Be that as it may, it doesn't take much to recognize that Michael's experience with humans is limited, and he speaks primarily from what he knows. He's new, not just to this universe, but with social interaction in general. He ought to be encouraged, not blasted. People arriving here speak of their own universes all the time, which is different than others, and nobody makes a fuss over those differences.
Yes, it is. The books describe it as a gleaming white city of stone.