That's it exactly. The innermost core of any city is more likely to reflect its actual origins than are subsequent rings. I suppose every generation witnessing a new ring decries the newness or tone-deafness or blandness of it compared to the heart of their town, and yet those Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian rings (which we actually have analogs for in older US cities) today do seem to become part of the city fabric as they age.

Hard to imagine big-box malls ever taking on that patina, though, isn't it?

And yes, on the whole, I think I prefer funeral pyres and junkies to politicians, though I'd be lying if I said I didn't find London's great riverfront beautiful. Or Portland's, for that matter.