New York Times on Wellington
A nice profile of Wellington in the New York Times:
IT was a Saturday night in Wellington, New Zealand, and the denizens of Cuba Street were proving that the ’80s aren’t dead. A performance group decked out in unitards, Lycra G-strings, leg warmers and fluorescent wigs was dancing almost in rhythm to tunes like “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and “Like a Virgin,” occasionally inspiring the crowd to join in. Farther down Cuba Street, clutches of the young and restless spilled out along the pedestrian mall on their way from bar to restaurant to cafe, many ending up at nightspots like the Matterhorn to catch the latest hot D.J. from Ireland or Ethiopia. In the middle of the mall, one of the city’s signature landmarks, the Bucket Fountain, dropped water from one bucket to another and onto passers-by, causing them to shriek and jump into one another’s arms to dodge the spray. …
Back on Cuba Street while the dance troupe was still shaking those leg warmers, we struck up a conversation with a truck driver who paints and a construction worker who makes films. (In the less-modest United States, they’d be a painter who drives a truck and a filmmaker who works construction.) Both avowed that Wellington was by far the most avant-garde city in all of New Zealand, and to prove it, they decided to find us the kind of cool bar that could be found only here.
First, they tried Havana Bar off a side street in two connected colorful, Cuban-style shacks, but despite its lively atmosphere and available tables our friends immediately pronounced it “dead.” We finally ended up at a place called Mighty Mighty, where the band was playing psychobilly rock. We perused the drinks menu, which was hidden in a vintage record sleeve, and observed the wildly decked-out patrons, some dressed in afro wigs and others in lederhosen.
My wife and I looked at each other, and then at our impromptu guides, their point well and truly made: Wellington is cool. We get it now.
It is indeed the coolest little capital city in the world.
In terms of other capitals, I do love Washington DC. Canberra is probably the most boring. London is cool also.
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September 12th, 2011 at 11:07 am
The Royal Mile in Edinburgh is write up there in my book.
September 12th, 2011 at 11:09 am
The review sounds ironic to me.
September 12th, 2011 at 11:12 am
Too bad the weather sucks a big one here huh
September 12th, 2011 at 11:17 am
It’s amazing what people think is cool.
September 12th, 2011 at 11:19 am
How dare the author come here when our rivers are polluted. The Greens must be more vocal about telling tourists to stay away from New Zealand until we have sacrificed our economy to have pristine rivers and lakes.
September 12th, 2011 at 11:34 am
Wellington would be quite cool, if not for all the Cuba St try-hards.
September 12th, 2011 at 11:51 am
It might be cool DPF but as a long time resident of the capital you also have to say that it is a fucking dump when it comes to the weather.
September 12th, 2011 at 11:51 am
“It’s amazing what people think is cool.”
Yes Lucia, some idiots even think God is cool.
September 12th, 2011 at 11:56 am
Patronizing fucking Yanks. Wellywood is a hicktown as we Jafas well know.
September 12th, 2011 at 12:00 pm
Well I for one enjoy my infrequent visits to the capitol.
It is compact & alive, relatively safe and fun after hours.
September 12th, 2011 at 12:03 pm
Scott Chris.
Well said.
And really, the term or phrase “avant-garde” is just another way of saying wanker.
Still, at least Wellington has one thing going for it……..it is not Christchurch (pre quake I mean) with it’s overwhelming number of bigots and outright racist morons. Wellington can also be thankful that it has not followed Canterbury where marrying ones sister seems to be the norm.
September 12th, 2011 at 12:14 pm
Sheesh Bruv; you need to get out more …
September 12th, 2011 at 12:18 pm
Bloody hell Bruv, how did you cast from Wellington to inbred and moronic folk in Christchurch?
Ya got me buggered.
Take your meds mate, the crossed wire may well go back into place.
September 12th, 2011 at 12:47 pm
Auckland is more. More culturally mixed, more rich and more poor, more “avaunt-garde”and more”conservative”far more beautiful, friendlier in climate and outlook The rest of the country are a bunch of hicks and weirdos
JAFA=Just Another Fantastic Aucklander
The only thing wellington has is the capital which distorts the cultural spend to benefit the few
September 12th, 2011 at 12:55 pm
No offence Wellington but I’d still rather go to Rome, London, Berlin, Amsterdam, Buenos Aires, Dublin, Prague, Stockholm etc etc
I guess it depends on what your definition of “cool” is??
September 12th, 2011 at 12:58 pm
I like most of NZ’s cities, they all have a certain something in their own way dependant on how “provincial” they are.
I mean take W(h)anganui for instance, it’s got a river.
Dunedin has something.
Whangarei has something else.
Even good old Palmy has its high points, like ummmmm……….. I will get back to you on that one. Oh yeah those lice on the landscape called windmills.
Rotorua has things.
Tauranga, now there is a city with more…more fantastic eateries, more good pubs, more fishing in the Bay, more surf at the Mount, more sheilas in the summer, more beautiful and a more friendly climate, just more thats all.
September 12th, 2011 at 12:59 pm
lofty Don’t forget more cancer
September 12th, 2011 at 1:09 pm
True Griff, and more of those bloody battery powered old farts buggies. Friggen menaces. But apart from that it is a great wee city.
Being a foodie, the choices of eating out and high quality tucker are very very good.
September 12th, 2011 at 1:12 pm
Oh and Tauranga has less for more, I forgot.
Less services etc for more rates.
September 12th, 2011 at 1:57 pm
I have to say that Austin is my favourite capital city so far. Great weather, awesome nightlife, and the Texas Capitol is bigger than the one in DC. Also, big college town, so you get all those hot UT girls
Ooh la la!
September 12th, 2011 at 2:38 pm
I understand Moscow is cooler,better architecture too.
September 12th, 2011 at 2:52 pm
Victoria Capital of BC in Canada is a very cool little city.
Vancouver is IMO the best city in the world that I have been to, but its not a capital.
September 12th, 2011 at 4:22 pm
Standing at the rugby last night next to some yanks ( USA vs Ireland ) , they were talking amongst themselves about how far behind NZ is in as far as advancement in infrastructure and such goes. One said to the other it’s like the 80′s, just look at the big screen, it’s smaller then the local college one. I turned to them and said “yeah it’s shocking, we were going to get a bigger one but the printing press broke down, so we got to get a new one of them first”. They didn’t say much after that.
September 12th, 2011 at 6:38 pm
“Canberra is probably the most boring”
I’m a mid-20s kiwi who’s lived in Canberra the last couple of years. Whilst the city lacks the in-your-face nightlife of Sydney and Melbourne, it certainly has a lot to offer. Breathtaking scenery and wilderness of the Brindabella ranges and surrounds, skifields on your doorstep, mountain bike trails throughout the city, sailboating/rowing on the lakes etc.
That said, the heavily planned, ultra-low density layout and austere feel of the central city puts a lot of people off, and it’s often written off as boring without fully appreciating what there is to do here.
September 12th, 2011 at 6:43 pm
ssb, I don’t get it…
September 12th, 2011 at 7:03 pm
adze, The US is a superpower that supposedly leads the world and many from that country are happy to let the rest of the world know it. Unfortunately this has come at a huge cost that is conveniently forgotten. They are now over 14 trillion dollars in debt and print money like there is no tomorrow. It’s easy to put things on tick but someday the devil will collect his dues. Yes the US may have all the flash toys but there will come a time when the dollar is only useful in the littlest room in the house.
September 12th, 2011 at 7:22 pm
Scott and BB.
What have Auckland and Wellington got in common?
Neither can run a bloody train service properly.
September 12th, 2011 at 8:11 pm
Even after a major disaster, transport around Christchurch was still easier and less stressful than any normal day in Auckland. And Wellington? FFS. God help them when a real disaster hits.
September 13th, 2011 at 3:49 am
Think you’ll find every American college would look down at the facilities that Wellington has – not paid for by the Govt but through private donations and bequests.
As for Welly being the coolest… whilst I love coming back for a few days every 2 or 3 years, it’s far down my list as cool.
Cool capital cities in my humble opinion includes, Edinburgh, Prague, Riga, Tallin, much of SE Asia (albeit not “little” cities).
Kiwis who have not travelled before get an awful shock when they realise that the world doesn’t revolve around NZ.