I think that the biggest "shock" is that my city (Buffalo) is not a "mini-Detroit" with huge swaths of industrial decay, vacant homes, and urban prairie throughout the city limits, but that there has continuously existed a strong central core of wealthy, upper, and middle-class neighborhoods, many dating from the mid-19th century, that stretches continuously from downtown north past the city limits with dense, walkable, busy, architecturally significant, and human-scaled developments. Olmsted parks and parkways. Markets and old homes. And, still being built upon, with newer developments and repurposing of older industrial areas into residential and commercial uses.
Colonial Circle Afternoon by
bpawlik, on Flickr
IMG_0731 by
bpawlik, on Flickr
District Walk by
bpawlik, on Flickr
My Flickr Page of Buffalo neighborhood albums:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bpawlik/albums