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Face Ache · Oct 3, 2002, 10:06 PM

Hey! My city (Perth) has just been voted #3 in the world as the best city to live in (by some group in London).

Melbourne is #1 (congratulations Purple Giant but Perth has better weather hehehe

).

Vancouver is #2 ((but Perth has waaaaaay better weather nyuk nyuk nyuk

).

London, Hong Kong, Lisbon, Madrid and San Francisco were joint #44 and New York was #52 (out of 130 cities).

Toronto, Vienna, Geneva and Zurich tied at #4.

Montreal, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Copenhagen, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt and Oslo are #8. Calgary was ranked 16th.

Auckland and Wellington were ranked 24th.

Port Moresby came last. Now there's a surprise.

juanvaldes · Oct 3, 2002, 10:16 PM

it's all relative

Mr. Blur · Oct 3, 2002, 10:21 PM

hmmm...i always wonder about these things. i live near vancouver and go through there frequently...can't say that i'd want to live there alhough it is better than some of the alternatives. i lived in toronto for a lot of years and i fail to see how it gets rated as high as zurich (where i've been but not lived...)

perth #1? could very well be....i've not been there but i've always wanted to go - just waiting for the right opportunity as i'd like to go for 8-10 weeks and really enjoy it.

one thing australia shares with canada - the west is the best

Kenneth · Oct 3, 2002, 10:24 PM

Hong Kong all the way!

Captain Obvious · Oct 3, 2002, 11:42 PM

Any city that is NOT Milwaukee

Cipher13 · Oct 3, 2002, 11:46 PM

If Sydney doesn't come first, it's rigged. Plain and simple.

fat mac moron · Oct 3, 2002, 11:48 PM

Seoul, SK is an extremely nice city, I loved every second I spent there...

But, New York is the greatest place, ever. If you've never been there, you can't explain why it's so awesome. It's just a wonderful city. I took my girlfriend there for the god forsaken Lion King play, and after it let out we were both starving, not sure of where to eat... We hopped in a cab, asked the cabbie to suggest a place and he took us to some POS Italian place that had one of the best cheesesteaks I've ever eaten.

It's just fun

Mr. Blur · Oct 3, 2002, 11:53 PM

Originally posted by fat mac moron:
But, New York is the greatest place, ever. If you've never been there, you can't explain why it's so awesome. It's just a wonderful city. I took my girlfriend there for the god forsaken Lion King play, and after it let out we were both starving, not sure of where to eat... We hopped in a cab, asked the cabbie to suggest a place and he took us to some POS Italian place that had one of the best cheesesteaks I've ever eaten.

It's just fun

yeah, i've been to nyc 4 times....it's a blast for sure...always have a great time and there is never a shortage of stuff to do and see. but live there? not me....

fat mac moron · Oct 3, 2002, 11:55 PM

Originally posted by Mr. Blur:
yeah, i've been to nyc 4 times....it's a blast for sure...always have a great time and there is never a shortage of stuff to do and see. but live there? not me....

D'oh, the topic just said "Best cities in the World"

Live there? $h!t, forget that, lol... You can make 75k in NYC and still be piss broke!

ringo · Oct 4, 2002, 12:07 AM

Funny the weather was such a big deal in the ratings.

New York: A city so great, you won't care if it's s**tty outside!

fulmer · Oct 4, 2002, 12:28 AM

heh. NYC. the only place I've been there is Brooklyn and Brighton Beach. hah.

Jordan · Oct 4, 2002, 12:48 AM

I lived in Port Moresby for 5 years. It's not that bad!

Okay, it is that bad. We were being robbed at least once a week when I finally left.

My take....

Tokyo is a great city. Okay, it's expensive but if you've got the money, and can get out on weekends into the country, you should definitely try it once. (I've been here 7 years!)

Singapore is a great city to live in but a sh!tty place to visit. You really have to know Singapore to live there.

Bangkok is a lot of fun but you will go crazy if you live there for more than a year.

Kuala Lumpur is a cr@ppy place. Would be up there with my personal worst cities. (apologies to any Malaysians!!) Propoganda is so bad it actually gets to you.

Jakarta - yuk. I lived in Sulawesi for a while and that was fantastic. Pretty remote though. Holiday there but not sure it's a good place to live. Unless of course you are an Enron exec.

Hong Kong - was fun, but tide is changing there. More fun to be had in Shanghai these days.

Australia - would have to pick Brisbane. (very bias though!). Loved Perth (great weather - Face Ache!!

) Sydney is getting better every time I visit. Melbourne still has cr@ppy weather. (okay, maybe not all the time, just every time I go there)

New York is big, exciting, and unfriendly. I think I watched too much Seinfeld and Friends before visiting. Will definitely go back though.

London - expensive. Yes, more than Tokyo!!! Great things to do though, then again, there has to be. The weather is atrocious!!!

Milwaukee - Richie Cunningham and the Fonz seemed to like it....

Fillman · Oct 4, 2002, 02:01 AM

Speaking from the #1 city, I'm peering out of my window looking west past the Docklands and the rain showers are rolling in again. Another fine Spring day in Melbourne.

I was in Perth most of last week and it actually rained while I was there! I thought you Sand Gropers had a permanent drought contract.

I also spent one day in the middle of Western Australia, 1000 kms from anywhere and the weather was just beautiful.

Home is where you're at......

Subzero Diesel949 · Oct 4, 2002, 04:21 AM

Wow...Toronto was 4th. Although it was humid as heck when I was there, I was surprised at the amount of diversity present there. Heck you wouldn't see that somewhere like L.A....they would shoot each other for being the wrong color!

But seriously, Toronto was absolutely stunning. Nothing close to the myths I've heard about Canada.

Face Ache · Oct 4, 2002, 04:34 AM

Originally posted by Fillman:
I was in Perth most of last week and it actually rained while I was there! I thought you Sand Gropers had a permanent drought contract.

It rained here last week? I missed it.

I live close to the beach and when the rainclouds roll in they seem to take a while to realise they've hit land. So it hardly ever rains at my house but if I go to the shops (inland a few hundred metres) I frequently find it's raining there. Then I go home and it's dry again.

I just asked my wife to estimate how many days a year it would rain in Perth (about 50 I'd say) but she said "hard to say because it always misses us". So I'm not just imagining it.

I love it.

My PODFKAL* doesn't.

*Patch Of Dirt Formerly Known As Lawn.

curmi · Oct 4, 2002, 07:27 AM

Go Melbourne!!!

pcd2k · Oct 4, 2002, 07:58 AM

http://www.culture.com.au/virtual/

Mastrap · Oct 4, 2002, 08:03 AM

Originally posted by Jordan:

New York is big, exciting, and unfriendly. I think I watched too much Seinfeld and Friends before visiting. Will definitely go back though.

London - expensive. Yes, more than Tokyo!!! Great things to do though, then again, there has to be. The weather is atrocious!!!

New Yoik unfriendly? Never. Honestly, I've never met an unfriendly New Yoiker yet. In a hurry maybe, taking no **** definetely, ruthless when it comes to catching cabs, but hey, I like that attitude. It amuses me. And they take as good as they give

While I love being in NY I don't particulary want to live there - London is greener, there's always a possibility to get away from it all and still be in the centre of town. No such thing in the big apple.

Also, the weather in London isn't all that bad. It's a myth, don't believe it. We had a good summer, and so far autumn has been warm and sunny. Agreed, Face would probably bemoan the absence of eternal sunshine

but I like my seasons. Leafs turning in Kensington Gardens, morning mist on Hampstead Heath, the quiet gentility of Regents Park early on a Sunday.

And, if it does rain, it doesn't matter. Rain, snow and drizzle suits London. It's built for it. There are bars everywhere with an open fire burning. Guinness is a fine drink for a cold sunday afternoon, reading the Sunday papers at "The Eagle". Most private houses still have working fireplaces, whole streets scented with the smell of burning wood and coal. There's the warmth of the curry houses on Brick Lane, the smoke filled, beer scented warm noise of an old pub in the East End. There's the autumn fog when London looks like it should be looking, when everything's a film set. There's sitting in a cafe in Soho, seeing the old red buses trundeling through the mist, windows aglow in yellow and misted up. Sitting around a large table with friends while it is pouring with rain outside, a sunday roast, a couple of bottles of red... I could go on

I like winter.

Developer · Oct 4, 2002, 08:11 AM

Es will mer net in 'n Kopp enoi,
wie kann 'n Mensch net von Frankfurt soi.

Face Ache · 08:46 AM

Originally posted by Mastrap:
Agreed, Face would probably bemoan the absence of eternal sunshine but I like my seasons.

I was born in London (Shepherds Bush). I lived there until I was ten. That's enough rain thanks.

Originally posted by pcd2k:
http://www.culture.com.au/virtual/

maxelson · Oct 4, 2002, 08:44 AM

Of the cities I've been to:
Boston
London
Providence
Edinburgh (with the fringe theater fest? Oh, yeah!)
are the favorites. Although it is a love/ hate thing with Providence.
The through line I can see is history. I love cities with history. I dunno. Can we consider York a city? If so, add that in.

typoon · Oct 4, 2002, 09:27 AM

Best Cities I've been to.

Hong Kong (well I have relatives there so I go often) Great place though I'm not sure about living there.

New York- Just a hop skip and Jump over the George Washington Bridge, to me the Best city in the world but I guess I'm partial.

London- Pretty happening place. I liked it MUCH better than Paris.

pixelghetto · Oct 4, 2002, 09:28 AM

My city; Liverpool..don't see it in top listings, wonder why? Cuz it reeks!

Been to LA and DC and loved both. Although I went to DC on the hottest day of the year and nearly passed out. Pasty english geezers aint used to warm weather. But LA is my future home...just need to get off this rock first!

SimeyTheLimey · Oct 4, 2002, 09:39 AM

Originally posted by pixelghetto:
My city; Liverpool..don't see it in top listings, wonder why? Cuz it reeks!

Been to LA and DC and loved both. Although I went to DC on the hottest day of the year and nearly passed out. Pasty english geezers aint used to warm weather. But LA is my future home...just need to get off this rock first!

You loved DC? In summer

DC has its points. There's lots of things to do and there are some fun neighborhoods (e.g. Adams Morgan). The job market is usually good providing you are reasonably educated. It stinks if you don't have a degree. It's also quite a small city with big city snotty attitude. Housing and other living expenses are ridiculously expensive and traffic is a nightmare. Public transportation is spotty, adding to the stress of day-to-day living. The city government is extremely disfunctional even though its better than it used to be. Crime has come down, but how safe you are is still very contingent on where in the city you live. Some parts of the city (e.g. Georgetown) are wall-to-wall cops, other parts are like Dodge City after the Sheriff has been run out of town.

All in all, I wouldn't rank it as a great city. An OK one perhaps, but certainly not great.

calamar1 · Oct 4, 2002, 09:46 AM

it should be noted that this list is actually about the top cities for expatriates to live in. i don't know how many of us (or anyone) fit that category... seems sorta silly. although cnn's picture of melbourne makes it look nice...

CNN article

SimeyTheLimey · Oct 4, 2002, 09:58 AM

Originally posted by calamar1:
it should be noted that this list is actually about the top cities for expatriates to live in. i don't know how many of us (or anyone) fit that category... seems sorta silly. although cnn's picture of melbourne makes it look nice...

CNN article

What kind of expatriates? People who have emigrated and are trying to start a new life? Or do they mean expatriates living overseas temporarily because of a job. Which one you are makes a huge difference.

I've kind of been both in my life. I moved from the UK to the US. Getting established even in an immigrant-friendly place like DC was quite tough.

I also spent a few years as an "expatriate" stationed in Germany with the US Army. I had a great time living in Mannheim. It seemed like a really nice little city. But I'm hesitant to say I know it as a place to live. Even after a couple of years there I was a stranger because I didn't work "on the economy." An expatriate who is still economically part of his home country is always too much of an interloper to really comment on a place, imho.

fxbezak · Oct 4, 2002, 10:12 AM

hey why arent Newark and Patterson NJ listed here?

(anyone from jersey should know why)

ringo · Oct 4, 2002, 10:14 AM

Originally posted by fxbezak:
hey why arent Newark and Patterson NJ listed here?

(anyone from jersey should know why)

What! No Rahway?

fxbezak · Oct 4, 2002, 10:18 AM

Originally posted by ringo:

What! No Rahway?

Or Raritan, where swearing in public is illegal

macvillage.net · Oct 4, 2002, 11:14 AM

NYC, hands down the best city.

Hawkeye_a · Oct 4, 2002, 01:06 PM

.

Nimisys · Oct 4, 2002, 01:27 PM

Originally posted by pixelghetto:
LA is my future home...just need to get off this rock first!

why the hell do you want to live in LA? and where in LA would ou want to live?

Timo · Oct 4, 2002, 02:14 PM

From west to east, I like

SF, Vancouver, LA, Chicago, Montr�al, New York.

London's fine, Paris is grand.

I like Helsinki a lot, but even the natives think it's a little remote.

Stockholm is beautiful if you can put up with its inhabitants.

I'd love to see more of Asia and Australia.

Kitschy · Oct 4, 2002, 03:46 PM

Hm...wonder if Oklahoma City made the cut.

maxelson · Oct 4, 2002, 03:53 PM

Originally posted by Timo:

Stockholm is beautiful if you can put up with its inhabitants.

Spoken like a good Finn.

swimp · Oct 4, 2002, 05:35 PM

Originally posted by Timo:

Stockholm is beautiful if you can put up with its inhabitants.

Hahah, so damn right you are

G�teborg is way better. Period.

Mulattabianca · Oct 4, 2002, 06:33 PM

Hmm... of the places i've lived most of my life most places are ok only for a holidy, not for living.
Italy anywhere is ok only for holiday... Brazil and all South America as well. I've tried to live in Northern Europe as well but I used to get sick there all the time...
So I'd vote for California

pixelghetto · Oct 4, 2002, 06:43 PM

Originally posted by Nimisys:

why the hell do you want to live in LA? and where in LA would ou want to live?

Because if you lived here you would know why!

Probably somewhere in Hollywood, near to Sunset!

voodoo · 08:29 PM

Originally posted by swimp:

Hahah, so damn right you are

G�teborg is way better. Period.

So I've heard too. At least it's possible to escape Sweden relatively easily to Norway from G�teborg (Gothenburg) on foot. It is nary impossible from Stockholm, because you'd have to hike through the Swedo heartlands and as all of you know seeing V�ster�s or any other heartland towns of Sweden causes instant (yet painful) death. Not to mention if you meet upon any of the locals...

Fallout · Oct 4, 2002, 08:35 PM

Edmonton is the best place I've lived. I don't understand how Calgary was 16th, and Edmonton wasn't even on there. Calgary sucks compared to Edmonton.

voodoo · Oct 4, 2002, 08:55 PM

Best city in the world... hint: it's not Reykjav�k.

Face Ache · Oct 4, 2002, 09:31 PM

Originally posted by Face Ache:
So it hardly ever rains at my house...

Blah Blah Blah.

So there's a drought here in Australia. This morning I woke up and it was PISSING down with rain. "The paper!" I cried (we get Saturday's paper delivered). Racing out into the rain I retrieved the soggy newspaper. What was the front page headline?

"The Big Dry".

(The sun's back out now).

Nimisys · Oct 5, 2002, 01:35 AM

Originally posted by pixelghetto:

Because if you lived here you would know why!

Probably somewhere in Hollywood, near to Sunset!

living 100 miles to the south of LA, i still don't see peoples facination with that city, when ever go north i go out of my way to avoid it

swimp · Oct 5, 2002, 07:28 AM

Originally posted by voodoo:

So I've heard too. At least it's possible to escape Sweden relatively easily to Norway from G�teborg (Gothenburg) on foot. It is nary impossible from Stockholm, because you'd have to hike through the Swedo heartlands and as all of you know seeing V�ster�s or any other heartland towns of Sweden causes instant (yet painful) death. Not to mention if you meet upon any of the locals...

Heheh, that's true. I would dare say that _all_ towns and small cities in Sweden sucks to the point of suicide-thoughts, except G�teborg and Stockholm, which is live-able

Sven G · 09:21 AM

Originally posted by voodoo:

At least it's possible to escape Sweden relatively easily to Norway from G�teborg (Gothenburg) on foot. It is nary impossible from Stockholm, because you'd have to hike through the Swedo heartlands and as all of you know seeing V�ster�s or any other heartland towns of Sweden causes instant (yet painful) death. Not to mention if you meet upon any of the locals...

One could *almost* say that you don't like Sweden... Hmmm - "norrbaggar"... � la Marve Fleksnes?!...

(For our "foreign" friends: he was the main character of a Norwegian comedy in the '70s, and portrayed as a "typical" Norwegian - or, colloquially, "norrbagge" for the Swedish.)

Anyway, as for Scandinavian cities, I vould vote for Copenhagen (and also �rhus, Denmark's second-largest city): simply beautiful, and quite friendly - and also the home of some of the best beers in the world!

philzilla · Oct 5, 2002, 08:46 AM

Originally posted by pixelghetto:
My city; Liverpool..don't see it in top listings, wonder why? Cuz it reeks!

just because your city doesn't like you, is no reason to dislike your city

i love Liverpool. i've travelled right round this spinning rock of ours and i think i'm glad i live here. sure, there are cool places in other countries. i'm not sure i could stomach living in them forever though.

well, apart from Honolulu (and maybe Sydney)

philzilla · Oct 5, 2002, 08:53 AM

Originally posted by fxbezak:
Or Raritan, where swearing in public is illegal

WTF!? is the local council made up of Demonhood, elzinat & gorgonzola, or what!?

thirsty · Oct 5, 2002, 11:43 AM

Perth = Great One Day !
PERFECT THE REST!!!

That said I do have a liking to the twin Cities - Minneapolis/St Paul but not so much the cities themselves but the Area and Minnesota.
There you can trully experience the 4 Seasons.
Summer is Hot
Winter is Cold ( Really ****en Cold )
Spring is Perfect
Fall is Colorful
There is so much to do in all of these seasons.

But back to PERTH it's PERFECT !

Montanan · Oct 5, 2002, 11:59 AM

Though I'll probably never have the nerve to do it, I've often daydreamed about moving to some exotic foreign city for a year or so. These would be some of my nominees:

NORTH AMERICA: Seattle, New Orleans (OK, so those two aren't foreign ...)
SOUTH AMERICA: Rio, or LaPaz, Bolivia
EUROPE: Lots of choices here ... Copenhagen, Prague, Venice, Amsterdam ...
AFRICA: Cape Town, definitely
ASIA: maybe Patan, Nepal
AUSTRALIASIA: Wellington, NZ

NosniboR80 · Oct 5, 2002, 01:18 PM

Well, I don't know why everyone has avoided Paris. I know it's obvious and unoriginal, but that says a lot about the city. It is beautiful (I've heard its dirty, but it has been clean the three times I've been there, cept for the burbs, eewww). There is soooo much to do. You could spend your life in the museums and not see it all. And there isn't much that beats a lazy lunch out on the street eating a Croque Madame!

Sure, London can be fun, but it is sooo expensive and I will NEVER appreciate their public transportation. Mind the gap my a**! Build a real subway that works! Now, I probably did have the best night on the town of my life in London, but that had more to do with the Long Island Ice Tea and this bar's crazy shots, then the venues. The food, no matter what anyone says, is terrible. Now, I'm no connoissure of Chinese food, but even in China town it was the worst Chinese food of my life. Even American Chinese buffets beat it. Want a kebab? They are everywhere, but the Berlin donnes (sp?) are so much better that when I went back to England I couldn't stomach another bite of an English kebab.

On that note, Berlin was pretty cool, but I was just following my German speaking roommate around (he was living there at the time). I had no idea what was going on. Very big, very different from popular Western Europe locations, but definitely cool.

I just spent the last summer in DC, and it was incredible. I love that city, despite its ridiculous heat and humidity. I mean sometimes I would walk out of my office and would actually SEE the air. It wasn't fog, but it was hard to see the buildings across the street. Despite all of that, the metro is absolutely wonderful, though it could be more extensive. It is pretty expensive, but nothing like London. The clubs are a lot of fun, if you are young. I just loved the freshness of the city, its educated population (everyone seemed to have read the NYTimes or the Post by 10 am), the diversity, all the restaurants, and the politics. If you are interested in politics at all, a summer in DC will make or break that interest. You will love it or hate, I think.

NYC is, of course, a great city. I haven't really done the night scene in Manhattan (only a comedy club), but Brooklyn was fun. I love Little Italy (on that note, I should commend Boston. I can't get enough of North End and the people there.) I would definitely like to live in NYC for a couple of years, but wouldn't want to raise any kids there.

Well, that's all I can really say with any experience more than a few days, except that I love Firenze (Florence) and hope to never waste my time in Barcelona again.