Perth

It’s always exciting visiting a new city for the first time. The anticipation builds for me when I first see it from the distance, either by plane or car or boat. I wonder if the people are friendly, is it clean, will I be able to find my way around, is it safe, will I like it….. For Perth, the answer was a confident yes.

My first view of Perth came during the cab ride over from the airport. I couldn’t see much on the plane because we didn’t cross the city when coming over from Sydney. But the route my cab driver took brought us along the Swan River and straight in the central business district. Skyscrapers were congested into a pretty tight area, but everything looked like it was new. The architecture was modern and the condition of all the buildings looked good. I think this all particularly stood out to me since I’ve gotten used to the abandoned buildings and blown out windows that dot the New Orleans skyline. Even all the lights, sidewalks, roads and signs looked new. I later found out that this city was much smaller and quieter a decade ago, but the boom of mining and oil & gas projects have driven the city upwards in size and cost.
I was warned about the cost of living in Perth. Goods are a bit more expensive than I’m used to, but someone that lives in NYC or San Francisco might not be surprised. I also think the cost is affected by the weak American dollar, which currently exchanges about $1 US for a $1.05 AUS. I’ve been told that was much lower a few years ago, more around 1 to 0.70. Even so, beers, dinners, coffees, even Apple products are all more expensive than the equivalent US goods. I understand that cars are also much more expensive. Gasoline costs an equivalent of about $6 per gallon US; that prob explains why there are so many people using bicycles.

My time in Perth was short, but I got a brief sample of the culture and vibe of the city. I’m also building a to do list when I have more time there…I didn’t even get to put my feet in the Indian Ocean yet!