what's your favorite city?

When you go on a multi-city trip, you ask yourself which was your favorite. Was it Milan? Turin? Genoa? Each city, in turn, had its delights and highpoints.

Was it Milan? Big and busy. Over-the-top cathedral. Great rationalist buildings from the mid 20th century. Good museums like the Brera. Recent developments with work by such international star architects as Zaha Hadid, Pei Cobb Freed, Daniel Libeskind, and Rem Koolhaas.

Was it Turin? Grid city plan that made wayfinding easier. Art nouveau (Liberty) houses and other buildings which were easy to identify because of the walking guide found at the Palazzo Reale bookshop. The views of the Alps from across the Po River. The wonderful central plaza. The Basilica of Superga, also across the river and high above it.

Was it Genoa? Hilliest of the three cities. On the Mediterranean coast. More art nouveau. Narrow narrow streets. Seafood. Easter season. Funiculars and elevators to expedite getting up the hills.

Still mulling over which was my favorite city as we landed in New York City. I had decided to stay a couple days since there were a couple exhibitions (Danh Vo and Zoe Leonard) that I wanted to see. After a couple hours on the NYC streets the morning after, still a little jet-lagged, I realized that "what is your favorite city?" was not the right question for me. It was "what is your favorite environment?" and the answer is "city." And I like the mix of buildings and neighborhoods but especially the gritty and unresolved parts.

More pictures from Italy in my "Italy 2018" album on Flickr.