Sydney: Tops for World's Most Friendly!

[TLCOhio]

Congratulations Sydney!!  From Condé Nast Traveler magazine two days ago, they had this headline: “10 Friendliest Cities in the World" with this sub-headline: "The bustling metropolises you loved most this year, from Oceania to Mexico.”

 

They asked questions about: Did an outgoing local go out of their way to give you directions? Easy to navigate? Get good vibes from the people around you?  They picked the ten best cities in the world for this important category in their Reader's Choice Awards survey.  

 

Here are their reporting highlights for this Australia superstar: “Let’s face it: You can’t beat Sydney. The beautiful seaside city has always been beloved by our readers, and now it’s even earning high marks for its friendliness factor. This should come as no surprise (Aussies are famously chummy), but the next-level lifestyle of Sydneysiders really must be experienced in person. And if you need another reason to visit, consider that Sydney has some of the best beaches and coffee shops in the entire country.” 

 

Full story at:

https://www.cntraveler.com/gallery/2015-08-14the-2015-friendliest-and-unfriendliest-cities-in-the-world?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=cnt&utm_mailing=CNT_Daily_PM_112223&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_medium=email&bxid=5db3f99524c17c23c34ecf3e&cndid=6657468&hasha=e1ca3019f9f535a4b98389997c63b892&hashb=7daf2541a0de702392cfe60ed513a5c2d1d23598&hashc=f541a9e649534cc2931bd57d58d8c2cac2bb8c5d298f722bad5b05cc8ad5ece2&esrc=IDCONDENAST_REGGATE&utm_term=CNT_Daily

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Sydney to NZ/Auckland Adventure, live/blog 2014 sampling/details with many exciting visuals and key highlights.  On page 23, post #571, see a complete index for all of the pictures, postings.  Now at 246,392 views.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1896175-solstice-live-australianzhawaii-many-pix’s-jan-20-feb-3/

[lyndarra]

Victoria BC #1. Congrats to Lyle and his mates.

[MicCanberra]

It seems Sydneysiders may be okay after all.

[arxcards]

There must be a lot of nasty cities in the world. I don't consider Sydney to be unfriendly or unsafe in any way, but I wouldn't say it is outwardly friendly either.

[MicCanberra]

53 minutes ago, arxcards said:

There must be a lot of nasty cities in the world. I don't consider Sydney to be unfriendly or unsafe in any way, but I wouldn't say it is outwardly friendly either.

Depends who you meet, I suppose.

[Jean C]

Oh dear, no mention of the Kiwis. We're often left off world maps, maybe they just forgot about us 🤣

[NSWP]

2 minutes ago, Jean C said:

Oh dear, no mention of the Kiwis. We're often left off world maps, maybe they just forgot about us 🤣

Arn't you part of Straya ? 😁 You are friendly then.

Edited November 23, 2023 by NSWP

[Jean C]

8 minutes ago, NSWP said:

Arn't you part of Straya ? 😁 You are friendly then.

I'm a Brit, always a Brit 😊 Born and bred there for 2 decades, next 50 decades in NZ, but I still claim to be a Brit 🤣

[SinbadThePorter]

1 hour ago, arxcards said:

There must be a lot of nasty cities in the world. I don't consider Sydney to be unfriendly or unsafe in any way, but I wouldn't say it is outwardly friendly either.

 

Not to Queenslanders. 😜

[NSWP]

7 minutes ago, Jean C said:

I'm a Brit, always a Brit 😊 Born and bred there for 2 decades, next 50 decades in NZ, but I still claim to be a Brit 🤣

Rule Brittania and God Save the King !! 🤴

 

[Jean C]

2 minutes ago, NSWP said:

Rule Brittania and God Save the King !! 🤴

 

Rule Britannia definitely, not so sure about Charlie-boy though!

[MicCanberra]

3 hours ago, NSWP said:

Rule Brittania and God Save the King !! 🤴

 

Please, wash out your mouth with soap.

[MMDown Under]

12 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

hehPlease, wash out your mouth with soap.

I went to a Senior's Great Britain Concert in our beautiful City Hall this month  Disappointed it wasn't  the traditional Rule Britannia concert.  Last year we even had small British flags like The Proms.  The young married couple of musical theatre singers were excellent though.  The BCC puts on free Concerts for Seniors in the City Hall on Tuesdays.

[MicCanberra]

I suppose they would need to be free.

 

It's behind you.

[TLCOhio]

Great to see that this original posting attracted some attention and interest.  Yes, Sydney gets lots of positive coverage for many good reasons.  

 

For those of us living in the northern hemisphere, do we need to consider winter escapes?  Plus, do those down under like reading more favorables about Sydney and Australia?   From Condé Nast Traveler magazine earlier this month, they had this headline: “19 Warm Places to Visit" with this sub-headline:  "The only ice you’ll see is in your cocktail.”

 

Here are some of the highlights: “Sydney:  Average winter temperatures: High of 80 degrees, low of 65 degrees.  Those summer hemisphere summers start to look really good as the temperatures drop back home. Sydney is always a great place to stay for a week or two, with golden beaches, surfable waves, and incredible restaurants. If you need a break from the student crowds (it is their summer vacation, after all), you can always take a quick day trip to the Blue Mountain region or dreamy Northern Beaches.”

 

Full story at:

https://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2014-04-30/places-winter-nonexistent?redirectURL=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cntraveler.com%2Fgalleries%2F2014-04-30%2Fplaces-winter-nonexistent

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Canada 2022/2023: Scenic visuals, details from Canada Maritimes (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton Island).  Plus, new from Aug. 2023, exploring historic/charming Quebec City.    Visual/Info Summaries:

www.flickr.com/photos/196555480@N08/albums

[arxcards]

8 minutes ago, TLCOhio said:

Great to see that this original posting attracted some attention and interest.  Yes, Sydney gets lots of positive coverage for many good reasons.  

 

For those of us living in the northern hemisphere, do we need to consider winter escapes?  Plus, do those down under like reading more favorables about Sydney and Australia?   From Condé Nast Traveler magazine earlier this month, they had this headline: “19 Warm Places to Visit" with this sub-headline:  "The only ice you’ll see is in your cocktail.”

 

Here are some of the highlights: “Sydney:  Average winter temperatures: High of 80 degrees, low of 65 degrees.  Those summer hemisphere summers start to look really good as the temperatures drop back home. Sydney is always a great place to stay for a week or two, with golden beaches, surfable waves, and incredible restaurants. If you need a break from the student crowds (it is their summer vacation, after all), you can always take a quick day trip to the Blue Mountain region or dreamy Northern Beaches.”

 

Full story at:

https://www.cntraveler.com/galleries/2014-04-30/places-winter-nonexistent?redirectURL=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cntraveler.com%2Fgalleries%2F2014-04-30%2Fplaces-winter-nonexistent

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Canada 2022/2023: Scenic visuals, details from Canada Maritimes (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton Island).  Plus, new from Aug. 2023, exploring historic/charming Quebec City.    Visual/Info Summaries:

www.flickr.com/photos/196555480@N08/albums

Just a caveat for those overseas. The price of accommodation in Sydney has shot up significantly this past year. While the US currently has good buying power here, it won't be noticed too much. When our currency returns to "normal" levels, Sydney will look expensive.

[Bubbeh]

Clearly this was written, assessed and awarded by someone who'd never been to Mandurah!

[arxcards]

2 minutes ago, Bubbeh said:

Clearly this was written, assessed and awarded by someone who'd never been to Mandurah!

I hope those fires are out soon.

[Bubbeh]

6 minutes ago, arxcards said:

I hope those fires are out soon.

Thank you for that comment.  Our daughter, son-in-law and grandies live in Tapping one of the areas issued with an Evacuation Order.  We've had a few worrying days but they said today that the worst seems to have passed them by and while they're still on a Watch and Act, they feel much safer today than yesterday.  Terribly for others though that have lost their homes.  

 

It's not something you would normally expect in the area, Tapping, Ashby, Banksia Grove etc are all suburbs not bushland lifestyle areas.  We've always had an evacuation plan but I think sometimes its easy to become complacent about things like that when you live in a suburban area.  

Edited November 24, 2023 by Bubbeh

[MicCanberra]

40 minutes ago, Bubbeh said:

Clearly this was written, assessed and awarded by someone who'd never been to Mandurah!

Manda-who?

[MMDown Under]

46 minutes ago, Bubbeh said:

Thank you for that comment.  Our daughter, son-in-law and grandies live in Tapping one of the areas issued with an Evacuation Order.  We've had a few worrying days but they said today that the worst seems to have passed them by and while they're still on a Watch and Act, they feel much safer today than yesterday.  Terribly for others though that have lost their homes.  

 

It's not something you would normally expect in the area, Tapping, Ashby, Banksia Grove etc are all suburbs not bushland lifestyle areas.  We've always had an evacuation plan but I think sometimes its easy to become complacent about things like that when you live in a suburban area.  

Glad you daughter's family has missed the fires.

After the last big floods in Brisbane, Suncorp Insurance put insurance rates up significantly.  I phoned up and said "I live on top of a hill", why has my insurance gone up?  He replied your property is high risk because you have bush at the back.  In addition you have tall gum trees on your boundary, which can't be trimmed/removed.  We weren't so worried about bush fires then.  Like you said, bushfires can be in the suburbs.  We've never had an evacuation plan.  

[Bubbeh]

3 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

Manda-who?

Can-what? 😉

[Bubbeh]

3 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

We've never had an evacuation plan.

Assuming we're given 30 minutes to evacuate, our Plan includes packing 3 days clothes and a jacket each, a weeks worth of medication, grabbing our phones and banking cards, the insurance documents and the hard drive with the family photos.  My job; phones, credit/debit cards, clothes and insurance documents.  Grumpy; medication and hard drive.  Everything else we leave and cross our fingers.

[MicCanberra]

I hope it doesn't come to that, best be prepared anyway.