Its Opera House rivals Spain's new Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. And, unlike many cities in the United States, it has dispensed with race as an issue. Instead, Sydney is now showing an appreciation of its history and its culture. It is exhibiting the vision, pride, imagination and experimentation of a city that aspires to greatness for itself and for the quality of life of its people. But, there are vulnerabilities Transportation will be Sydney's Achilles heel, as it was in Atlanta in 1996.
Traffic jams are rampant.
I predict that the incoming visitor in September will face a situation where gridlock is the norm rather than the exception. As an example, Qantas Airways Ltd., the major airline carrier to Australia, won't be able to handle the challenge based on its current performance. My recent experiences with Qantas, at least on its international routes, were cause for mutiny. I first flew the airline in 1970 and, for the intervening period, it has stood as a great, proud airline and worthy representative of the country whose flag it flies. But, sadly today, it operates as nothing more than a cattle car.