John: Hey!
Nora: Hey!
John: I see you’re reading travel brochures. Planning a holiday trip somewhere?
Nora: Once the warms up. I get itchy feet. I think about going places.
John: Will this be a trip abroad or some excursion close to home?
Nora: Two tours are offered in May: one to big American cities; one to Europe.
John: Are these whirlwind tours that allow you a few hours in each place?
Nora: Oh, no, no, they’re both three-week three-city tours, with a week in each city.
John: That’s more like it. You can look around and not feel rushed. What cities?
Nora: I can’t make up my mind: London, Paris and Rome or New York, San…?
John: Stop there. Europe’s more interesting. America’s OK, but it’s all the same.
Nora: You didn’t let me finish. San Francisco and Chicago, a modern metropolis1.
John: Big U.S. cities are so much alike. European cities differ from one anther.
Nora: Yeah, like, they’re in different countries.
John: There are other differences in languages, architecture, food, and customs.
Nora: All right. You convinced me. They say variety’s the spice of life. Variety, here I come.