Welcome to the August 12, 2009 edition of the Carnival of Cities, where we tour the world in a single blog post through the eyes and words of contributing bloggers.

The focus is on any aspect of a single city (or a fair-sized town.)  Any blogger with a relevant post is welcome to submit a post for possible inclusion.

I’ve been running this blog carnival on and off since February 2007, often on the “host blog” (currently my BootsnAll Family Travel Logue) but like any carnival it moves around, and other bloggers take turns hosting.

Today I’m hosting it here on Sheila’s Guide so that my tourism and travel readers can see a wide variety of blogging topics and talent.

Off we go….

Chicago, Illinois, USA Meg Keough takes a stroll through Chicago – hot town, summer in the city. posted at Backpack to Buggy, saying, “While I bet there is a lot on the blogging conferences in Chicago, this is just about a walk through the city.” [Wonderful photos, Meg!]

San Francisco, California, USA CatSynth presents Wordless Wednesday: Bay Bridge from Pier 14 posted at CatSynth, saying, “We do a “wordless post” every Wednesday, and often feature images from our home city of San Francisco. Last week, we had a photo of the Bay Bridge at dusk. Enjoy!”

New York, New York, USA Amy Wong describes city kayaking adventures in Waiting to Wade posted at the Gotham Gazette.

San Rafael de Heredia, Costa Rica Marina K. Villatoro says We Love Local Fairs – Photo Friday posted at The Travel Expert(a), about a local fair near where she lives.

Washington, DC, USA Blake Johnson gives his impressions of a well-known DC restaurant in Equinox: Fully-Vested posted at Food for Thought…, saying, “Review of the culinary odds and ends of one of Washington D.C.’s most popular eateries.”

Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA Tim Leffel writes a beautifully descriptive story about Secret Cities and Atomic Tourism posted at Perceptive Travel, (with a little about Albuquerque and Los Alamos, New Mexico mixed into the fascinating narrative.)

Vail, Colorado, USA Kara Williams presents Top Ten Things to Do in Vail this Summer posted at Traveling Mamas.

Chicago, Illinois, USA Tony Cookson asks his readers What attracts you to Chicago? in a poll (results here) and then lists some fun Windy City activities in his post on This Young Economist.

Washington, DC, USA Ellen Perlman tells us how to Join a group hike in Rock Creek Park and find plenty of company posted at Boldly Go Solo.

Detroit, Michigan, USA Silicon Valley Blogger presents Detroit House vs Parking Spot: A Real Estate Market Conundrum posted at The Digerati Life, describing extraordinary real estate deals in suffering Detroit.

San Francisco, California, USA LiLing Pang describes her Top 10 Destination Playgrounds in San Francisco Bay Area posted at Trekaroo, saying, “The San Francisco Bay Area has so much to offer, but one thing that traveling families often miss are some of the best playgrounds in the country. Here are some within driving distance of San Francisco.”

San Jose, Costa Rica Henry presents Finding Freedom: Catedral Metropolitana, Mercado Central, Teatro Nacional posted at Finding Freedom, saying, “In the spring of 2009, I backpacked through Costa Rica. I spent several days in San Jose, the capital city. It’s a wonderfully vibrant city with friendly residents and architectural jewels, if you know where to look. In this article, I visit several must-see spots in San Jose.”

Tupelo, Mississippi, USA Apryl Chapman Thomas heads south in Travelin’ to Tupelo, Mississippi posted at Southern Byways.

Washington, DC, USA Jon finds Washington, DC’s Constitution Gardens – Dedicated to the Signers of the Declaration of Independence posted at The DC Traveler, saying, “This often missed memorial and garden on the National Mall in honors the original 56 signers of The Declaration of Independence.”

Cities in Europe

Nizhny Novgorod, Russia lena gives us some history and a video in 3 Facts: Nizhny Novgorod posted at The Colors Magazine.

The Hague, the Netherlands Happy Hotelier presents Feed People to the Pigs – A Mirror for the Pork Eaters among us! posted at Happy Hotelier, saying, “A cultural destination in my city The Hague…a bit morbid maybe, but it provokes a bit of thinking out the box.” [It certainly does give new human meaning to "a piece of meat."]

Paris, France Andi shows you how to eat way up inside the Eiffel Tower in 58 Tour Eiffel – dining with a view posted at Misadventures with Andi [C an't beat having Paris beneath your feet!]

Florence, Italy Liz Wright has to eat all of that great Italian food to research Recommended Restaurants in Florence: Steering Clear of the Tourist Traps posted at Travelogged.

Preston, Lancashire, United Kingdom River presents Preston Youth – Fight For Jobs! posted at River’s Edge, saying, “Teens from Preston doing something positive about mass youth unemployment.”

Madrid, Spain Mick Hart presents Best Places To Visit And Where To Eat Out In Madrid Spain posted at Globe Cheap Travel.

Turin, Italy Madeline Jhawar presents Best Local Hotspots in Turin posted at Italy: Beyond the Obvious, saying, “Going to Turin and need ideas for where to eat lunch or dinner, have a drink, a gelato or a hot chocolate? Here’s a list of locals’ favorites.”

Cities in Asia

Tokyo, Japan oneyeartrip.com knows about Top 10 Offbeat Things to Do in Tokyo posted at one.year.trip, saying, “Top 10 things to do in Tokyo, Japan, that you may not have thought of.” [I can vouch for Nakano Broadway for quirky shopping finds.]

Xi’An, China ChinaBlog.cc presents Xi’An: “Capital” of China posted at ChinaBlog.cc, describing “Xi’An, one of the most ancient cites in China” [and home to the famous Terracotta Soldiers.]

Bangkok, Thailand Amy @ The Q Family has some Tips to Beat Bangkok Heat posted at The Q Family Adventures Travel Blog.

Indore, India Surbhi Bhatia presents Indore: M P’s Commercial Capital posted at The Viewspaper.

Ebina, Japan Tony Alexander has travel and sake tips in The Soul of Japan: Izumibashi of Ebina, Kanagawa posted at The Soul of Japan, saying, “My favorite city.”

That concludes this edition, and thanks very much for visiting Sheila’s Guide.

Submit your (one, non-spammy) blog post about any aspect of any SINGLE city to the next edition of the Carnival of Cities using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.