty I destroy that which I sought to understand. Paris for me is no longer the city of love and lights; it is a city of sewers and bloody revolution, of immigrant populations in dire social housing. It's graffiti. Venice is no longer the romantic city by the sea where canals run like streets and fresh vegetables are sold by boat side. For me now it is a city fallen from grace, forced to pander to foreign tourists or die. Each city is a tale of two cities, one which is the reality of a living, working city and one that is the facade of what the city would like to be, projected onto other cities so that they might be able to compare their favorable assets. If we wanted to we could stop the charade and present our cities as they actually are. But that wouldn't really change anything, and would leave us all a little depressed.