Undoubtedly one of the greatest cities in the world, in London we focussed on checking out artwork, markets, and unique uses of compact urban spaces. Highlights: the Leake Street Arches, Brick Lane, plus galleries like the Tate Modern, MOCO, and the National Portrait Gallery; Borough Market in Southwark and Portobello Road Market in Notting Hill; and finally, just wandering neighbourhoods like Soho and the West End. 

We had a fantastic experience in the Irish capital! Our key take-aways were understanding the significance of having an established and well-known social culture, specifically the many welcoming pubs in the city, and recognizing the growing pains involved in building a modern urban centre in a location with many historic buildings.

Along with taking in the Taylor Swift Eras Tour in the Portuguese capital, we wandered the neighbourhoods of the city to look for unique examples of how to build community in urban spaces. Our favourite part? The ‘kiosk culture’ of the city, which activates parks and plazas by having food, drink and seating available. Simple but effective!

We visited Halifax to check out murals in the city, eat seafood, and take notes on what has made the pedestrian-friendly Argyle Street a successful part of the downtown core. 

Cincinnati is underrated! We visited for the incredible Blink festival, which features artists painting murals & showcasing remarkable light installations. Beyond this, the Over-the-Rhine neighbourhood is a real gem, including the long-standing Findlay Market.

The lovely, watery Swedish capital is an enjoyable place to wander, but one of the most intriguing parts of the city is actually underground – there are stunning murals in many of the subway stations! After seeing this in-person, we started to think more directly about the significance of artwork in transit settings, where residents and visitors come and go from a city.

Perhaps our favourite city, we visited Copenhagen in May & absolutely loved being there! Tough to beat a place where you can rent a small boat, cruise the canals & enjoy a glass of wine and snacks in the process. The city is well-configured for walking and cycling, and there are so many special spots to visit, including the Round Tower, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, and Church of Our Saviour, which features a staircase on the outside of the spire offering incredible views. 

In Oslo, we had many memorable experiences, including visiting the beautiful Munch Museum as well as the Opera House, a stunning example of modern architecture by the central harbour. This is also where we leaned into exploring by alternative transit, specifically electric scooters. We covered much of Oslo by riding scooters at night, finding artwork and gelato shops along the way! 

We visited the west coast in order to experience the Vancouver Mural Festival. Dozens of artists have added artwork to the city over the years, and there are lots of stunning pieces! Additionally, we took electric scooters around Stanley Park & went whale-watching, too. Key ideas: build tourism experiences based on natural surroundings and utilize artwork to activate hidden corners of urban environments.  

Easy to love present-day Detroit, now an example of how grit and determination can help to rebuild a failed city. Concentrating sports and arts venues downtown, attracting people to live in the core, and developing a steady schedule of interesting events – all of these moves have helped to revive this once-mighty industrial powerhouse. Car dependency emanated from here, including suburbanization and the growth of malls, but new transit options and elevating neighbourhood profiles have helped markedly. Also, we love visiting the Detroit Institute of Arts, especially to view the ‘Detroit Industry Murals’ by artist Diego Rivera. 

We visited Montréal back in 2022 specifically for MURAL, the famous art festival held each June. Joining one of the mural tours during the event, we gained a deeper understanding of how to engage visitors by making the connection between the artwork and sense of place. Also, hard to resist the great coffee, food and architecture that can be discovered just by wandering in Old Montréal. 

In Amsterdam, we stayed in De Pijp, one of the most enjoyable neighbourhoods in the city full of restaurants, cafés and the famous Albert Cuypmarkt – all of this is also very close to the Museum Quarter, which features the impressive Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Gallery. We picked up a number of ideas here, including the simple concept of setting out easels, canvasses and art supplies and simply inviting people outside to paint. The cycling infrastructure in Amsterdam is obviously next level – we have a long way to go in North America.

We visited Paris in fall 2022 as the world started to emerge from the COVID years. Along with essential stops at the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, and Musée d’Orsay, we noted the emphasis on reclaiming space from cars, most notably in the addition of cycling infrastructure and the adaptation of areas along the Seine River. Great cities continuously evolve and adapt. 

We took a quick side trip to this Belgian city, as we were told about the impressive collection of murals and overall beauty of the place. What really connected with us, though, is the famous Graffiti Alley, where the walls are open to muralists and graffiti writers. There are similar spaces in North America, notably in Toronto, and in the UK, like the Leake Street Arches in London – this has led us to imagine how to establish such spots in smaller cities and towns. 

Similar to visiting the Munch Museum in Oslo, we enjoyed the Magritte Museum, underscoring how effectively a city can become identified with a leading artist. Perhaps this is something that should be considered more frequently in North America to help define arts and culture city-by-city. Beyond this, we loved the Grand-Place, one of the most stunning settings in Europe.