Final thought on Australia - “Sydney, with its lush yards, immaculate beaches, stellar Asian food, and laid-back citizens, is a superior Los Angeles and might be my favorite large city in the world. Given that LA is my favorite large US city, it might be that I have a thing for sprawling suburban cities with Mediterranean climates, but I’m pretty sure, having talked to many other travelers with varied tastes, that it’s more about the quality of Sydney, and less about my own particular fetish."