Manhattan NYC, NY, USA

What to expect in... Manhattan NYC

9. Rough But Efficient Transit
The transit aint pretty, but it gets the job done.
With the cost of tolls and parking, you don't want to drive here.

8. Pizza Joints and Halal Food Stands
You can find New York thin crust pizza everywhere.
The streets are also filled with Middle-Eastern looking men at halal vendor stands selling gyros, pretzels, and kebabs.



7. The Roaring 20's
Manhattan's modern image was shaped during the 1920's. The most visible manifestation of this era is the unique Art Deco architecture.

6. Theaters
Broadway has many famous theaters for concerts, operas, and musicals.



5. Stock Exchanges
The NYSE and the Nasdaq help make Manhattan the land of the 1%!

4. A Microcosm of the World
Most nationalities are represented in Manhattan. This brings a great selection of food and a great opportunity to learn a second language.

3. Realness
New York feels genuine for some unexplainable reason. The people, the buildings, the culture... everything seems straightforward and practical.

2. Freedom and liberty
NYC is a worldwide symbol for American freedom. Two if the most famous landmarks are the Freedom Tower and the Statue of Liberty.

1. Icons
With its art, theaters, music, news, fashion, business... New York is probably the culture capital of the world (it's up there with London.) Just think how many movies, books, and songs have been written about New York City. People all over the world even wear clothes covered in NYC symbols.

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Las Vegas, NV, USA

                What to expect in... Las Vegas

9. Mormons

Mormons were among the first settlers of Las Vegas. How ironic.

8. Immigrant workers
This wouldn't be the Southwest if there weren't tons of Mexicans.



7. A Big Playground
This whole region of the US is a big playground for outdoor adventures.



6. Rock Lawns
Seeing that Vegas is a large city in the middle of a desert, there's not a lot of water for grass. And yet, somehow people get surprised when their water usage is limited.



5. 24/7
Residents are used to places being open late, even outside The Strip.



4. Shows
Vegas hosts all sorts of large concerts, performances, and conventions. This picture is of a concert with Calvin Harris - one of the many DJs who frequent the city. Also, The Killers come from Las Vegas. I think they deserve an honorable mention.



3. The Middle of Nowhere
Driving past Vegas, you see: nothing, a big city, and then nothing again. It seems kinda like a bad idea. And it's ugly in the daytime.



2. The Strip
The Strip is lined with world-famous casinos, many of which you've probably seen in famous movies like Ocean's 11.



1. Shady People
You name it, they do it. Didn't this happen somewhere in the Bible lol? I forget what happens.




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Bakersfield, CA, USA

               What to Expect in... Bakersfield

                                                               "Life as it should be"

8. Hot N' Nasty
Summer days can peak above 110 degrees. On the plus side, the winters aren't too cold.



7. Pitbulls
Many houses are guarded by cute pitbulls, rottweilers, and annoying chihuahuas.

6. Mexicans

Bakersfield is full of Mexicans, as is much of Southern California. Most importantly, they throw lots of parties with brinca brinca and cook lots of amazing food.

5. Evangelicals

Bakersfield is much more conservative and Christian than the rest of California. Mega (and mega-fun) churches are very popular. Poor Catholics - they never get left alone.

4. Drillers

Oil plays a major part of the economy.
The Bakersfield High School mascot is even a driller. "Once a driller, always a driller."

3. Trapped Air

Unfortunately, Bakersfield lies in a bowl of tall mountains that trap in the pollution.

2. The World's Most Valuable Farmland

If you're eating a carrot right now, there's probably a part of Bakersfield in you. Some people say this valley has the world's most productive farmland, which initially drew the Okies here during the Dust Bowl. Today, many residents work for Grimmway or Bolthouse Farms.

1. Explaining To People That Not All of 
California Looks Like This 
It Doesn't.

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Tokyo, Japan

What to Expect in... Tokyo

15. Baseball

Baseball might be a bigger deal here than in America. 

14. Old people

Japan has the highest life expectancy in the world and has few kids and few immigrants. The population is actually shrinking. Sounds like an economic disaster waiting to happen.

13. Sushi, sashimi, tonkatsu, and ramen

In Japan, food is an art.

Tokyo is always near the top of the list of cities with the best restaurants.

12. The toilet of the future

Sit back and let John do all the work. Some of the seats are heated, to, which is really relaxing.

11. Hello Kitty + friends

This is her kingdom. Respect the Kitty.

10. Karaoke

A common weekend activity is renting a small karaoke room with friends, complete with drinks and snacks.

9. Fashion

Walking around the shopping districts is like walking down a runway. These people are way into their looks.

8. Vending machines

They'll vend anything. It's really convenient having machines on the streets too.

7. A closed society

The Japanese are very protective of their traditions and culture. 

You can't work your way into being Japanese - you have to be born Japanese. 

6. Geeking out

Tokyo is the Mecca for video games, anime, and manga.

5. Wandering through the maze of train stations

Every train/metro station is an adventure. Don't expect any quick transfers. My first station was Shinjuku and I was completely overwhelmed stepping off the train.

Side note - ride the incredibly fast maglev train. It floats on magnets!

4. Being overwhelmed

Tokyo is flashy and insane, yet somehow chill. People are very polite and orderly and are certainly less pushy than the Chinese.

3. No crime (almost)

Can you really see any of these guys mugging you in a dark alley?

These people are incredibly polite and kind.

2. Men at work

The city is run by men in suits. They work extreme hours and often fall asleep on trains. Where are all the women? I think society expects them to stay at home.

Side note - Japanese businessmen are honest and don't try to rip you off like they do everywhere else. Japan has a fascinating business culture.

1. Being that awesome

Tokyo is everything I dreamed. 

I can overlook the outdated metro and the crappy public wifi.

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Seoul, South Korea

What to Expect in... Seoul

11. Spice, grease, and seafood

If you have acid reflux or don't like seafood, Seoul isn't for you.

Seoul isn't for me.

10. Shopping

Seoul has plenty of gigantic shopping malls and markets. The best part is that prices are relatively low in Korea. 

You won't be able to leave without 10 pairs of cute socks.

9. Paparazzi

The Koreans are fanatical about their K-pop and soap stars. They have some serious stalking issues.

8. The crazies next door

South Korea has a crazy dictator to the north who wants to take over the peninsula. You can take a quick trip to the border to see the standoff for yourself.

7. Cafes

I've never seen so many cafes in my life.

6. Not being lost in Asia for once

Not being lost in Asia is a huge deal. Getting around Seoul is cake because the transportation is incredible and everything is marked clearly. The public wifi is fast and easy to connect to, so you'll always have access to Google maps.

Side note - The trains are modern and the airport is a luxurious experience.

5. Nightlife

Seoul is notorious for its late-night parties. I recommend hanging around Hongdae at night to see the excitement.

4. Christianity 

Over a quarter of the population is Christian, which is a rarity in Asia.
They love their mega churches.

3. Fatigue

Koreans have among the longest work hours in the world. They're burnt out.

2. Out of this world, fashion

Really, their fashion needs to be kicked out of this world.

What the are they wearing and why are they wearing it?

1. The new Tokyo

Seoul is fighting with Tokyo to become Asia's capital of tech, fashion, music, and TV. Korea is a fairly recently developed country and has been the craze of Asian pop culture for some time now.

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