Philadelphia? Or Toronto With Palm Trees?

Much more so than anyplace in New Zealand, Melbourne feels like a big North American city. (Not surprising: its population of 3.5 million makes it more than twice as big as Auckland, and puts it in the same range as Seattle.)

The building heights, densities and grid pattern of the sometimes-narrow streets reminded me initially of Philadelphia, especially because Melbourne also has far fewer of the sidewalk roofings so characteristic of New Zealand (I don't know if that is because of the climate or architectural taste):


Where Melbourne differs from U.S. cities is its mix of Victorian rockpiles and ultra-modern constructions. (And while Sydney too has its share of rockpiles, aside from the Opera House the ultra-modern is in far shorter supply there.) Here's a sampling:



In the "ultramodern" department, the Federation Square arts and shopping center was particularly striking:



Ultimately, I came away mentally comparing Melbourne to "Toronto with palm trees," and I'm not quite sure why.

It has been nearly 20 years since I was in Toronto, and while I remember it having typically New World architecture, I don't remember either the old or the new being taken to such extremes. Certainly Toronto has trams, just like Melbourne (although Melbourne has many more of them); certainly both cities are flattish, ethnically diverse, and divided into distinctive neighborhoods.

There are, of course, big differences in the Canadian and Australian personality. Melbournites in particular seemed jovial, cheerful and informal (quite a contrast to the New Zealanders, who deployed a bit more distance and a much drier, British-style wit, though they weren't as reserved as people in the mother country).

But both Melbourne and Toronto seemed to lack a certain edge, which Sydney, more like the United States, has in abundance. Both cities are the kind of place where people go about their lives in an orderly way and where the shops close just a little too early.

Comfortable places to live (except for the Torontonian weather). But maybe not exciting.

Then again, I was only in Melbourne for 24 hours. Which is not enough to get under its skin.

Check back on this blog in a few years for updated impressions.