5/20/2012: Sydney

 

 

 

 

 

Now in Sydney. There has been no blog the past couple of day because of no internet service.  I wasn’t willing to pay for it in the hotel because we weren’t there very long.  Brenda, Brett and Marlo walked over the Harbor Bridge.  David, Chase and I didn’t go because we’re afraid of heights and/or falling.

Sydney is a wonderful city in, it seems, all respects. It’s great for residents and great for visitors. The transportation system is awesome: busses, subway, monorail and ferries. 26,000 residents commute daily by ferry. There are many museums; I went to the Australian Museum of Contemporary Art three times in two days. The restaurant scene is also great.  Brenda and I went to Malady, recommended by the magazine on the airplane.  Really great Malaysian food.  We arrived early without reservations.  We were fortunate to get in; by the time we left the place was packed with young, well-healed locals.

Sydney seems large. Brenda saw it from two perspectives. First from the top of the bridge and on Friday we rode several ferries to different parts of the city.  So how does it compare, population wise, with the rest of the world. Surprisingly, only number 73.

Of the 23 largest cities, those with populations over ten million, only 8 - Mexico City (#3), New York (#4), Sao Paulo (#7), Los Angeles (#12), Moscow (#14), Buenos Aires (#17), London (#18) and Rio de Janerio (#22) – are in the western hemisphere.