New York City

New York is the US financial and cultural capital, a dense five-borough city where the subway runs around the clock and neighborhoods change character block by block, from Wall Street's suits to Bushwick's studios. It moves faster and talks more directly than most American cities, a place that rewards hustle and punishes hesitation. Unlike car-centric Los Angeles, life here is built around walking and public transit.

A New York bagel, boiled before baking, and a slice of pizza folded in half to eat while walking are the two food rituals every visitor tries. Deli sandwiches piled with pastrami are another local institution worth the wait. New Yorkers walk fast and expect others to keep pace, stand on the right on subway escalators and let people off the train before boarding.