One of the big benefits I’m experiencing while working and living in the US is the chance of travelling in many different American states.
During the past months I had the chance to travel around California, Arizona, Utah, Nevada, Luisiana and of course Texas.
I’ve seen many different towns and these are some of my considerations.
From the architectural point of view I would say the majority of the big cities develops in the same way. The central area is always dedicated to the business district, populated with many skyscrapers and tall buildings, few central streets crossing each other and forming a very regular grid.
Just outside of the business district, the vision of the one/two stores building is endless. Small houses and commercial buildings take turns regularly. The various neighbourhoods are divided from each other by large highways that split the city in different areas. Driving on these wide roads is almost unreal. The feeling is always to be in a video game. The same famous chains of fast food and restaurants keep alternating themselves. While driving is almost impossible to not have the sensation of always being in the same place, driving in a circle.
Tall advertising boards about food, hospitals, insurances and lawyers for car accidents are the only landscape added to the one of the buildings.
Here in Houston, one of the strange and typical countryside of the city also consists in a vast expanse of enormous oil and gas company, refineries and huge cylindrical petrol cisterns. Infinite pipes and tubes run all along this landscape, spot lights and tall towers with high flash fires are everywhere. I have to admit I’m always very fascinated by this particular view. All these constructions and industries have deeply modified the landscape and the city’s outfield and the result is an alien scenario, a non-human environment. Is really clear how Houston is the capital of the American energy.
