Do cities smell?
Quote from joe_haldeman most recent post:
I don't recall Venice smelling bad when I was there five years ago in July, though most old cities in Europe to me smell faintly of ancient sewage. (So does New York, to be fair.)
I remember one of Asimov's novels (maybe? I'm not really sure ...) where a character, after landing in a planet different than theirs, goes several paragraphs about the planet's smell. I also recall, maybe or maybe not from the same book, certain character complaining about the smell too; it had something to do with the natives being carnivore, or with the air pollution, or maybe with both.
Ever heard of this phenomenon, be it in fiction or real life? Ever been in a city you can say smells different than yours? Years ago, when Mexico City's pollution was worst (hard to believe, seeing how polluted it still is), you could smell it before you even saw the heavy, gray fog that surrounds the City -- and that, when inside of a plane over Mexico Valley, where it is located.
I remember noticing the sky, heat and light being different in other cities, too; but other than Mexico, I'd never noticed differences in smell
I don't recall Venice smelling bad when I was there five years ago in July, though most old cities in Europe to me smell faintly of ancient sewage. (So does New York, to be fair.)
I remember one of Asimov's novels (maybe? I'm not really sure ...) where a character, after landing in a planet different than theirs, goes several paragraphs about the planet's smell. I also recall, maybe or maybe not from the same book, certain character complaining about the smell too; it had something to do with the natives being carnivore, or with the air pollution, or maybe with both.
Ever heard of this phenomenon, be it in fiction or real life? Ever been in a city you can say smells different than yours? Years ago, when Mexico City's pollution was worst (hard to believe, seeing how polluted it still is), you could smell it before you even saw the heavy, gray fog that surrounds the City -- and that, when inside of a plane over Mexico Valley, where it is located.
I remember noticing the sky, heat and light being different in other cities, too; but other than Mexico, I'd never noticed differences in smell