Travel and Transportation: Words to Describe Places

At the Pittsburgh airport he discovered that Danville was 240 miles northeast, and not accessible by any public transportation other than a Greyhound bus. Song of Solomon

Fly to Marrakesh, an alluring city with a fascinating blend of cultures. The New York Times

The coastal city was shaped like an arc that grew thinner on both ends until the tips stabbed into the sea. Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky

We snaked our way among the merchants and the beggars, wandered through narrow alleys cramped with rows of tiny, tightly packed stalls. The Kite Runner

But I had fallen in love with the city—its creative energy, its mix of diverse cultures. How Dare the Sun Rise

Cities like New York or San Francisco, for example, are cultural centers and dynamic engines of economic growth that attract young workers to tech and finance jobs. The Wall Street Journal

After their wedding, Farmer had brought Didi to Paris because he thought that, like him, she would find the city the most enchanting in the world, and a comfortable and exciting place to live. Mountains Beyond Mountains

Fans visiting the exotic city of Kazan for next year’s World Cup will get to experience a little bit of everything: rich history, diverse culture, magnificent buildings — and even a beach. The Washington Times

Standing on Copp’s Hill—the highest point in the North End neighborhood—one could look down on hectic streets where hundreds of people wended their way with pushcarts and horse-drawn wagons. 1919 The Year That Changed America

For centuries Lisbon has been a gateway to the Mediterranean region: a majestic city built on seven hills, like Rome, tucked into the Tagus River estuary along Portugal’s coast. Architectural Digest

All the major European capitals—Berlin, London, Paris, Rome, Vienna—were metropolitan centers that gathered together the political, economic, and cultural energies of their respective populations in one place. Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation

The rest of the African areas were municipal townships containing matchbox houses for which the residents paid rent to the Johannesburg City Council. Long Walk to Freedom

Blocks away, where newly built mixed-income homes sat next to picturesque buildings like the gothic Church of the Advocate, built in 1887, was the direction the neighborhood wanted to go. The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

The town offers handsome, expensive residential neighborhoods, good schools, parks, golf courses, excellent day care for children. The Hot Zone

In rural areas, schools closed in the spring and fall and ran all summer long, so that children could help out in the busy planting and harvesting seasons. Outliers

Windsor, N.Y., population 833, is described by residents on Facebook as “that nice rustic town on the Susquehanna River.”

Ten years before the flames, I was born in the mountains, a scenic land of jewel-green fields, bamboo trees, and forests inhabited by gorillas, elephants, and chimpanzees. How Dare the Sun Rise

Kinshasa was a sprawling city of ten million, and if we headed west we’d be sure to hit some part of it. Endangered

I remember District 8, an ugly urban place stinking of industrial fumes, the people housed in run-down tenements. Catching Fire

After apartheid fell, my father moved from Hillbrow to Yeoville, a formerly quiet, residential neighborhood that had transformed into this vibrant melting pot of black and white and every other hue. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood