PARIS PARIS IS a collection of neighborhoods and, on certain streets, life goes on as if the neighborhood were a country village instead of part of a big city.

HONOLULU IT IS THE iconic image of the island of Oahu, perhaps of Hawaii itself: Diamond Head jutting majestically from the eastern curve of Waikiki Beach, like the prow of a clipper ship, rising above a swath of white sand and a forest of high-rises.

LANAI CITY, Hawaii THE OLD barge still perches forlornly on the reef, rusted to a hulk and assaulted by waves that send great plumes of froth up its prow.

MONTPELIER, Vt. TOM SLAYTON set out hoping to renew interest in Henry David Thoreau, using his feet and his pen.

TRENTON, N.J. WELCOME to Princeton University! Your first assignment is to take the year off.

BERLIN IN AN effort to spice up its cosmopolitan reputation and stress its trendiness, Germany’s capital has launched an image campaign centered around the English-phrased slogan “Be Berlin.

Minneapolis’ Riverfront District stretches along the northern edge of downtown, on both sides of the Mississippi River.

AS THE TRAM moves up the steep tracks of Artilleria Hill, I catch glimpses of Valparaiso and its port below.

MINNEAPOLIS WITH THE Mississippi River as a glimmering backdrop, the Wild Goose Chase Cloggers were kicking up their toes and heels to the accompaniment of the Yard Buzzard String Band — entertainment that would be considered niche if you were anywhere but in the upper Midwest.

QUIZZICAL looks often cross the faces of diners when they first peruse the menu at Restaurant Alma in Minneapolis.