Hundreds of black-eyed susans bloom in St. Paul's Como Park Conservatory. Unlike its fraternal twin Minneapolis with its sleek skyscrapers, St. Paul has a lower, older, "brickier" profile and a quieter, self-effacing air, which has inspired both Mark Twain and F. Scott Fitzgerald to sing its praises.

(Text adapted from and photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, "America's Hometown," July/August 1998, National Geographic Traveler magazine)