World cities

Old May 18th 2002, 10:21 am
  #31  
Desmond Coughla
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Default Re: World cities

Le Sat, 18 May 2002 02:47:33 -0700, Icono Clast <[email protected]> a écrit :

    >> there are cities, and there are "world cities".
    >>
    >> From my experience, world cities are -
    >>
    >> San Francisco Sydney London Berlin Seoul Tokyo Cairo Paris Rome Rio

    > I live in one and have visited four of the others. How can you have omitted
    > Manhattan?

Perhaps because Manhattan isn't a city, it's a burough (did I spell that
correctly ?).

--
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Old May 18th 2002, 11:21 am
  #32  
P J Wallace
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Default Re: World cities

Any special reason for missing out New York (and if SF, why not Chicago and Los
Angeles?)...?! Seoul looks like a bit of an outlier in this company. PJW

On 17 May 2002 20:20:16 GMT, mpprh <[email protected]> wrote:

    >
    >From my experience, world cities are -
    >
    >San Francisco Sydney London Berlin Seoul Tokyo Cairo Paris Rome Rio
 
Old May 18th 2002, 11:21 am
  #33  
Harvey V
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Default LA "International" airport (was Re: World cities)

I espied that on 18 May 2002, Go Fig <[email protected]> wrote:

-snip-

    > Los Angeles has the largest air cargo airport in the world and its passenger
    > airport is 3rd in the world.

3rd in terms of what? Physical size, passenger movements, or aircraft movements? (And
if it's the latter, does that include local hobby flying?)

The reason I ask is that I've been to LAX twice -- to change planes going from London
to Auckland -- and found it woefully underserviced from the standpoint of
international passenger facilities, certainly if you're in transit. A couple of bars
and restaurants were about it -
- and even some of those were closed because it wasn't the middle of the day. And the
sockets for electric shavers in the washrooms -- in the international zone, mind
you -- were US-only rather than those kind that accommodate all kinds of shaver
plugs that I'm used to in hotels. (Mind you, I had the same problem with the shaver
socket in a large international chain hotel near the airport -- I rented a room to
sleep during the 8-hour stopover -- so "international" isn't the first word which
springs to my mind to describe LA airport.)

On my return the last time I changed at Chicago, which was a *lot* better in terms of
necessary services.

-turn on rant mode-

And where in LA do they get those guys on the passport examination desks? From some
Institute for the Incurably Thick?

Changing planes, I knew that they would need to question me about the purpose of
entering the US and length of stay. So I present my passport, itinerary and the
boarding pass for the next leg of the journey (leaving in 3 hours.)

He seems to look closely at all of the documents.

Me, trying to help: I'm in transit from Auckland to London.

Him: What is the purpose of your visit to the United States?

Me, after a slight pause: To change planes.

(Me thinks: "I thought it was the jet-lagged one of us that was supposed to
have problems adding 2 and 2 together.)

Him: How long do you plan to stay in the United States?

(Me thinks: some vague acknowledgement that you've actually got this
information in written and verbal form would be pleasant.)

Me: Just long enough to change planes.

Him: Are you intending to extend your visit?

(Me thinks: only if you decide to confiscate my boarding pass, mate.)

Me (pleasantly, not sarcastically, honest): No, I'm just changing planes.

Him: Passes documents back without comment.

(Me thinks: what a fun guy. Maybe he's insulted that I have no desire to stay
in his country. Or maybe he knows how boring this airport is, and can't
believe that someone wouldn't get out of it as quickly as possible......)

-turn off rant mode-

--
Cheers, Harvey
 
Old May 18th 2002, 11:21 am
  #34  
Keith Anderson
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Default Re: LA "International" airport (was Re: World cities)

On Sat, 18 May 2002 10:06:50 GMT, Harvey V
<[email protected]> wrote:

<snip>

Reminds me of the story Bill Bryson wrote about arriving at Logan Airport in Boston -

"As I approached the last immigration official, he said to me "Any fruit or
vegetables?" I considered for a minute. "Sure, why not" I said, "I'll have four
pounds of potatoes and some mangoes if they're fresh" Instantly, I could see that I
had misjudged my audience and that this was not a man who ached for banter. He looked
at me with one of those slow, dark, cerebrally challenged expresions that you never
want to see in a uniformed official, but especially in a US Customs and Immigration
officer because, believe me, these people have powers you really do not want to put
to the test. If I just mention the words "strip search" and "rubber gloves" I think
you will latch on to my meaning. When I say they have the right to interrupt your
passage, I mean it in every possible sense. Luckily, this man appeared to conclude
that I was just incerdibly thick. "Sir", he enquired more specifically, "are you
carrying any items of a fruit or vegetable nature?" "No sir, I am not", I answered at
once and fed him the most respectful and grovelling look I believe I have ever
mustered. "Then keep moving please" he said. I left him shaking his head. I am sure
for the rest of his career he will be telling people about the knucklehead who
thought he was a greengrocer.

(Bill Byson, "Notes from a Big Country")

(PS - if anyone construes this as an "Americans are thick" posting, I hasten to add
that I have met equally thick officials in the UK).

Keith Bristol UK Remove NSP to reply
 
Old May 18th 2002, 12:20 pm
  #35  
Congokid
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Default Re: World cities

In article <[email protected]>, Harvey V
<[email protected]> writes

    >Group 1B -- world cities due purely to size and economic importanace
    >
    > Mexico City, Seoul, Rio, Sydney, Hong Kong

I'd have added Los Angeles to this group.

--
congokid Eating out in London? Read my tips... http://congokid.com
 
Old May 18th 2002, 12:20 pm
  #36  
Lennart Peterse
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Default Re: LA "International" airport (was Re: World cities)

"Harvey V" <[email protected]> skrev i meddelandet
news:[email protected]...
    > I espied that on 18 May 2002, Go Fig <[email protected]> wrote:
    > > Los Angeles has the largest air cargo airport in the world and its passenger
    > > airport is 3rd in the world.
    >
    > 3rd in terms of what? Physical size, passenger movements, or aircraft movements?
    > (And if it's the latter, does that include local hobby flying?)
You may find the answer on
    > http://www.airports.org/traffic/index.html

    > The reason I ask is that I've been to LAX twice -- to change planes going from
    > London to Auckland -- and found it woefully underserviced from the standpoint of
    > international passenger facilities, certainly if you're in transit.
Actually I've the same experience, the airport was somewhat run-down. Real unpleasant
was the fact non-ticketed passengers (was 1998) were allowed inside the departure
area as long as they passed the security checks. Some of them walking around asking
for money to various projects.
L.P
 
Old May 18th 2002, 4:20 pm
  #37  
Grey
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Default Re: LA "International" airport (was Re: World cities)

On Sat, 18 May 2002 10:06:50 GMT, Harvey V
<[email protected]> wrote:

    >The reason I ask is that I've been to LAX twice -- to change planes going from
    >London to Auckland -- and found it woefully underserviced from the standpoint of
    >international passenger facilities, certainly if you're in transit.

Same is true of the international terminal in Boston, Logan airport. In the summer,
always crammed beyond capacity. The arrival hall is a joke--luggage belt OK for a 727
maybe, *not* a 747. Weary travelers stand three deep around that belt for an hour,
can easily wait another hour in line just to reach customs. A disgrace.

A truly cool book: The World Is Already Yours Conscious living in the real world
www.alreadyyours.com (sample chapter, etc...)
 
Old May 18th 2002, 8:20 pm
  #38  
Evelyn Vogt Gam
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Default Re: LA "International" airport (was Re: World cities)

Harvey V wrote:
    >
    > (Me thinks: what a fun guy. Maybe he's insulted that I have no desire to
    > stay in his country. Or maybe he knows how boring this airport is, and
    > can't believe that someone wouldn't get out of it as quickly as
    > possible......)

Possibility #1: He was illiterate?

Possibility #2: He didn't speak English? (Although the U.S. is SUPPOSED to be an
English-speaking country, and few of our native-born citizens speak anything else, it
appears to be "discrimination" if employers insist upon fluency in English, when
hiring people who will be dealing with the public.)

Possibility #3: He'd been told to ask those questions, and by God he was going to ask
them, whether he already had the answers in front of him or not! (Most airport
"security" personnel work for minimum wages - for that, you're lucky to get a warm
body - you want intelligence, too?)

    >
    > -turn off rant mode-
    >
    > --
    > Cheers, Harvey
 
Old May 18th 2002, 9:21 pm
  #39  
Evelyn Vogt Gam
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Default Re: World cities

Judith wrote:
    >
    >
    > Well, yes, because as a CITY it fails to hold together. It is so disorganized that
    > hardly anyone knows where the center is, let alone actually goes there. LA feels
    > like the world's largest collection of suburbs to me.

Probably because it IS! When I first came here, the San Fernando Valley and Orange
County were rural areas with many small towns, separated by agricultural enterprises.
(Orange County had not only the citrus "ranches" from which it took its name, but
dairy farms - the "Valley" was more given over to cattle, plus other food crops). Now
there's just one big urban sprawl, from San Diego to Santa Barbara. Some of the small
communities allowed themselves to become officially (politically) part of Los
Angeles, others retain their individual "city" governments although surrounded by
"Los Angeles" on all sides. It's "unique", certainly, but as a "world class" city,
I'd have to agree with Judith.
 
Old May 18th 2002, 9:21 pm
  #40  
Evelyn Vogt Gam
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Default Re: LA "International" airport (was Re: World cities)

Keith Anderson wrote:
    >
    >
    > (PS - if anyone construes this as an "Americans are thick" posting, I hasten to add
    > that I have met equally thick officials in the UK).

Perhaps it's just a case of "petty officialdom is thick"?

    >
    > Keith Bristol UK Remove NSP to reply
 
Old May 18th 2002, 9:21 pm
  #41  
Evelyn Vogt Gam
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Default Re: LA "International" airport (was Re: World cities)

Lennart Petersen wrote:
    >

    > Actually I've the same experience, the airport was somewhat run-down. Real
    > unpleasant was the fact non-ticketed passengers (was 1998) were allowed inside the
    > departure area as long as they passed the security checks. Some of them walking
    > around asking for money to various projects.

And the loud-speaker system announcing at intervals in several languages that those
soliciters were not there under airport sanction, and passengers were not required to
to give them money! (Funny thing is, though, even now that no one is allowed past the
check-points without a ticket, that loud-speaker announcement is still being made -
one would think, by now, they'd have changed the recording!)

    > L.P
 
Old May 18th 2002, 9:21 pm
  #42  
Evelyn Vogt Gam
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Default Re: LA "International" airport (was Re: World cities)

grey wrote:
    >
    >
    > Same is true of the international terminal in Boston, Logan airport. In the summer,
    > always crammed beyond capacity. The arrival hall is a joke--luggage belt OK for a
    > 727 maybe, *not* a 747. Weary travelers stand three deep around that belt for an
    > hour, can easily wait another hour in line just to reach customs. A disgrace.

I agree! Especially if you are accustomed to the usually streamlined procedures at
European airports. It's true, due to the physical size of the country, there are
probably a great many more domestic flights departing from U.S. airports than
there are international ones. But that's supposedly the purpose of having
"international" terminals, isn't it? (Which should thus, in theory, be geared to
international travel?)

    > A truly cool book: The World Is Already Yours Conscious living in the real world
    > www.alreadyyours.com (sample chapter, etc...)
 
Old May 18th 2002, 10:21 pm
  #43  
Go Fig
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Default Re: World cities

In article <[email protected]>, "Evelyn Vogt Gamble (Divamanque)"
<[email protected]> wrote:

    > Judith wrote:
    > >
    > >
    > > Well, yes, because as a CITY it fails to hold together. It is so disorganized
    > > that hardly anyone knows where the center is, let alone actually goes there. LA
    > > feels like the world's largest collection of suburbs to me.
    >
    > Probably because it IS! When I first came here, the San Fernando Valley and Orange
    > County were rural areas with many small towns, separated by agricultural
    > enterprises. (Orange County had not only the citrus "ranches" from which it took
    > its name, but dairy farms - the "Valley" was more given over to cattle, plus other
    > food crops). Now there's just one big urban sprawl, from San Diego to Santa
    > Barbara. Some of the small communities allowed themselves to become officially
    > (politically) part of Los Angeles, others retain their individual "city"
    > governments although surrounded by "Los Angeles" on all sides. It's "unique",
    > certainly, but as a "world class" city, I'd have to agree with Judith.

Fair enough... but its influence on modern culture is quite significant and tourism
dollars is a huge actual number in the economy of Los Angeles. Los Angeles' economy
compares to some of the entire economies of the other cities countries.

jay Sat, May 18, 2002 mailto:[email protected]

--

Legend insists that as he finished his abject... Galileo muttered under his breath:
"Nevertheless, it does move."
 
Old May 18th 2002, 10:21 pm
  #44  
Evelyn Vogt Gam
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Default Re: World cities

Harvey V wrote:
    >
    > (A for classifying of places, I like the way that local newspapers in boring
    > suburban towns invariably play up those "liveability" surveys in which their
    > backwater winds up as the finest locale in the nation. They tend not to point out
    > that such surveys often don't allow for the excitement of big, complex and historic
    > urban places, because they couldn't be measured quantitatively.....)

They also don't allow for availability of jobs, for those who must support their
families, need to know they can find work, and so cannot afford to relocate simply
because the "quality of life" may be better. (It generally is, where the people are
affluent enough to support all the factors that make for "quality" life - good
schools, adequate law enforcement, clean, safe surroundings.....)
 
Old May 18th 2002, 11:20 pm
  #45  
Emil Jelstrup
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Default Re: World cities - Moscow etc.

Miguel Cruz wrote:

    > Important countries are the ones where things happen and decisions are made that
    > have ongoing regional and/or global impact.

And I would mean that Russia is one of them.

    >
    >
    > miguel
    > --
    > Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu

//Emil Jelstrup
 

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