Describing Settings - Cities
As much as you love your characters like children, make sure you treat your setting like a home! Your setting is the home you provide to your characters. Cities are a special type of setting, it's developed and well worn. Cities are central hubs for civilization. A city can have just as much character as...well...the characters!
Transit - No matter where you are, characters will need a way to get around. Transit can say many things about a city. A well-developed city may have trains and tram lines, while smaller ones may only have busses. What about the quality of roads? Are they repaved often or full of cracks? What material; cobble roads in modern settings tells you that the city has a lot of history, but a dirt road says you're in the middle of nowhere. In other settings, cobble streets could mean you're in the capital and dirt roads are the norm!
The Smell - Every city has a smell, and I'm not just talking about litter or sewage. Cities close to the water may have an ocean breeze passing though, or maybe the smell of the mountains nearby. It could also correlate to common foods or trades. Not to mention different neighborhoods and districts. The area around factories may smell like grease and metal, but there could a large park that carries the scent of fruits and flowers. The smell of the city will change depending on what is there.
Districts - Get specific! Where in the city do your characters live? Where does the plot live? If your story is a nice part of town, maybe there's smooth sidewalks, or a marvelous view from someone's apartment. If not, maybe people have to worry about rodents crawling about, or slipping on litter. There're districts in cities so give each of them their own identity. If you travel from one part of the city to another, how does the environment change?
Sounds - Cities are usually pretty loud, but it can vary in how. Is there a lot of traffic? In a fantasy setting there may be the clopping of horse hooves or the clatter of a smith's hammer on an anvil. What about a train passing over someone's shitty apartment that, let's be honest, is probably way too close to the tracks to be legal. Then there's the people. If the city is uneasy, maybe people just whisper. If there's a festival, people sing and shout; the air alive with music!
Culture - I'll keep this short as culture deserves its own list one day. Cities are like mini nations and have their own cultural identities. This could be entirely unique, or a hodgepodge of the lands around it and those who trade there. Think about art, food, architecture, music, etc. These all contribute to the feel of the city.
