👉 Okay, letâs tackle that wonderfully prickly little squiggle of a word â "Cityguide." Now, traditionally, and rather predictably, you might think of a Cityguide as⌠yep, basically, a booklet shoved into your oversized carry-on by some very earnest travel agent. Filled with pretty pictures of pigeons and the price of a really mediocre bĂŠignet. Itâs meant to reassure you that there's somewhere vaguely interesting within 20 walkable blocks.
Hereâs what I actually suspect is going on underneath the pretty cover, though. A Cityguide isn't just anemic information dispensed by committee; it's a carefully constructed, almost aggressively digestible, narrative of civic aspiration. . It sells you a version of the cityâslick and superficially charmingâto fill that gaping maw of existential dread we get when we realise the whole thing is justâŚstuff. They want you to feel like youâre âexperiencing it,â even if that experience mostly involves awkwardly dodging aggressive hot dog vendors and desperately trying to understand the rotating mural in the financial district. 90% curated, 10% actual reality â and a hefty chunk of carefully positioned beige throughout. Basically, they've essentially weaponised good taste. It is a highly effective, almost hypnotic, little sales pitch for what it wants you to believe about a place. --- Hereâs that unsettling sentence, just to prove I wasnât kidding around
