are cities in Australia more liveable then American cities? (buy, restaurant)

[desertman]

who cares about the cities, america's wild back country is so much more beauitiful,snow capped mountains, fast running rivers,bear ,elk,moose, wolves,eagles.
oz just cant compare.

[jacq63]

I have to agree desertman. One place I'd dearly love to experience in the U.S is the Wyoming wilderness. I'm partial to prairies and such. Plan to go there one day. I really like the 'badlands' areas of the U.S and your, er, northern neighbors. Who I know you love, really.

[Vichel]

Originally Posted by minibrings

I still feel you can't beat fresh SA oyster and whiting (fish and chips). Oysters are so cheap in SA -- at Central Market I bought a dozen for 10AUD (6.60USD) last December -- can't beat that! Paired with a chilled sparkling wine from the ADL hills made for a brilliant afternoon. BTW.. Aussie cheese is also brilliant.. I miss my Tassie cheese.

We had SA oysters just last night, at a restaurant we tried out for the first time. And it won't be our last. One of those rare gems in Perth - great food & service without paying through the nose. The oysters were the best I've had here. Nice small size, tender, tasty. Very well priced.

I feel I must try this Central Market you've mentioned. Sounds wonderful. Have you been to the Queen Vic in Melbourne? How would you compare them? That's what Perth is missing. Such a market. We have fruit & veg places, but they're just your basic markets. Not a foodie paradise, little or nothing beyond F&V, little or nothing to keep you there, lingering and eating. For this, and other reasons, I'd say 'no, Perth is not a foodie city'. It tries hard in a pretentious sort of way, but foodie-ness is not about expensive ostentatiousness.

[Vichel]

Originally Posted by desertman

who cares about the cities, america's wild back country is so much more beauitiful,snow capped mountains, fast running rivers,bear ,elk,moose, wolves,eagles.
oz just cant compare.

Different landscapes, for sure, and I'd have to admit I do prefer the North American wilderness to Australia's. I do miss mountains, especially snow-capped ones, covered in evergreen forests. That deep green is gorgeous.

[minibrings]

Originally Posted by Vichel

I feel I must try this Central Market you've mentioned. Sounds wonderful. Have you been to the Queen Vic in Melbourne? How would you compare them?

I've been to Queen Vic which is mostly open air with a bazaar feel to parts of it, especially Sundays.

Central Market is more (still) of a food market and it is also all covered. Supposedly its the largest fresh produce market in the southern hemisphere. It's a serious foodie heaven. Chocolates, meats, veg, seafood, cheese stalls, etc. etc. I would start with a capuccino at Lucia's - an Italian cafe that has been there for ages. Then onwards to serious food shopping. Highly recommended! Its nice that a city of 1.2 million has this type of resource. The oysters are so fresh...

Too bad Perth does not have an equivalent! I think you should plan a long weekend in Adelaide.. start there and end up wine tasting at one of the many wineries. You will go home well fed and happy.

This is my favorite wine and food festival:
http://www.seaandvines.com/index.cfm?objectid=874A592A-E7F2-2F96-37C333590ED31474 (broken link)

[meemy]

Originally Posted by jacq63

I think a place being 'liveable' also entails whether or not you can actually make a living there. There's been a huge exodus from Adel as ppl go interstate to find work-my partner and I among them. Trying to run our own business there was a nightmare, they don't have the population, and I think there's a general mistrust of anything too 'new'. It's pretty in parts, but for us it just wasn't worth the heartache to stay. We had no lifestyle and I know we were not the only ones.

When you try and run a business there, you find out that ppl are not 'laid back' so much as apathetic and suspicious, and actually pretty uptight.

But hey, I only lived there for 20+ years, whaddo I know?

Hey jacq63, where y'at! For us New Orleanians EVERYWHERE outtatown is blandsville!

I'm currently in Sydney...ya know the place with the grand, beautiful harbor but stuck in a sixties time warp (stylewise), with worse roads than Uptown, shockingly expensive sub-standard housing and where restaurants serve 4 or 5 crawfish (they call 'em yabbies) and have the nerve to call that amount a meal! Culture shock? You bet. I need me some Gambino's dobash!

In fairness, I do have to stress that not one single person has shot at me in all the 16 years I'm here.

There are no former New Orleanians, only New Orleanians far away from home...for a while.

[Vichel]

Originally Posted by minibrings

I've been to Queen Vic which is mostly open air with a bazaar feel to parts of it, especially Sundays.

Central Market is more (still) of a food market and it is also all covered. Supposedly its the largest fresh produce market in the southern hemisphere. It's a serious foodie heaven. Chocolates, meats, veg, seafood, cheese stalls, etc. etc. I would start with a capuccino at Lucia's - an Italian cafe that has been there for ages. Then onwards to serious food shopping. Highly recommended! Its nice that a city of 1.2 million has this type of resource. The oysters are so fresh...

Too bad Perth does not have an equivalent! I think you should plan a long weekend in Adelaide.. start there and end up wine tasting at one of the many wineries. You will go home well fed and happy.

This is my favorite wine and food festival:
Welcome to McLaren Vale - 2009 Sea & Vines Festival (http://www.seaandvines.com/index.cfm?objectid=874A592A-E7F2-2F96-37C333590ED31474 - broken link)

Thanks for that info. Yes, we'll definitely head out to Adelaide & S.A. before we leave Australia. One of those Must Sees on our list. My favourite reds are always from South Australia. I gladly try them all, from all regions, but for some reason, the Clare Valley, McLaren Vale, Barossa wines are always what I love best. My husband feels the same.

I think it deserves a week, not just a weekend. Meandering through the different wine regions and definitely that market. Sounds like Queen Vic but better - I prefer the covered part of QV (not the tacky cheapo clothes and crap section), so if Adelaide's is all like the covered QV, even better.

[minibrings]

Originally Posted by Vichel

Thanks for that info. Yes, we'll definitely head out to Adelaide & S.A. before we leave Australia. One of those Must Sees on our list. My favourite reds are always from South Australia. I gladly try them all, from all regions, but for some reason, the Clare Valley, McLaren Vale, Barossa wines are always what I love best. My husband feels the same.

I think it deserves a week, not just a weekend. Meandering through the different wine regions and definitely that market. Sounds like Queen Vic but better - I prefer the covered part of QV (not the tacky cheapo clothes and crap section), so if Adelaide's is all like the covered QV, even better.

When you're ready to plan your trip and want suggestions please feel free to send me a PM... I love Barossa and McClaren Shiraz.. Adelaide Hills has good sauv blanc and cooler weather wines as well.. ADL hills is 20 minutes outside the city, McClaren is 40, Barossa is closer to an hour and Clare is an hour and fifteen... I love them all... and have my favourites in each place..

[jacq63]

Meemy we gotta talk! You in Syd, me too!! Will DM you. As far as what you've said, "you right"!!

[Trimac20]

I too would recommend Adelaide if you haven't been. I want to the Central Markets and it blows away anything we have in terms of size.etc. Perth seems to lack a lot of things, and yet we bag Adelaide...