In New Riverround, there are factories, many towers with sails coming and going, loading and unloading, theaters, stores, restaurants - lots of them - offices, museums, temples, government buildings, and many homes.

He builds up a picture of all of this in his head; much of it is still new enough to be exciting. What sort of religion or religions is practiced in the temples? What sort of plays are going on in the theaters? 

There is one religion practiced in all the temples; it seems to be a sort of animism. The plays include:

- a comedy about someone who makes herself a husband but screws up in a way that gives him (ultimately endearing) foibles
- an opera about a historical war
- a heartwarming drama about a moderately dysfunctional polyamorous family unit who create a child who brings them closer together
- a romance between a person from this civilization and another "less civilized" one, both parties created as children but from very different worlds
- various concerts and dance shows; one dance show has a plot that sounds like it was something somebody had a dream about, with a lot of fox imagery

If the concerts are as free as the food, he'll spend an hour or two listening to music.

The concerts are as free as food, although the first one he tries is full up and some of them don't let people enter in the middle; once he finds one that is letting people in he can take a seat and enjoy some stringed instruments stringing along.

Delightful! After the concert finishes he grabs some lunch and continues exploring the city. What sort of housing options exist for the people who aren't solely focused on some sort of productive work? He can't make specific arrangements for himself and Watson until he knows where the latter will be commuting to, but he can scope things out.

There are apartment buildings with one or two bedrooms rooms each; there are many fewer houses with three and four, a little more remote. There are a couple of branches of an office which handles keeping track of who lives where and suggesting empty places.

He can tell which ones are inhabited by looking at the outsides; he'll have a list of two-bedroom places in various locations ready to hand when he meets back up with Watson that evening. Between prospective houses, he amuses himself by looking at other passers-by and deducing their professions, pastimes, and problems.

The people are mostly proles and have pretty obvious professions - bricklayer, sailor, brewer, baker, shopkeeper. The challenges are the non-proles, who do things like acting and chemistry research and sculpture and math.

This is as always a diverting pastime. If the chemistry researcher isn't in a hurry he might try to strike up a conversation.

"- yes, hello?"

"Hello! I noticed you're a chemical researcher; I happen to be one myself. I arrived on this round unexpectedly, and would appreciate advice on getting set up with lab space and equipment."

"Oh, what happened to your lab on your last round?"

"Nothing happened to my lab; something happened to me, such that I had to come here without it." he says in a tone of unconcern.

"Well, I suppose you could get authorization to make a prole assistant to help you get set up."

"I would want to wait until I've found long-term housing first, but then potentially yes. I expect there are already some excellent makers of lab equipment around."

"Yes, there's a good glassblower and suchlike."

"Good to hear. So what sort of research do you do?"

"Lately I've been interested in the pressure of various gases! My papers are circulated in the Gazette."

"Interesting! I intend to restart my research on identifying burned substances from their ashes. I'll take a look at your papers."

He smiles. "I'm Toring, though most things in the Gazette are worth reading."

"I'm Holmes. Thank you. I won't take up any more of your time."

"Best of luck!"

"Thanks!" And back to exploring the area until it gets to be then time when Watson is likely to be returning to their inn for dinner.

Riverround has its share - maybe more than its share - of charming architecture and fountains and prettily patterned street paving and such. It has a sewer system populated by sewer maintenance proles.