When i first came to Sydney it was all new and exciting, everyone was preparing for the olympics, new buildings going up everywhere, tunnels being dug linking the city together, the place had a real buzz about it.
I never really gave it much thought until recently when i came back from a trip to Melbourne -the first time i'd been back there in 12 yrs, and was blown away by how much it had changed. It seemed so much bigger and flasher than i had remembered with huge skyscrapers everywhere and i was really impressed by the whole pavement dining euro style culture, great shops and proper boozers.
Walking through Sydney today it just struck me as a bit old and tired, as if it had had its day 10 yrs ago and been left behind. If you took away the Harbour and beaches is there much else because IMO, as a city, its pretty crap! any thoughts?

Great for a short holiday there yes. Abit like London i guess, nice to see the sights but always nice to see the back of it too.
I was in Sydney 2008 for a month and felt really tall amongst all the Asian folk shuffling about the joint lol...

Oompa-Loompa's?

Nah, they weren't Orange. But had fabulous hair.

Ahhh, right. That will be the Grunka Lunka's then from Futurama.

Sydney has been taken over by NIMBYs, who at all costs fight against ANY development of any kind.

The biggest example is the fight against the Barangaroo proposal. The NIMBYs want it scaled back so far that it will not be worthwhile for corporations to set up shop. But the NIMBYs want another big park that only tourists and rich elites will stroll through.

Lots of foreign corporations will not establish a presence in Sydney until there is sufficient corporate floor space. This means BIG skyscrapers - Exactly what NIMBYs fight against. This means a GIGANTIC lack of serious job creation. Leading to decay and increased poverty.

Oh, but the NIMBYs get a new park.....

Mr Grumpy strikes again!

What is a NIMBY?

Not In My Back Yard - NIMBY

You have hit the nail on the head. Without the harbour and the beaches Sydney has absolutely nothing going for it.

Ever wonder why Sydneysiders come to Melbourne to do their clothes shopping?

Formula 1 is on in Melbourne this week. Another thing Sydney hasn't got!

This is another area where Melbourne leaves Sydney for dead. There is so much more space for it to grow and a reason why a lot of corporations have left Sydney and set up shop in Melbourne. More will follow and some believe that in not so distant a future, Melbourne will be the major city in Australia and the financial capital

My husband often hints at this, he's worked in London and Hong Kong so is used to the vibrancy and buzz of international cities. Being involved with the construction industry, he's frustrated with the constant resistance towards big ambitious projects in Sydney.

However, he tends to back-track when we're picnicking by the harbour, swimming at the beach or taking a ferry for a Sunday day trip !

Would totally agree...Sydney is very tired looking and grubby.

Great for a weekend, but would never consider living anywhere near the place.

I was amazed how grubby and run down the area around the Opera House was when i last visited, the place is iconic and is probably the most visited place in Australia !!!!!!

I never actually understand that.

Every Australian city has the same bloody crap shops with the same bloody crap clothes.

It's true, Sydney CBD has no soul. It's tired, it's rough - we had dinner last night on Sussex St and, on the way back to the car, had to cross the road to avoid a huge fight. This was about 9.30. (Last time I had an afterwork drink with a girlfriend in The Rocks, we had to jump out of the way as a bloke and bouncer came flying through the door, scrapping.)

It's also true that it's all about the water. I work in the CBD (well actually I don't, I work in a heritage building on the edge of it) but I don't live there or play there.

Shopping's crap in both Sydney and Melbourne, IMHO.