Imagine a City: A Pilot’s Love Letter to the World’s Greatest Cities

by Mark Vanhoenacker

A pilot's love letter to the world's greatest cities from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Skyfaring


'A journey around both the author's mind and the planet's great cities that leaves us energised, open to new experiences and ready to return more hopefully to our lives' ALAIN DE BOTTON

Growing up in his small hometown, Mark Vanhoenacker spun the illuminated globe in his bedroom and dreamt of elsewhere - of distant, real cities, and a perfect metropolis that existed only in his imagination.

Now, as a commercial airline pilot, Mark has spent more than two decades crossing the skies of our planet and touching down in the cities he'd always longed to see. Imagine a City celebrates the metropolises he has come to know and love through the lens of the hometown his heart has never left. From the sweeping roads of Los Angeles and the old gates of Jeddah to the intricate, dream-inspired plan of Brasília, he shows us with warmth and fresh eyes the extraordinary places that billions of us call home.

'Vanhoenacker... has a near-bottomless appetite for fresh sights and guidebook curiosities... Intimate and thoughtful' PICO IYER, AIR MAIL

'A love letter to the cities he's returned to again and again... Vanhoenacker captivates when describing the silent beauty of a world glimpsed from above' Washington Post

'Eloquent... A love song to cities the world over' Wall Street Journal

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Memoir, Aviation, Biography, Biography Memoir, Audiobook

416 pages, Paperback

First published June 5, 2022

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Vanhoenacker has a really lyrical, evocative way of writing. I adored Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot, and some of the magic of that book can be found here as well. There's a long section in the middle about Kuwait, and it was so immersive and fascinating that I was ready to hop on a plane to see Kuwait City for myself (deadly heat and all). Likewise, the chapter about Cape Town and the gorgeous passages about the author's obsession with the color blue (one I share to a certain extent) transported me and sparked an intense Fernweh> - even though I was actually already far from home when I read them. The travel bug can apparently hit even you're already traveling.

This book is much more of a personal memoir than his previous one, and he also writes with gentle affection about his hometown of Pittsfield and all the beauties and difficulties of growing up there. My problem is that I'm very susceptible to melancholy, so these parts made me quite pensive and often straight-up sad. I wasn't entirely emotionally prepared for this, so I didn't totally enjoy the book as much as I thought I would. This is not at all a criticism of the book itself, though, which is lovely. I will continue to read anything that Mark Vanhoenacker writes.

[Sophy H · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is another one that I'm leaving unfinished.

The book is not bad or poorly written but it's just overly repetitive and far too long. I'm leaving it at around the page 150 mark; there are over 350 pages pretty much detailing the same thing- cities the author has visited, reminiscences of childhood in Pittsfield, cities at night, layouts of cities, hotel rooms in cities, you get the gist. I just don't have the energy or enthusiasm to make it through another 150 pages of the same.

[R Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very impressive. Those who read Skyfaring, and were fascinated by Vanhoenacker's ability to describe the science of flying in an almost poetic manner, will recognize the the same craft in Imagine a City. However, Vanhoenacker has brought his craft to a new level. He has successfully combined aspects of a travel log, a deeply personal memoir, as well as literary commentary. It is a mesmerizing tour of a few of the countless cities that Vanhoenacker has visited, informed by the aspirations of his youth. Whatever Vanhoenacker is doing: flying a plane, wandering a new city, or returning to his beloved hometown of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA, he is collecting memories and observations that inform his ever broadening and curious view of the world. The book can be read one section at a time, almost a series of separate essays. Or you may be drawn in, finding it difficult to put down, anticipating the next city Vanhoenacker's plane will land. I look forward to reading it a second time.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you ever wanted a friend who was a long-hail pilot and kept a thoughtful blog about his perspectives on the cities he frequents, then this will sate you. It lacks a bit of literary cohesion, but runs plentiful in personal charm.

[Matt Jadro · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an exquisitely written love letter to the worlds major cities that Vanhoenacker visited constantly throughout his career as a commercial pilot. Although thoughtful and intellectually written, full of cultural references, personal preferences, and historical happenings in the areas described, the story is written in very “plane” (punny) prose and in most instances feels incredibly dry.

I am an avid globetrotter with expressed interest in the cities he reviews that I haven’t been to and with personal nostalgia of cities that I have, but even still I don’t think the average reader would find much value within these pages unless, of course, they, too, were a pilot and could more easily relate to this unique experience. I recommend neither reading nor avoidance. 3 stars.

[Preyoshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely sublime read, one to be relished slowly. May end up becoming my favourite read of the year.

[Lilisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book immensely. It was a lovely blend of so many facets and dimensions. It’s about what it’s like to be a pilot, the author’s childhood dreams of far away cities, his personal story as a kid and as an adult, and how his passion for flying, travel, and experiencing the wonders of cities is being realized everyday. I loved the way he put into words his personal thoughts and feelings, as well as described so eloquently what the cities he has visited, many several times, mean to him. He shares the unique characteristics of each of the cities he gives space to. Deploying literary quotes, history, science, culture, geography, and so much more, he brought each city to life with a vibrancy so vivid. Brasilia, Jeddah, London, Sapporo, New Delhi, Cape Town are just some of the cities that readers learn more about - from his vantage point. I especially enjoyed the section about his train rides and wandering in Japan - that section gave me a snapshot of Japan culturally. And, of course, one cannot leave out his love for his hometown of Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Although he now lives in London, he keeps returning to Pittsfield where he first dreamed of far away cities in his bedroom on the second floor of the house he called home. I listened to this book and it was a lovely experience. Some day I’ll get a print version and re-read it.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written story of wanderlust paired with a deep devotion to the magic that can only be found in a hometown. Initially expecting it to be a tale of a pilot's journey told through a cockpit, this story was told through the lens of an individual who is never in city long enough to call it home, but returns again and again over the years, able to see the changes over time, like childhood friends reuniting periodically throughout life. Mark coined one of my new favorite terms, "place-lag" which, much like jet lag, is the unreal sense that one gets from travelling long distances, especially via air, when you are in one city in the morning, and an entirely different one come evening time.

And for a favorite quote from the book, "Or perhaps I was reminded....not only that I'd definitely grown up, but also that there's been no obvious moment to mark this transition, whenever it had happened. There'd only been hours and days in which I'd done some things, and not others; hours and days nearly like those that came before, and nearly like those that followed."

[David Strawbridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

If there was the ability to rate this book higher, I most certainly would. Mr. Vanhoenacker is a brilliant writer and his ability to weave a story is nothing short of masterful. While reading Skyfaring, I recall thinking of his ability to put into words many of the thoughts I’ve had of both flying and the world around while looking out the flight deck windows. In Imagine a City, he takes it to yet another level by describing the world around and his experiences within it while on the ground. This job is so unique to allow me to explore the world while at work, and this book describes it so well.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoughtful and meditative book, best read one chapter per sitting, I decided. The author's expansive mind, curiosity, and skills are impressive. I'd feel very safe as a passenger in a plane he's piloting and he also comes across as an enjoyable colleague or dinner companion. I do wish he had acknowledged how much security and privilege his city wanderings enjoy due to his white maleness. Writing about Jeddah and Kuwait without reference to the subjugation of migrant workers and women seemed a glaring omission.

This book also stirred up a great deal of thoughts about my own relationship with travel and its sudden cessation. I had 18 years of good fortune to visit several of the cities included in this book and many other remarkable ones too. At the time, I only lightly considered the shallowness of my visits to these places or the climate and ethical considerations of long-haul travel, which are likewise only lightly addressed in this book. While the pilot continues his global circumnavigations, I ponder what to make of my new reality as a traveler of mostly the armchair variety.

[David Gramley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel as though I have traveled to the great cities of the world, courtesy of Mark Vanhoenacker. He has traveled to many great cities as a 747 pilot, and from his lifelong love for cities, and poetry, he has described these in his own terms. The City of Blue is not a Foders guide to Cape Town, but instead it’s about the blues of the air and the water, and the trains and planes and boats in the city. There is a city of Snow, a City of Circles, of Dreams, of Signs, and many more. He tells of friends, of cafes, of history, of present day, and is often relating back to Pittsfield, the city of his youth. I found the book slow to start, but as I caught up with his writing style, the book became more and more enjoyable.

[Charlotte Strem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine a child who stares at a globe and wonders what it is like in cities around the world...and then he grows up and becomes a pilot and DOES explore those cities and shares it with you. Imagine a child with a curious mind who is fascinated by science (why do we love the color blue?) and history and who shares his love of home (Pittsfield, MA) and his love of travel. Quirky mix of eloquence, oddball details, and heartrending insights. I loved it.

[Fin · Rating 3 out of 5]

i enjoyed this but it became too repetitive going on about London & his tiny hometown in US. I also found it lacking in emotion despite the fact it speaks copiously about family & friends. It also fails in its premise of describing his personal utopian city

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is delightful. The author sees cities in disparate and varied ways, all interesting. Interwoven with the exploration of cities is the author's exploration of self as he grows and learns and fully engages his own life. Highly recommended.

[Pword313 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most mesmerizing books I’ve ever read. A wide-eyed, melancholic journey around the world and through the centuries ends in the exact room where the story begins. The Notes are an amazing read also.

[Steven Beningo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting mix of the author’s discussion of many cities that he has visited as a pilot interspersed with memories of his growing up in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

[Joanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vanhoenacker is a long-haul commercial pilot who's visited many of the big cities in the world. This is really his memoir, told via his experiences in each of those cities.

Probably great if you love cities and reading about the growing up of a quiet gay kid.

[divsmath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Architecture and aviation are professions notorious for jargon and rather poor (or dry, at best) writing. Vanhoenacker manages to write about both in approachable, self-reflective and lyrical terms. A slow read to savor.

[Tom]

A new book by the commercial airline pilot Mark Vanhoenacker (Skyfaring), about his childhood in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and his travels to cities around the world. This one is less about flying, and more about thematically grouped experiences of world cities. I generally enjoy this genre of personal travelogue - and this one definitely had its highlights… but again, like a long flight.. can get a little tedious over time. Took me about two months to finish. I did definitely enjoy the parts about Boston, Brasília, Erbil, Cape Town, and Japan (Sapporo and Tokyo). And I liked seeing shoutouts to Wendell Berry and Haruki Murakami! Some highlights:

“as I get older, I’m astonished by the ever-intensifying power of the world’s cities—including some of the largest metropolises on Earth, and many of those most foreign to me—to return my thoughts and my heart to my small hometown.”

“When I was young, my measure of a city’s greatness was based on its skyline, as straightforwardly as if all the world’s towers were bars on a graph. Indeed, as an adult, when I first traveled to a number of European cities, I was bewildered by the comparative absence of skyscrapers; it had never occurred to me that any city’s inhabitants might embrace such a shortcoming.”

“Boston, our nearest big city and the state capital, is where my parents met. It’s around two and a half hours east of Pittsfield… From its observation deck you can look east toward Boston’s airport and listen to a radio tuned to the voices of the pilots flying to and from it. Boston, then. I’ll start in Boston.”

“As I wait at a light at the corner of Dartmouth Street and Huntington Avenue I look across to the public library, toward its reverential inscriptions—the public library of the City of Boston · built by the people and dedicated to the advancement of learning a.d. mdccclxxxviii—and its heavy black sconces, so suggestive of a medieval weapon or a crown. Do I love Boston?… “The City on a Hill” aside, I’m not moved by Boston’s epithets (the “Athens of America” is somehow both immodest and lacking in confidence, while chief among the problems with “Hub of the Universe” is that it seems improbable).”

“Whatever its story, it’s this curious Boston sign for New York that I’ll think of when I first encounter the term control city, used by transportation engineers for the city on a sign that indicates the direction of a road. On a long road the control city changes as you move along it, a process that continues until the road ends, either at the junction with another road, or upon its arrival in the final control city.”

“the principles of the signs that direct American motorists are described in the federal document known as the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. For example, in Section 1A. 02: “Principles of Traffic Control Devices,” we learn that: To be effective, a traffic control device should meet five basic requirements: A. Fulfill a need; B. Command attention; C. Convey a clear, simple meaning; D. Command respect from road users; and E. Give adequate time for proper response.”

“Interstate 90 is a road anyone from Massachusetts might think they know well. It’s a long road, however—indeed, it’s the longest of America’s interstates—and its Midwestern miles are all new to me.”

“James Holston, author of The Modernist City, a fascinating book about Brasília, describes the city as “the most complete example ever constructed” of modernist architecture and planning, and an echo, at least, of Le Corbusier’s vision for idealized cities.”

“Melville spent years on the ocean, then others in the quiet of Pittsfield—where he wrote, in one of the low, creaky rooms that tour guides have led me through on several school trips, that “I have a sort of sea-feeling here in the country, now that the ground is all covered with snow”—but he was no stranger to large cities. He was born in New York and died there, too. In between he traveled widely, and wrote easily about Liverpool; Rome; the gate through which pilgrims left Cairo for Mecca; and “the Parthenon uplifted on its rock first challenging the view on the approach to Athens.””

“I’d love to share much more with them: maybe that when I first studied Japanese, the Japanese-born teachers I encountered in New England often compared the landscape and weather of Massachusetts to that of Hokkaido. Or I could find Pittsfield on a map on my phone and maybe mention Melville—Moby-Dick being well known in Japan—and the Japanese-timbered masts of the Pequod. With the classical recordings on their shelves in mind, I could tell them about Tanglewood, the music festival in the town next to Pittsfield, where I worked in the music shop and beer stands for a number of high school and college summers. Tanglewood, too, is well known in Japan, thanks in part to Seiji Ozawa, the music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra for many years; I could maybe share how a high school friend and I once snuck into an after-hours Tanglewood party and ended up in a conga line a few places behind the man we’d been instructed to address always as “Maestro.” On this snowy day I could even use my phone to show them the Norman Rockwell print that Kathleen, one of my Berkshire aunts, kept above her Pittsfield mantelpiece, the one that depicts winter in the nearby town of Stockbridge, and that looked all the better in the light of her Christmas tree. But I can’t say any of this in Japanese, and my phone is almost out of power, so I pour another plastic pot of creamer into my coffee and swirl away as I look up at their faces and nod along to words that I can’t always follow.”

— Imagine a City: A Pilot's Journey Across the Urban World by Mark Vanhoenacker
https://a.co/cNRSa5Z

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author's lovely lyrical style (which I first read in Skyfaring) is still absolutely in evidence, and the descriptions of cities -- especially the ones I knew -- still beautiful. But I found that unlike Skyfaring the narrative structure was amorphous and a bit disorganized, and the thematic collections of cities in each chapter to be weakly linked.

[Kin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I listened to audiobook but couldn’t finish the book. I just got lost and couldn’t follow the references back to pittsfield.
I hoped for more details about city he’s travelling to but it just didn’t get it.

[Renée · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could not get through this. The author has wonderful stories to tell but they didn’t all have to be in the same book, or attempted to weave into one chapter- repeatedly.

[Ethan Kadet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book because I wanted to learn more about the differences between cities around the world. The perspective of a pilot was unique because most of his visits are only for a couple nights, but there are certain places that he ends up flying into multiple times a year. I read it more as a bunch of short stories and didn't fully get the connection between some of the different sections. Still, I like how he was centered in Pittsfield throughout the book and hadn't thought about how stayed connected to his hometown latitude in cities on other continents.

The way he wrote the final chapter on the train system in Japan was really fun. I've never been on a circular train route before and would probably do the same thing that he did where he gets on the wrong direction and ends up going the entire way around. I think everyone thinks about their imagined city at some point and I definitely have over the past couple years as I have gotten to spend time in different places.

My city would have an awesome train system that lets you see the city while you are riding. The only issue would be that trains don't look so pretty which is probably why they are usually underground... which means you then couldn't see anything when you're riding.

[Mark Frangia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wonderful collection of very personal short stories takes the reader from small-town America across the globe as Mark's career in aviation literally takes off from his front-row seat in the cockpit of a major international airline. With flashbacks to episodes in his childhood in Pennsylvania, every other chapter explores a divergent global destination and culture as seen through Mark's eyes during first-time and subsequent visits. Being fascinated by the color blue, the author compares its varying shades as he soars through the skies at all hours of the day and night, and adds to his palette the vibrancy and colors of life on the ground in exotic destinations.
This is a thoroughly enjoyable read which shares the author's optimism and joy of travel and life with active or armchair traveler alike.

[Carianne Carleo-Evangelist · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really intriguing travel book, Vanhoenacker is a pilot who drew thematic parallels-from snow to poetry and colors to urban design- between his hometown of Pittsfield, MA and the cities to which his career took him. At the same time we learn about his connections with these places and how they changed as he changed; facing his speech impediment and accepting who he was as a gay man. With frequent references to his childhood home, a visit there was the perfect coda as he saw how the house changed in tandem with the ways he had. Especially appreciated the chapters on color, the blue of South Africa's Capetown and Jeddah's development as a cultural hub yet tying it to that of Egypt which he'd flown over. An excellent read.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Vanhoenacker observes the world he so joyously inhabits with tenderness, candor and a love of language (together with a love of coffee, and quirky signage). He allows you to stand shoulder to shoulder with him as he explores himself, the profession (piloting) he so obviously loves and the places and experiences his profession has allowed him to explore. From the Yamanote (subway) line of Tokyo to the hills around his Berkshire home town, Vanhoenacker opens up worlds of delight with his keen eye, his elegant prose and his nuanced appreciation of cultures not his own. I've travelled widely myself- but with Mark Vanhoenacker as my guide the world is an even brighter place.

[Kun Xu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really like the writing style, it just like the author put the different cities that he flights to or travels to within same themes. Following his traveling steps I can see the new cities with inspiration and old cities with different angle views. Very interesting!

And most importantly the author inwoven with his personal life’s experiences and memories in the book. From his young age to his adulthood, very happy to see he went through his bewilderment teenage years to warm hearted man. It’s so touching that all the people he encountered in his hometown are so nice! Maybe that’s why he’s a sensitive person with observation skills, empathy and respect.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

In “Imagine A City,” Mark Vanhoenacker takes the reader on a journey. Infusing his experiences in each of the cities he describes, he makes it easy for the reader to imagine a city they may have never visited. Written from the heart, without being treacly, Vanhoenacker becomes rhapsodic in a few of his city descriptions. The Kuwait one is lyrical and memorable. His description of Sapporo does get a little lost in what feels a bit like a language lecture in one of the book’s near missteps. Otherwise this is a delightful read.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

(4.5)

This is really more of a four star, but I’m gonna be generous and round up because it speaks my language. Could totally see people finding this dry or pointless, but it found me in a complementary headspace. Lately I’ve been thinking about returning to my former peripatetic lifestyle and remaining in perpetual motion for the rest of my life. If I ever wrote memoirs, there is a version of them that would look something like this, just more emo, self-indulgent, and annoying.

[Stephen Laird · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started slow for me, but I grew more acquainted with the author’s writing style as the book went on. Certain parts resonated with me more than others, but large portions of the book seemed to rabbit-trail down into way more detail than I could find interesting unfortunately.

Fittingly, this book traveled with me to at least four different countries over the months I read it. Probably a 3.5/5 if I could award it that.