the city

Wellington is not a large city, by most standards; it contains about
400,000 people. But it has the atmosphere of a larger city. It is New
Zealand's capital, and so houses the headquarters of several of the
nation's businesses, or at least a significant presence. It boasts of
being the cultural capital as well, both for the high-brow arts such
as theatre and the bohemian cafe-and-nightlife scene.
Perhaps because it does such a passable impression of a much larger
city, or perhaps because it is forced to squeeze all of the central
city onto the flat coastal area or land taken from the bay, distance
is not what it seems in Wellington.
There are many places in town that offer a glimpse of almost the
entire city, or at least the entire central city. From the hills
ringing Wellington or a downtown office building you can see all the
way across, and "all the way across" seems like it should take some
time. But from our apartment, which is just past the southern edge of
what is considered Wellington proper, to the northern reaches of
downtown, marked by the train station, is only a 30-minute walk.
Even smaller distances are somehow deciving in their appearances. I
live perhaps 300 meters from the nation's War Memorial, which is
marked by a 50-meter-tall carrillion. Walking home, the tower looks
to be away off in the distance even from a few blocks away; then I
pass it, and almost immediately, it appears to be away off in the
distance behind me.
It's an odd sensation, although one Kirsten is tired of hearing me
talk about. It is also an interested facet of Wellington, one that
contributes to its pedestrian-friendly nature.