There was a garden that was essentially a stone pathway through dense trees and another with a more modern layout. He still favored the oriental garden most but decided it was good to explore different things, and there was something to appreciate in all of them.

When the 'tour' was concluded Rachael looked toward the valley where the city was. "I guess I did all of this to emphasize that base reality can be made into your concept of beautiful; it doesn't have to be like the city. I know you were not fond of urban environments. Truthfully we could tear it all down and it would have little impact on anything except that a few people prefer to live there still and have requested it be preserved for them. Most that thought of it as home originally have moved on because while the buildings remain, the 'spirit' of the city just isn't the same without all the people."

"It looks pretty far away. I don't suppose we are going to walk there?"

"Naturally, no. I've arranged transportation for us." An object about the size of a car could be seen swooping in from behind a tree, pushing a fair bit of air around as evidences by the leaves nearby, but making very little noise. It had two turbines in front of the passenger area, to the left and right, facing upward. It also appeared to have two more turbines behind that, but facing backward. The combination seemed that it would generate both lift and thrust but there were some other airfoils and control surfaces that would have combined in ways that were not immediately obvious. It had landed so gracefully and quickly that Arthur had no concerns about its flight-worthiness. As there were currently no passengers in the compartment (or should it be more appropriately called a cockpit in such a flying car-like vehicle?), he could only imagine that an AI was piloting it.

The door nearest them glided upward smoothly to open. Rachael scooted over on the single seat the width of the cabin and Arthur did the same. It was comfortable but there was no dashboard or instrument panel to be found. Arthur reflexively went to pull his seat belt but found that the wasn't one. He looked around on his sides for something to strap in, just in case it wasn't in the traditional place.

"Oh, we don't use those anymore. First of all these can handle in any weather including a hurricane. Second, we can predict the weather with near perfect accuracy. Finally, we can stabilize most weather systems and temperature differentials before they become an issue. In any case, if anything were to begin a crash trajectory nanobots on the ground would immediately create a safety platform to absorb the impact. As it stands, this model has a perfect track record across billions of trips globally."

"Oh, well it's nice to hear. So it has a 5 star crash rating huh?"

Rachael rolled her eyes.

It didn't take long at speed to reach their destination. The 'car' landed in what looked like a transport hub of sorts near the center of the city. Bus and rail lines lay dormant. There was also a large airport nearby but something was off... while the area was lit (brightly to Arthur's sensitive eyes) there was no sound to be heard except his own breathing. For a city this size, there should have been traffic or else some other noises. He thought about what he had been told and realized why: the city was nigh abandoned.

A similar looking vehicle but without the turbines pulled up adjacent. They transfered between vehicles. "I figured you'd want to drive around and tour the city a bit instead of flying since it's more familiar. At least there is no traffic to contend with." Arthur was shuttled around various main streets and highways at a fast clip. The buildings and their signage looked authentic, though he knew there wasn't anyone around to provide any of the services advertised. Banks were obviously irrelevant - who needed the Greater Nevada Credit Union or HSBC now when money was a non-issue? He was sure that any restaurant food could be replicated for him, but there was no need for any of them except perhaps the inside decor and 'ambience'. He recalled Black Bear Diner, a chain where he could order a huckleberry malt (with extra malt naturally). He might have to have one of those later for old time's sake. The casinos were still there mostly: Peppermill, Grand Sierra Resort, and Atlantis (his personal favorite; they had the best gelato). The Nugget had apparently gone out of business and was no where to be found. All of these buildings, seemingly held as historical monuments to the City of Reno, were unnecessary he realized - any of them could be experienced in VR and tuned to the user's wishes.

Rachael broke the silence. "The entire city has been mapped and converted to VR like all other man-made structures. Once the final person gives up their lock on the physical city, which is projected to happen within the next 10-15 years, the entire thing will be demolished and replaced with solar panels most likely as it will no longer be wanted. Most of the residents are experiencing it already in VR and that is where the city really lives."

"I suppose..." Arthur began, "it doesn't really matter when there is a virtual copy somewhere. It's not like the information or history of the place is lost. The physical city already is dead which is apparent to me; there is no utility in keeping two copies forever. Hell, you could probably copy it back from VR to here if you really wanted to, assuming there was a reason to."

"Easily."