Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico

Some tools are so simple, yet so essential for keeping cities livable. No synthetics here, just a green, clean, sweeping machine. I wonder if he plays quidditch after work. [2007]

Abu Dhabi, UAE

If you can change oil into water, turning the desert green is no problem. But, first you must have oil, and Abu Dhabi does. Drip irrigation makes it possible to deliver precise amounts of water (and nutrients) to the root zone of each plant. We should be using it everywhere, not just in deserts. [1992]

Douglas, Isle of Man

Ever meet a three-legged Manxman? His three legs are on his cap, along with a classic race car, a palindrome that means money to the Manx. The three-legged emblem is called a triskelion, and it is seen everywhere on the Isle of Man. Race cars are seen everywhere on the Isle of Man, too. Always italicize race cars to make it look like they are racing. [2011]

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

Why does a town clock seem so out of place on the beach at Waikiki? People at leisure shouldn't be looking at any clock because every clock's subversive message is 'hurry up.' [2011]

Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

What's it say at the top? 'Aloha,' a Hawaiian word used to say hello and goodbye, the perfect inscription for a waterfront where cruise ships dock. The Aloha Tower is still the signature landmark of Honolulu's CBD, but the resorts have pulled the tourist trade out to Waikiki. [2011]

Detroit, Michigan, USA

Modernist architecture from the 1970s was meant to signal the rebirth of Detroit, so they chose the name Renaissance Center. Unfortunately, they built it like a fortress that existed apart from rather than a part of downtown. There is no doubt who 'owns' this city, is there? Whose signature is on the central tower? [2008]

Zagreb, Croatia

It's All Saints Day and these two look like saints to me. So, let's begin the most perpendicular of all months, 11/11, on the streets of Zagreb with two nuns who seem happy to be imitating the number eleven. I wonder if they are aware of what's coming on the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the eleventh year: the holiday of Perpendicularis Major. [2008]