In Invisible Cities, however, there is no Rustichello, only Polo, who enchants the Great Khan with tales of his travels to cities at the furthest reaches of the emperor's realm – thin cities, trading cities, continuous cities, hidden cities.
By midafternoon Sunday, the racks had thinned, the city slickers disappearing until the next ride.
Beyond the debate it has triggered about tenants' rights and power-mad co-op boards, the Pullman case serves as a reminder of how one person can affect dozens of lives simply by becoming a neighbor -- and of how compromise is so essential to existence in this thin-skinned city of eight million.
Health services have been overwhelmed with the injured, law enforcement spread thin, and cities and States outside of the targeted areas struggling to manage the displaced and panicked masses.
Younger people have the soft, thin fingers of city dwellers.
And facing them in Thimphu's thin air (the city's altitude is 7,710 feet) could provide a crucial advantage.
While trying to acclimatise to Addis's thin air – the city sits at 2,400m – I embark on a culinary tour.
The traffic, bumper to bumper in the city, thins out.
Against the odds, the deal keeps San Francisco in the thin ranks of cities with two competing dailies.
"But if only the big, rich companies can afford to stay, that thins out the city's economic base and leaves it vulnerable in the long term".
