Billy's Cities

Explore the great cities of the world!

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Introduction to San Francisco 2016

Golden Gate Bridge and Fort Point from the Presidio waterfront. Golden Gate Bridge, Presidio, San Francisco, United States, North America.
Golden Gate Bridge and Fort Point from the Presidio waterfront.

San Francisco, open your Golden Gate!

San Francisco welcomed me with open arms when I moved here from Boston 2 years ago June.  And now 2 years later, I’m finally exploring the city.  I still have 1 more day of sightseeing to go. [Read more…]

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Must-See Nanjing

Fuzimiao's colorful dragon wall. Fuzimiao, Nanjing, China, Asia.
Fuzimiao’s colorful dragon wall.

Shanghai and Beijing were the major destinations on my 2015 trip to China.  Out of my 3 day trips, I was really impressed with Nanjing.  Hangzhou has 2 must-sees:  West Lake and Lingyin Temple.  Tianjin isn’t the most exciting place (although getting a great Italian dinner in Italian Style Town is worth the 30-minute train ride from Beijing).  In Nanjing, you get a bang for your yuan.

Must-Sees in Nanjing

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Must-See Beijing

One of the dragons on the Forbidden City's Nine Dragon-Wall. Forbidden City, Beijing, China, Asia.
One of the dragons on the Forbidden City’s Nine Dragon-Wall.

Make no mistake.  Beijing is not the cosmopolitan city that Shanghai is.  (Unlike in Shanghai, I was often the only white person in sight on the subway in Beijing.  I got stared at in Beijing at times.  This never happened in Shanghai.)  Regardless, imperial Beijing is where the history is.  This is why the most spectacular sights I saw on my 2015 trip to China were for the most part in Beijing. [Read more…]

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Must-See Shanghai

An overcast view of Pudong from the Bund. Pudong, Shanghai, China, Asia.
An overcast view of Pudong from the Bund.

Shanghai is a fantastically vibrant city.  This comes as no surprise as it’s the world’s largest city.  When it comes to sightseeing, Shanghai has a good mix of old and new, but tilting very much towards the new.  This also comes as not much of a surprise.  Shanghai didn’t start to become a major city until the Western powers moved in and took charge after the First Opium War.  That was just about 170 years ago.  Compare that with Beijing, which has been a [Read more…]