In Manhattan, the defining features of the grid are cast in luminous relief – the city ends up looking something like an abstract circuit board or the firing synapses in a model brain.
In San Francisco, the variegated terrain is highlighted against the backdrop of the bay, with key features like the Bay Bridge, Golden Gate Bridge, Transamerica Tower and other iconic pieces of architeture and infrastructure standing out against sections of gridded city.
In Las Vegas, The Strip is naturally the central element, its diverse but generally-tall and colorfully-lit structures forming a winding path (like an inverted canyon) through otherwise-flat and relatively-dark terrain on all sides, the oasis in a desert city.
