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I have been a couple times to Australia (Sydney, Melbourne & Brisbane).
Of those, I would say Sydney overall is the best city in their country- but certainly not the world.
Sydney has a great public transit system, pleasant sunny weather, multicultural and vibrant. Great Thai & Malaysian food. Interesting neighborhoods & ethnic enclaves (Cabramatta, Lakemba, Burwood)
Then I went to Brisbane, which was very underwhelming & seemed like the people there were behind a generation or two. (I didn't go to the Gold Coast)
The one thing I feel with Australians is that they are a little brash & not as PC. They may not even be aware that they are like. (Serena Williams caricature anyone)?
And at times I did feel underlying racism (as a Gay Asian) especially in Brisbane. I do find Australians are a different breed from Americans.
I enjoyed living there as well to some degree, but I have no desire to return. That chapter of life is way over.
Aussies remind of Americans in many ways; but there are also a few differences that you cannot see until you start living there for a while. After about one year and half, I got a good taste of the culture, and thus ready to head back home.
Aussies don't brag like Americans. That's one thing I found refreshing, but that's about...
They're highly anti-intellectual (reminds me of a lot of small-town America). Conversations are super shallow: weather, sport and beer. Don't forget: don't whinge, and pretend life is perfect all day and every day.
Now it is generally true, i find, that Americans are incessant braggarts about our country and Aussies don't do bragging as much. With one glaring exception: Melbourne and Sydney. They are wonderful cities and I would live in either happily, but Australians tend to oversell them. Can you compare Sydney to Paris?--maybe only in geography and climate. They don't reach the very top tier.
Not sure if Aussies are not braggarts, just perhaps not in quite the same way as Americans. Working for some years in London, with Aussies on both the work and social level many IMO were rather assertive how better things were both done and are in Australia, to the point of being boring, as well of having some 'quaint' reflections on Poms (Englanders) along with in some, a level of uncouthness thought as somehow 'cool'. But even saying that, I find Australians, as a rule, better outside their country than in, more' fun', for some odd reason, more social and open.
I find Australians, as a rule, better outside their country than in, more' fun', for some odd reason, more social and open.
Possibly because a lot of aussies living overseas dont have many commitments outside work. Throw a mortgage and family into the sceniario, and your life changes dramatically.
I dont mind sydney for a couple of days visit, i would put it above Melbourne (my wife prefers Melbourne) though there
is nothing all that great about the city either.
I have been a couple times to Australia (Sydney, Melbourne & Brisbane).
Of those, I would say Sydney overall is the best city in their country- but certainly not the world.
Sydney has a great public transit system, pleasant sunny weather, multicultural and vibrant. Great Thai & Malaysian food. Interesting neighborhoods & ethnic enclaves (Cabramatta, Lakemba, Burwood)
Then I went to Brisbane, which was very underwhelming & seemed like the people there were behind a generation or two. (I didn't go to the Gold Coast)
The one thing I feel with Australians is that they are a little brash & not as PC. They may not even be aware that they are like. (Serena Williams caricature anyone)?
And at times I did feel underlying racism (as a Gay Asian) especially in Brisbane. I do find Australians are a different breed from Americans.
Sydney has become too hectic. We find Brisbane more relaxing.
I'd say a city needs to be a little hectic, well to be entitled to be called a city. Sydney has been I'd say over loaded over recent times, due in large part to a record immigration growth, without having the necessary infrastructure in place to be able to cope.
This is not necessary due to demand, but to sustain the falling housing market, still wildly over inflated as well attempting to subdue wage growth.
One does wonder about living standards falling further with the very high costs to rent or buy in that city, if even feasible for a normal salaried person to remain or post career.
Obviously it is Australia's prime city. It is a moneyed city, increasingly blighted by inequality and increasing congestion.
I would imagine Brisbane or Perth are better for a family life, if one can find employment in their field.
Hence the answer the question, Sydney is by certain measurement's Australia's 'best city' in terms of importance, business and professional capacity, it fails on a more human level.
On a world level dozens of cities would surpass Sydney in terms of cultural activities, liveability, public transport, walkability, location.
Never the less it has its icons and maintains a place on probably the second tier international cities of the world.
I'd say a city needs to be a little hectic, well to be entitled to be called a city. Sydney has been I'd say over loaded over recent times, due in large part to a record immigration growth, without having the necessary infrastructure in place to be able to cope.
This is not necessary due to demand, but to sustain the falling housing market, still wildly over inflated as well attempting to subdue wage growth.
One does wonder about living standards falling further with the very high costs to rent or buy in that city, if even feasible for a normal salaried person to remain or post career.
Obviously it is Australia's prime city. It is a moneyed city, increasingly blighted by inequality and increasing congestion.
I would imagine Brisbane or Perth are better for a family life, if one can find employment in their field.
Hence the answer the question, Sydney is by certain measurement's Australia's 'best city' in terms of importance, business and professional capacity, it fails on a more human level.
On a world level dozens of cities would surpass Sydney in terms of cultural activities, liveability, public transport, walkability, location.
Never the less it has its icons and maintains a place on probably the second tier international cities of the world.
I agree.
It is the intangibles that Sydney fails on, and those factors that cannot be measured. (apart from the over-inflated house prices of course)
I have been a couple times to Australia (Sydney, Melbourne & Brisbane).
Of those, I would say Sydney overall is the best city in their country- but certainly not the world.
Sydney has a great public transit system, pleasant sunny weather, multicultural and vibrant. Great Thai & Malaysian food. Interesting neighborhoods & ethnic enclaves (Cabramatta, Lakemba, Burwood)
Then I went to Brisbane, which was very underwhelming & seemed like the people there were behind a generation or two. (I didn't go to the Gold Coast)
The one thing I feel with Australians is that they are a little brash & not as PC. They may not even be aware that they are like. (Serena Williams caricature anyone)?
And at times I did feel underlying racism (as a Gay Asian) especially in Brisbane. I do find Australians are a different breed from Americans.
I am a big tennis fan, and that was pretty benign and innocuous really, and not underlying racism.
I am a big tennis fan, and that was pretty benign and innocuous really, and not underlying racism.
It wasn't about the tennis.
The oblivion to the depiction of her physical appearance being offensive shows you really are in a totally different part (even time?) of the world.
Granted, like mentioned I have visited Australia twice over the past 3 years. I really enjoyed Sydney & Melbourne, lots to offer, etc
Just such incidences make your eyebrows go up
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