I’ve been a nomad since the ’90s—back when it wasn’t a lifestyle brand, when the world was harder to crack open, more mysterious, and unfiltered by algorithms. I’ve seen cities in their rawest, most desperate phases, and those were the times they crackled with life: unpolished, chaotic, and alive with art, diversity, and human messiness.

• Medellín in ’93
• New York in ’86
• Barcelona in ’92, during its gritty revival

Today, most cities feel like corporate theme parks. A few still surprise me, but most are either overhyped or ignored. Here’s my personal hall of shame:

The Overrated

1. London If London were a person, it’d be the guy at the party who’s trying way too hard—all charm and no substance. Expensive, gray, and draining, with a food scene that’s either a tourist trap or a wallet-emptying ordeal. And don’t get me started on the transit. Midnight on a weekend? Fuggedaboutit. Where’s the 24/7 pulse? In Mexico City, you stumble out of a club at 3 a.m. and find tacos on every block. In London, you’re out by 11 p.m., wandering like a zombie, praying some pub is still serving chips.
2. Paris The most overrated city in what might be the most overrated country on Earth. They’ll argue all day about le café monsieur, but ask for a decent espresso and watch their faces fall. The French need to either commit to bad coffee or learn how to make it.
3. Toronto A beige, glass-and-condo mirage sold as a global city. It’s what happens when you take NYC’s skyline, strip it of grit and culture, and plop it next to a suburban sprawl. Compared to the real North American titans—Mexico City or New York—Toronto is a mall with pretensions. Yet Europeans still romanticize it like it’s some kind of urban paradise. I don’t get it.

This is my second year teaching, and I have a wonderful student in my class (this is D75). He is autistic but highly functional, and he’s 6 years old.

He’s a bright and kind child, but sometimes he says things like, “Don’t push me!” or “Don’t hit me.”

Yesterday, a para accidentally bumped into him. The other paras and I all saw it happen. He turned to her and said, “Hey, don’t hit me!” The para looked at me and mentioned that sometimes he accuses her of hitting him or pushing him—but it’s never true. I reassured her that I witnessed the whole thing: he bumped into her, not the other way around, and she didn’t even touch him.

He has also said to me "Hey you hit me!" and to other teachers who instantly tell him "I did not hit you, hitting is not ok"

I’m sharing this to protect myself and my paras. In my classroom, we have a strict rule about personal space and keeping hands to ourselves—we never hit or push students.

So I need to know how to respond to those instances so the child understand that tapping on the shoulder, or raising one's voice to get everyone's attention is not hitting or pushing.