Quote from Andy62279:
Sydney would probably be on my top list. People are friendly, lots of things to do. I've only been there during summer, and I'm not too sure about the other seasons. For the size of the city, I was really impressed with how clean it was.
I forgot what it's called, it's the harbor there. They have laser light shows there every night. Well there's tons of restaurants and clubs there. What a great city
You're looking at it from a "visiting" perspective, I'm looking at it from a "living there" perspective.
The light shows, the beauty of the Darling Harbor area, that stuff gets old pretty quick.
If you've got money, lots of it, and can afford to live in the northern side, in the nice areas, well, probably Sydney's better. But it's expensive. If you're forced to live in the South or the West, better brush up on your Arabic.
I'm not that rich, so this is one of the deciding factors for me. For those who've never had the "fortune" of living around a bunch of Arabs, lucky you. Our very own Wael is a good example of your typical Arab. Loud mouthed, gets offended and starts kicking up dust at the drop of a hat, forever bragging about how tough he is, up to the eyeballs in hypocrisy. (And before anyone starts jumping, I'm from a minority group myself.)
The crime level in Sydney is a lot worse than Melbourne, and increasingly turning violent (influenced by all the "hip hop culture" if you ask me...increasing use of guns). Areas at a comparable socio-economic level in Melbourne are much more pleasant, less "grimey" looking.
Other points about Melbourne:
- Universally recognised as Australia's "most European" city. Huge numbers of Italian, Greek and exYugoslavs. (Third largest Greek city in the world, including Greece.) (Also lots of Asians, strong Vietnamese, Chinese communities. The mayor is chinese, and can barely speak english).
- Biggest casino in southern hemisphere. (It's very good, too. I lived in Vegas, and only a few Vegas casinos better it, imo. Sydney's is a joke.)
- Less traffic than Sydney (lot less), because the road system is so much better organized. I used to live 25km from the city centre and could make it home in half an hour during rush hour. Try that in Sydney, lol.
- Less (openly) gay than Sydney. In Sydney gays have little compunction about holding hands or kissing in public, whereas I've never seen that in Melbourne. (Not really juding anything here, just an observation. Comes down to personal preference.)
- Melbourne's more sophisticated, fashion-wise. People tend to dress up more to go out. More vibrant "cafe culture" (more Italian restaurants than Rome, it feels like.)
(- Another observation: virtually no aborigines in Melbourne.)
Really, the only thing Sydney's got more in its favor is the beaches and the climate (although Melbourne is far from cold).
Take it from me, the people in the know will look past the glitz and choose Melbourne. I could live in either one, and I've got much more family in Sydney than Melbourne, yet I choose Melbourne.
Kidding. Good question... I haven't heard of anything bad about Colorado either.
The concentration of population in Colorado will become almost one continuous stretch from Colo Spgs to almost the Wyo border. Denver, like all cities, has a sickly, brown layer of air surrounding it most days. Our views and clear air on the Front Range likely won't last forever.