PENCELAND.com - City Life

City Life

I was raised in a small town in Idaho (which accounts for my trusting nature and wholesome, "small-town" values) but I've spent most of my life in or near large cities. Since 1973 I have lived in greater Boston, and prior to that I lived in Seattle. I find cities stimulating, challenging, rewarding, and a never-ending source of things I love including knowledge, culture, and rich social opportunities. I strive for a sense of urban self-sufficiency and I am what you would call a real city aficionado.
This page started out as a section on my Favorites page, which is why it consists mostly of links. Most of these sites have photos of city life, including buildings and other structures. See Google maps and Panoramas under Favorite cities below for some spectacular views.

Favorite cities

Google maps

Panoramas

Here are some of the cities I have lived in or just spent time in that I really enjoy. You can see aerial photos of some of these cities at Aerial photos

Boston

I have lived in Metro-Boston since 1973. It is a great city with lots of American history. I love to walk around and see things I have heard about since I was a child.

My Boston page

New York City

NYC, the "Big Apple," offers pretty much everything and never sleeps. Because Manhattan is laid out on a grid it is very easy to navigate.

My NYC section

Seattle

I lived in the "U district" in Seattle from 1968-1973. It is very hilly and beautiful, with many bodies of water.

My Seattle section

Washington, DC (see government links on the Favorites page)

Washington is one of my favorite places to visit, with all the Smithsonian museums, the grand government buildings, and the Mall. We generally stay in the Dupont Circle area when we are there because our son goes to GW.

City of Washington, DC

A View on Cities - Washington

Washington DC photos – Elliott Teel Photography

Washington, DC--Stock Photos – by Keith Stanley

George Washington University (GW) – my son's school

Some aerial views

View 1 – the White House and the Ellipse

View 2 – showing the proximity of GW to the White House

View 3 – showing the proximity of GW to the Kennedy Center and Watergate complex

Virtual Tour

Sightseeing map – click on the Bird's Eye view

National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary

Free Large Photos: Washington, DC

TrafficLand.com – Live Traffic Cams

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is so charming, with all the canals and the thousands of bicyles (more bikes than cars). It is fairly compact and the trams are easy to get around on.

Amsterdam.nl

Amsterdam photos

Dan Heller Photography

Pictures of Amsterdam

Paris

It would be difficult to exaggerate the good things you can say about Paris.

Mairie de Paris

Dan Heller Photography

Panoramiques des Monuments de Paris – 360° panoramic views

The Louvre 360°

[Notre-Dame de Paris] Panoramic views 360°

London

London contains many fantastic sites including the Tower of London, Kensington Palace, and The London Eye.
The tube is a really good subway system, and you will be warned to "Mind the gap!"

City of London

Dan Heller Photography

London Pictures – by Keith Stanley

London Photos

Tower of London

The London Eye

Kensington Palace

San Francisco

SF is one of the great American cities, and I besides many visits I lived there in the summer of 1967 (the "Summer of Love").

City of San Francisco

A View on Cities - San Francisco

San Francisco Buildings – photos & stats of individual buildings

Dan Heller Photography

S.F.Heart

Scenic San Francisco – Pictures, Panoramas

San Francisco Victorian Home Walk

Ken Adelman's coastal aerial views

Photos from Free Large Photos: Aerial Views

A view including the Golden Gate Bridge and part of the Bay Bridge

Downtown, with Golden Gate Park and the Presidio in background

Downtown and a portion of the Bay Bridge

Golden Gate Park

Golden Gate Bridge and Marin County

Marin County

Some S.F. photos from a 2005 trip

Toronto

I have only visited but I love Toronto.

Worldisround.com - A weekend in Toronto

Chicago

One of the interesting things about Chicago is that like all the cities on the Great Lakes you think you are at the ocean when you are there.

City of Chicago

A View on Cities - Chicago – many photos and descriptions of the city and its buildings

Chicago Buildings – photos & stats of individual buildings

You know you're from Chicago when... – from an email

Atlanta

I have visited several times and lived there briefly in the summer of 1967.

City of Atlanta

Atlanta Magazine

Atlanta Photos by Consultwebs

Los Angeles

One of the great and famous cities in the U.S.

City of Los Angeles

Architectural Photo Galleries – downtown 1818-1939, the historic core

Los Angeles Photos and Pictures

Downtown Los Angeles Walking Tour – USC Department of Geography
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Skyscrapers and other urban structures

Here are some links relating to my fascination with mankind's great architectural and engineering achievements, especially tall buildings.

The History of Skyscrapers

Building BIG – from PBS

The World's Best Skylines

How Skyscrapers Work

Skyscraper Picture Collection – from many cities and countries

galinsky – people enjoying buildings worldwide

Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat

Great Buildings Online

Great Structures of the World

Glass, Steel, and Stone – architecture of the world

How Skyscrapers Work – from HowStuffWorks.com

Hong Kong - The City of Nights (Lights)

World City Photos

The Skyscraper Web Ring

Great Buildings and Structures

The Skyscraper Museum

SkyscraperPage.com

Tallest Buildings in the United States

Skyscrapers.com – the most extensive skyscraper resource on the web

The High-Rise Pages – your online guide to the tallest buildings in the world!

structurae: International Database and Gallery of Structures

Skyscrapers Collection – stats for North American metro areas

World's Tallest Buildings

Federation of High-Rise Websites

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New York City

I have always been a fan of The Big Apple, the ultimate American urban experience. I used to work for a company in Boston that had an office in Manhattan located at the intersection of Broadway, 5th Avenue, and 23rd St. (Madison Square), which is also the location of the visually delightful Flatiron Building (see Google Maps Street View ¹). When I went to New York on business I would stay in a company-owned, mid-town condo, and I always found it exhilarating to get up in the morning and walk down 5th Avenue past the Empire State Building to the office.