“To the city goes excess: where our primordial drives have full reign to unveil their carnal selves.”
Far removed from nature as we conceptualize it, lies cityscapes which show humanity’s ingenuity to redefine and design landscapes to serve purposes we see as fit for human society, be it the sprawling concrete jungles of Asia or the historical centres of Europe.
Just like landscapes, cityscapes have two personalities: the day and night, which serve as a marked contrast in terms of what creatures come out and what role the environment plays. For most of us, we labor in the day to enjoy our leisure in the evening.
Like human personalities, the city in the daytime reveals its persona, the view it tries to craft of itself; in the night, all the other elements come to play — and it is at night you can really get to know a city and its people in terms of what they eat, how much they drink, and what is the next spot we’re heading to?
Some cities turn eerily quiet at night, like a Zurich or a Venice, while others are bustling like a Cairo or Istanbul, where noise pollution has been linked to multiple deaths.
Zurich, Vienna, and Oslo have the distinction of being the quietest major cities in the world, while at the opposite end Guangzhou, Delhi, and Cairo are the loudest.
In the evening, East Asia is infamous for its elaborate room salons and high-end lounges residing underneath corporate basements while America and Europe are more renown for their rooftop digs.
Hotel-wise, Bangkok offers some of the most stunning views from its contemporary pool decks and sky lounges.
Though I enjoy marveling at the tranquil views of a city in the day, it is at night where the memories are made and humanity’s chaos is at its finest.
So cheers to the night!