This comment reminds me of a book by Italo Calvino. Probably my favorite of his. It's a collection of stories told by Marco Polo to Kublai Khan about cities in his domain. Somewhat fantastical, but strikes deep to the heart to transitory nature of cities and perception itself.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0156453800/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=...