What's so good about Australia?
Jun 23rd 2011, 2:05 am
#91
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: Hill overlooking the SE Melbourne suburbs
Posts: 16,622
Re: What's so good about Australia?
Problem being of course is that all too many Brits are not educated in being able to drink to access and if do how to handle it.
The behaviour witnessed in UK cities(or Australia for that matter) is rarely seen in France or Germany or Spain
Bit of an Anglo Saxon/Celtic thing perhaps?
The behaviour witnessed in UK cities(or Australia for that matter) is rarely seen in France or Germany or Spain
Bit of an Anglo Saxon/Celtic thing perhaps?
Sure, I've always managed to get a drink whatever the hour and it's even better now that pubs can stay open later. On our trip there last year, I was out till stupid o'clock on a Thursday and my wife was not impressed when I got back to our hotel. I find that late-night London can have a certain unfriendly, slightly aggressive edge to it. A lot of the late-night places are shitholes and people only go there because they can get a drink. Paris, New York, Berlin, Munich, Barcelona, San Francisco, LA kick London's ass for late-night fun.
I was really disappointed with New York.
the shopping was the same you get everywhere, so was the restaurants and most of the time you had to pay 20USD just to get inside a bar. riding the metro was a most depressing experience (farse worse than London's underground)
Cities i would rave about include: Barcelona, Rome, Melbourne, Montreal, Hong Kong, New orleans (before Katrina.) And Edinburgh.
the shopping was the same you get everywhere, so was the restaurants and most of the time you had to pay 20USD just to get inside a bar. riding the metro was a most depressing experience (farse worse than London's underground)
Cities i would rave about include: Barcelona, Rome, Melbourne, Montreal, Hong Kong, New orleans (before Katrina.) And Edinburgh.
Much of Oxford street is a dump and has some incredibly down-market shops. Last July, I noticed that the huge ex-Virgin megastore was still empty and boarded up and the big Borders bookstore was no longer there. The main HMV store was still open and very good it is too.
I will be avoiding OS on my next visit.
I will be avoiding OS on my next visit.
Sometimes I think you forget that I'm a born and bred Londoner. I dont know of one Street in London that has as many dimensions as Sydney Rd.... Again maybe you have to live here as long as I have... circa 25 years to know what I'm on about.
38 bars along it's length for starters. God knows how many eateries from all over the world... from Ethopia to Argentina and back to Afghanistan and most inbetween. There is even a Rastafarian section..... we both know how few West Indians there are in Aus.
Once you get past that... then and imagine what it's like to live here, experience this daily and how disappointed you are with life in other places. One cannot help but compare.
It's definitely the best Urban place I've lived and I'd love to hear nominations for better Urban Living. I'm struggling to think of any in London. Some places may have finer dining etc etc... but diverse I'm not so sure.
38 bars along it's length for starters. God knows how many eateries from all over the world... from Ethopia to Argentina and back to Afghanistan and most inbetween. There is even a Rastafarian section..... we both know how few West Indians there are in Aus.
Once you get past that... then and imagine what it's like to live here, experience this daily and how disappointed you are with life in other places. One cannot help but compare.
It's definitely the best Urban place I've lived and I'd love to hear nominations for better Urban Living. I'm struggling to think of any in London. Some places may have finer dining etc etc... but diverse I'm not so sure.
Ozzie also lives amongst this, it's not an outing to get to tourism central...
London may be bigger, may be busier, doesn't mean it does the urban thing better. Melbourne is perfect for me. There is so much to do and yet you can live 50mins away and feel you are at the other end of the UK from London. I couldn't go back to London, and after Melbourne I don't think living rural near Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham would cut it. And many of the cities in the Uk would seem too small though I like some of the UK's cathedral cities and fall foul of the same comparison that people make of Australian state capital cities compared to world ones.
It really is relative.
It's amusing that people who live in Perth and miss true cities then grudgingly accept some recognition of Melbourne! If people are missing cities then getting out of Perth is probably the first, and for a few, maybe only thing to do.
Last edited by BadgeIsBack; Jun 23rd 2011 at 2:09 am.
Jun 23rd 2011, 2:19 am
#92
Gutter Gob!!
Joined: Feb 2005
Location: Perth
Posts: 13,098
Re: What's so good about Australia?
Also London and Melbourne have many different areas. I lived in Ealing a long time ago, 20 years. We had a ball during the early 90's Lots of bars, restaurants and all on our doorstep. I am sure it isn't that different now.
Jun 23rd 2011, 2:21 am
#93
Banned
Joined: Jan 2011
Location: The REAL Utopia.
Posts: 9,910
Re: What's so good about Australia?
To be fair I dont think London really needs to label itself as a world city, it has long been accepted as being one of the great cities of the world along with New York, Paris and one or 2 others.
Jun 23rd 2011, 4:10 am
#95
Account Closed
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 14,188
Re: What's so good about Australia?
Not interested in the discussion really, as its all about personal perspective and has been done to death over the years, but I would be interested to know that if you class the shopping in London as "average" where do you think is above average?
Jun 23rd 2011, 4:11 am
#96
Gutter Gob!!
Joined: Feb 2005
Location: Perth
Posts: 13,098
Re: What's so good about Australia?
I had over 50kg extra when we came back last year. I hate the UK but the shopping was awesome!
Jun 23rd 2011, 4:17 am
#97
Frequent Flyer Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 10,994
Re: What's so good about Australia?
I generally find shopping a bit of a chore, but I went wild in the aisles in Hong Kong...other Asian cities that people rave about I find a bit meh. Do like shopping in the UK as well. (my part of) Australia isn't bad in terms of what's on offer...it's just the prices.
Jun 23rd 2011, 4:32 am
#98
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2008
Location: Perth
Posts: 6,775
Re: What's so good about Australia?
This is a problem that is totally overdone by the press in Australia - as it is in the UK. I've been in Perth nearly 6 years now, gone out in NB many times, and only seen it kick off twice. In the UK, if you read The Daily Mail and co, you would think that central Cardiff, Newcastle, Nottingham etc are like combat zones on a Friday night when in reality they are not. The cops in both countries make such a big deal out of this because they want to take the easy route and get out of their obligations, and to get more power for themselves.
People used to harp on then about the violence and how they would never go there.
Remember thinking at the time that the media were pushing it with different agendas in mind.
To me then it was a bit of a kiddies night out. Young girls all dressed a similar often provocative way,lads trying to impress the girls and really a very ordinary entertainment hub to say the least.
Pretty normal that such an area there is going to be aggro as there is in Fremantle as well.
Seen a fair few punch ups there over the time I used to frequent but mostly a mixture of youth and booze talking.
Worst would have been a fairly big street brawl between Aboriginal and what appeared to be a mix of Uk backpackers and some local lads helping them out.
Even then the police were on scene within about five minutes so not sure any lasting harm was done.
Do hear that it can get bad after midnight but then that applies to a lot of places.
Perth is a slightly sinister place in the wee hours though. More than a few unsavory characters hanging about and often more than a little aggro.
Jun 23rd 2011, 4:40 am
#99
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2008
Location: Perth
Posts: 6,775
Re: What's so good about Australia?
My OH found the clothes shopping to be excellent and purchased a pile of stuff at not bad prices,with the knowledge that it would be near to impossible to find and if could then afford in Perth.
Jun 23rd 2011, 4:50 am
#100
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Re: What's so good about Australia?
[QUOTE=BadgeIsBack;9450948]This is why I am not a huge fan of many world cities. I don't dispute the world city tag, and they are exciting to tour in but I am not a fan of chaos dressed up as living.
I actually feel what you describe happens more out in the burbs. In the sense of London I would say Illford, Romford, Croydon,and the like. Actually always found London a pretty safe city and that is with close on twenty years of living there.
Cities like Paris and Berlin also never a problem and have been out all hours sometimes pretty smashed and never once a problem.
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I actually feel what you describe happens more out in the burbs. In the sense of London I would say Illford, Romford, Croydon,and the like. Actually always found London a pretty safe city and that is with close on twenty years of living there.
Cities like Paris and Berlin also never a problem and have been out all hours sometimes pretty smashed and never once a problem.
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Jun 23rd 2011, 4:51 am
#101
Gutter Gob!!
Joined: Feb 2005
Location: Perth
Posts: 13,098
Re: What's so good about Australia?
I didn't feel to bad walking around London, it was dirty but I felt quite safe. I felt unsafe in Peterborough, Lancaster and Preston. All 3 cities were awful.
Jun 23rd 2011, 4:58 am
#102
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2010
Location: Perth
Posts: 816
Re: What's so good about Australia?
Most places have a uncertainty about them lately, especially when it comes to safety at night.
Jun 23rd 2011, 4:59 am
#103
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2008
Location: Perth
Posts: 6,775
Re: What's so good about Australia?
London is the place so many of the young want to go and be in. It has one of the worlds most recognised brand names......
Jun 23rd 2011, 5:21 am
#104
Lost in BE Cyberspace
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Location: Perth
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Re: What's so good about Australia?
Every time I return I must do close to a years walking that I would partake in Perth say in a month of being there.
Just love the street scene there,so many areas and places that can be covered on foot.
Do agree I felt" uneasier" in some of the insular cities over there,although never been to the three you mention.
But then I would be inclined to feel a similar "unease" here in Central Perth vary late at night as well.
Jun 23rd 2011, 5:23 am
#105
Gutter Gob!!
Joined: Feb 2005
Location: Perth
Posts: 13,098
Re: What's so good about Australia?
Always found London safe and have walked there a lot at all hours as never had a car there.
Every time I return I must do close to a years walking that I would partake in Perth say in a month of being there.
Just love the street scene there,so many areas and places that can be covered on foot.
Do agree I felt" uneasier" in some of the insular cities over there,although never been to the three you mention.
But then I would be inclined to feel a similar "unease" here in Central Perth vary late at night as well.
Every time I return I must do close to a years walking that I would partake in Perth say in a month of being there.
Just love the street scene there,so many areas and places that can be covered on foot.
Do agree I felt" uneasier" in some of the insular cities over there,although never been to the three you mention.
But then I would be inclined to feel a similar "unease" here in Central Perth vary late at night as well.