Adelaide a world best city to live in

The Advertiser: Adelaide a world best city to live in :

"International business publication The Economist has named Adelaide as one of the world's most desirable places to live, in an international survey of 127 cities."

Vancouver is at the top with Sydney and Perth equal fifth with us. We have also been named as one of the world's best business destinations.

This last week has just reminded me why I like living here. You have to get out of Adelaide to see other sights and sounds, but for daily living Adelaide suits me fine. Last Friday Gouger Street was jam packed with everyone out in the terrace cafes and restaurants enjoying a warm evening and a great meal after a hard week at work. The atmosphere was very cosmopolitan. It didn't matter poor Gauchos looked like it must have had a bad fire in the kitchen. Everyone was sympathetic but stayed out of the way and just let the guys get on with the job. They seemed to be tackling it very positively. Gauchos is one of our great Argentinian restaurants. We were headed for a really great evening and meal at one of the top restaurants in town and we were not disappointed. The service was so professional everything was going like clockwork, but in a very unobtrusive fashion. The food was superb and the Clare Valley Knappstein Gewurztraminer went down a treat. It was a warm balmy evening so we had a table opening up onto the street. Adelaide was winding down in a very mellow way. Then my trips to town on the train take me along the coast. It's a superb view. Everyone gets out their book and off they go..enjoying the view and the latest read. There is nothing isolated or anti social about this. Should you speak to one of the commuters, you'd get a very friendly response...but we use our travelling time for dreaming and reading. Wish they'd fix the train windows. They are so scratched. Then the coffee. Doesn't matter where you go for coffee, you get a good cup and a choice. Same with the herbal teas and it is never a problem if you do not drink in a pub or a restaurant. Our food venues cater to the individual and that is what is good. If I go supermarket shopping I get a happy conversation at the checkout and if I am looking for help I get sensible answers to my questions. I like shopping in Adelaide. Today I was in Borders buying books and CDs. The girl at the check out was drooling over my French CD and I can guarantee she'll probably give French CDs a bit of a look now but it made me feel good about my purchases! People like to share here and it's nice. We have our nasties and our anti socials but they are not really given airplay not even when they demand it. We are basically a friendly lot but we run on the notion you want your own space and if you want help you will ask us. And then, wherever I drive here, I have a great view of the ocean or the hills. Green and blue...and crunchy brown in the height of summer. From this point onwards we have the Tour Downunder and then all the Festival of Arts events. We have a busy calendar. Nothing overwhelming. Nothing in your face... just good stuff to get involved with and plenty of wide open spaces if you want to get away from it all.People who come here appreciate the space and the fact they can choose what to do and it's a city where you can be a family and do family things. This last week Adelaide has impressed me and today when I was in town it looked like they had given it a good polish. It was clean, airy and solid looking. Once they clean up Hindley Street, we'll be right!!