h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

..and why?

Currently I'm split between Dublin (Ireland) which is probably the friendliest city and Sydney (Australia) which is spectacularily beautiful and has the good weather.

What think ye?

Give me London everytime!!

So much to do, so much to see.
Every type of pub, club and restaurant you could wish for.

I spent 6 years working down there in the RAF, and STILL did not see or experience it all - Give London a try!!!!

'G'

London's a bit frenetic, which can get on your wick after a while (kind of like New York). I enjoyed Wellington, NZ when I was there (but that was in 1970, so it just might have changed since then).

Nicest town/city I've been to in recent years is Annecy, France. Nice view across the lake, not too built up, but not too much of a backwater, either.

Amsterdam. What more is there to say.
BCNU - Crescent

In descending order here are my top ten:
Dublin - unlike almost everyone else,when the Irish get drunk they're still friendly.Great theatre festival
Amsterdam - for the obvious reasons and it's pretty and not over-run by cars. Super museums
Sydney- beautiful and so's the weather. Splendid ferries
Shanghai - getting back to being exciting and the old buildings have been lovingly cleaned
Gdansk - during the summer only - the music's great and the street market's not too bad a rip-off
Lincoln - for all the reasons mentioned in Dunx' article
Barcelona - part of my mis-spent youth
Glasgow / Edinburgh - ditto: I once went to a wedding that started in the former and finished in the latter
Birmingham - another place that's been nicely cleaned and has nightlife,theatre,music,great pubs,canals and scads of good multi-cultural things
and the City of London for historical reasons, both national and personal. Although some of the other villages that make up Greater London are also great, the whole thing is too big to be a favourite (yes I know the population's smaller than Shanghai)

Sydney...

Becaused you get heaps of drunk but friendly Irish guys, everything you get in Amsterdam (and almost as easy), the weather is a lot better there. And it comes with all the trendy, hip flavourings as well as some dingy, old pubs that are open 24h a day

Just gotta love that city...

Chili

If I was going to pick a place that wasn't NYC, I would choose Mexico City. It's got warm weather, great museums, friendly people, and an incredible history. I would like to go to Sydney and Amsterdam, though; I think I'd like those places a lot.

I thought Sydney was a toilet, personally. Perth is my recommendation... wonderful weather, and I found it to be a warm and inviting place. Very easy to get around in, too. And the nightlife was outstanding. The closest second I could offer is Portland, Oregon, which has all of that stuff except the weather. The downtown parts of Portland are very clean and attractive, too.

Prague

A very interesting mix of styles and colours some really nice scenes all in the centre within walking distance and many surprises as well.

Gooday everyone,

SYDNEY. You know it makes sense. Prague, Bruges and Paris are mighty fine, too. And Earls Colne (which isn't technically speaking a city but it is among my favourite places).

Walter

Speyer. I lived and worked there for some 10 years in all (3 living, 7 working) . It is full of historical sites and very quiet and provincial and totally unspoilt. Has everything. One of the cradles of the Reformation, over 2000 years old, and the people know how to celebrate. Was once alleged to have the highest proportion of pubs per inhabitant in this country.

Driving in to work with the sun going up behind all those towers and churches used to bring a lump to my throat every morning.

I challenge you to find it on the map.

Gooday Trillian's child,

I can't find Speyer on the map 'cause we don't have an atlas at work, but isn't it that lovely medieval town on the Rhine not far from Heidelberg? If I remember correctly (where is the photo album when you need it), Speyer has a wonderful cathedral associated with the Habsburg Holy Roman Emperors. Nice, but SYDNEY is still the one.

Walter.

Spot on, Walt. Very good. Perhaps I would prefer Sydney if I'd been there. But I haven't.

I haven't been many places.

Dublin:- the first time I went there I stayed in the wrong part and I was with my mother and we were scared witless, and the hostel was full of French schoolgirls who stayed up and ran around all night. The next time we stayed in a better part of town and I fell in love with the town.


Sydney:- If when you go to Sydney and you don't see the harbour it is a toilet. But once you see that harbour it is like magic, and especially if the sun is out, it totally transforms the mundane to the beautiful.

Melbourne:- I'll try not to be too procial, is my town. It is a beautiful city, with it's river running through it and its many gardens, you can always find somewhere to sit on the grass and enjoy what is going past. You could have all four seasons in the one day it is so generous. When it rains, the buildings are magnificently dark and Gothic, made mainly of a dark blue/grey stone. In addition, when the sun shines it sparkles.

Come and visit me in my town Melbourne.

Gooday Moondancer,

Couldn't agree with you more - Melbourne is a great city. But Sydney a 'toilet'? I'll put that comment down to the rivalry and parochialism that bedevills relationships between Melburnians and Sydneysiders. Or are you just a little jealous because of all the attention that is being paid to Sydney right now?

SYDNEY: STILL THE ONE. Or Earls Colne if you prefer something a little smaller (or a lot smaller).

Walter.

Very envious of Sydney's Olympics. I don't dislike Sydney, It is a great place for a holiday, and I have had a few there. But as a city to live in or close to, it is not the greatest. (toilet was a bit rough I took it from an earlier quote)

Hi Walter how about this spot, no one has been here for days. Come talk to me and i'll show you how to do the faces.



Moondancer

I cant talk to you now I have a man from the tax office to talk to

London is great, but unfortuately with London you get the English weather so forget the 'cafe society'.

Paris is beautiful - the weather is more reliable, the pubs don't all suddenly close at 11 o'clock, the food is fantastic (and a lot cheaper than London) and it is generally more laid back than London.

If I had to live somewhere, it would be Perth (Australia) - where my brother lives. As far as I can see, it has everything you could want (including fab weather). - No doubt, all you Aussies will disagree.....

For a holiday/weekend it has to be Venice - the one place that is equally beautiful in the Winter mist as it is in the Summer sun. There are no cars (therefore no fuel crisis), the food is fantastic, the buildings are spectacular the people are charming and there is the unique feeling of stepping back in time, which you will find nowhere else in the world.

Oh, I don't think I can pick just one. How about a shortlist.....

Seattle - a very liveable city and a great place to visit

Granada - If only for the Alhambra

Seville - Wonderful tapas, flamenco and sunshine

Galway - Beautiful surroundings, lively city

Prague - Wonderful, wonderful for a long weekend break

Birmingham - I had some of the best years of my life living here

Aberdeen (Scotland).
Aberdeen has everything: Ancient university buildings and cobbled streets. Granite tenements. Modern (oil industry) buildings on the edge. Big enough to have everything a city should have. Small enough to get to know. A two mile beach of sand, working harbour, parks, gardens, shops, theatre...... Placed between the River Dee, big enough for rowing, and the River Don with otters. Within easy reach of the Grampian mountains, the wide and winding tree lined Dee valley, umpteen Scottish castles....