True, but as someone from Europe, I can tell you the branding has always been the case. NYC, Boston, SF, and LA, were always the outstanding cities relative to

True, but as someone from Europe, I can tell you the branding has always been the case. NYC, Boston, SF, and LA, were always the outstanding cities relative to those you mention above. We rarely heard of, rarely saw in movies and TV, many other cities outside of those few. I'm not saying you're wrong -- far from it -- but the brand has been there for longer than the phenomenon we're discussing here. Perhaps the tech has just made it even more pronounced.