The hottest City Guides Substack posts right now

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Is Singapore Boring?

From the New World • 172 implied HN points • 11 Mar 26
🏝 Travel City Guides
  1. Singapore is far from boring — it pairs graceful architecture, polite efficient service, and very high average food quality to feel like a polished, world-class city.
  2. Quality is created, not accidental: deliberate systems like open trade, competent governance, and incentives that reward standards produce consistently better products and services.
  3. Societies decline when elites fail to set or earn trust for high standards, and blaming technology or egalitarian ideas is often a scapegoat that hides the real problem of weakened standards and accountability.

The Vittles Guide to the UK's Chinatowns

Vittles • 166 implied HN points • 17 Feb 26
🍲 Food & Drink City Guides
  1. The guide covers Chinese restaurants across 11 UK cities and gives over 150 recommendations, with a subscriber-only map that pins 168 recommended spots.
  2. Chinatowns are evolving from single tourist hubs into many local, living neighbourhoods, and you can now find a wide range of regional Chinese cuisines across the country.
  3. Migration waves and student populations are reshaping menus — Hong Kong arrivals, mainland Chinese students and creative cooks are bringing back nostalgic dishes, new regional flavours, and inventive fusion spots.

Six of One - Myanmar Special

Vittles • 120 implied HN points • 30 Jan 26
🍲 Food & Drink City Guides
  1. Burmese food is becoming much easier to find in London now, thanks to many online Myanmar grocers, delivery and catering services, and a growing number of restaurants serving authentic dishes.
  2. Nway Oo Pokhara in Cricklewood stands out for its Mogok-style sticky rice noodles, fried platters and weekend Burmese spreads, and the owner plans chetty banana-leaf feasts and teashop-style all-day grazing with strong condensed-milk tea.
  3. Politics in the Myanmar diaspora shape dining choices, so many people check whether restaurants or chefs support the military before recommending or visiting them.

Brief impressions of Las Vegas and San Diego

Trevor Klee’s Newsletter • 149 implied HN points • 12 Jan 26
🏝 Travel City Guides
  1. Las Vegas is loud, theatrical, and driven by spectacle and gambling, which often masks poverty, decay, and a predatory vibe.
  2. The desert around Vegas reveals strange, decaying Americana — ghost towns, novelty attractions, and legal brothels — that show how boomtown ventures can quickly become abandoned or exploitative.
  3. San Diego felt relaxed, sunny, and functional with strong beach‑town vibes and family time, but it remains expensive and is only slowly shifting away from car‑centric, single‑family sprawl.

New York City part two

Tao Lin • 419 implied HN points • 31 May 24
🏝 Travel City Guides
  1. The author is currently in New York City and is sharing their experiences. They are eating turkey with one hand while typing with the other.
  2. They have been visiting Whole Foods frequently and enjoy the food available there. Whole Foods is a 16-minute walk from their location.
  3. The author mentions having trouble sleeping, leading them to get up and snack at an odd hour.
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All roads lead to home

Eclecticism: Reflections on literature, writing and life • 10 implied HN points • 15 Feb 26
🏝 Travel City Guides
  1. The Tube map shows stations but not real distances, so walking or taking a bus is often faster than changing lines; check a street or bus map and consider walking instead.
  2. The Thames is a big transport divider, so north‑of‑the‑river travel patterns feel different and routes across the river can be less direct.
  3. When journeys are disrupted, be flexible — there are usually lots of options (walk, use different stations or buses, wait in a nearby café or venue) and choosing among them can make travel quicker and more pleasant.

California Events

Bet On It • 75 implied HN points • 05 Dec 25
🏝 Travel City Guides
  1. He’ll be in California from December 7–16 and is doing a series of in-person meetups across the state in multiple cities.
  2. Several events are confirmed with specific dates, times, and venues — Los Angeles lunch on Dec 10 (Maria’s Italian Kitchen), Santa Barbara lunch on Dec 11 (12:30 PM at the UC Santa Barbara Faculty Club), San Francisco Q&A on Dec 13 (5–7 PM at Mox), and a Berkeley dinner on Dec 15 (Steve’s Korean BBQ); some gatherings ask for RSVP or prepayment.
  3. He’s traveling with his son, invites people to say hi if they spot them, and plans to visit Pinnacles National Park during the trip.

đź‘‹ Weekly dose of the "5 Coolest Things I've Found in Bangkok!"

Digest // Storefronts of Bangkok • 99 implied HN points • 28 Mar 24
🏝 Travel City Guides
  1. Stay up-to-date with the trendiest and most unique discoveries in Bangkok through a weekly digest.
  2. Exciting events in Bangkok include a Bruno Mars live performance, EDM Addicts Top 20 DJ & MC Awards Ceremony, and the Red Velvet party with techno and drum & bass fusion.
  3. Immerse yourself in the electronic music scene with events like Sathorn Klubnacht and Inakoma for a captivating experience.