My Favorite U.S. City: Pittsburgh, PA

By Dan Eldridge

If the city of Pittsburgh has anything at all in common with every other struggling Rust Belt town in America, it’s this: It's a very fashionable place to poke fun at. In fact, perhaps only the good people of Detroit–and possibly those of Cleveland–can accurately claim that their town is the butt of a higher number of tasteless jokes than the Steel City.

But do you want to know how I describe Pittsburgh to people who’ve never set foot inside the city limits, and yet still assume they know exactly what it’s like? I tell them this: “If you haven’t seen the city since the time of the steel mills, when the soot and smoke made the air so dark that streetlamps were kept illuminated around the clock, well… then you’ve really never been there.” more >>

My Favorite U.S. City: Madison, WI

By Thomas Huhti

The Mad City, or Madtown. A quirky capital amidst the cows, its unofficial motto is "77 square miles surrounded by reality." Like many capital-university cities, Madison is a hodgepodge of university life, state government, and, well, normal folks. This one ensconced gorgeously among four lakes and endless green space. And we may be proud cheeseheads—but we ain't hicks. Outlanders coming in expecting to see cowflop residue on their taxi driver's boots will instead probably find themselves chatting about string theory or the role of animism in Vietnamese culture. Oh, and about how we have the best schools, the best hospitals, blah blah blah... more >>