Anyone who has ever traveled with me should be able to attest that I hate to waste time. Yeah, it’s true that I often run off and roam inefficiently, but doing something is better than doing nothing. I’ll sleep when I’m old, or dead. Which ever comes first.
First example of an inefficient expedition was at 6:30 Monday morning. I woke up feeling good, all things considered (see the post about our night out after the acoustic show), and in hindsight I was probably still drunk. But that was not going to stop me.
The glimpse of early-morning sunlight peeking through the drawn shades was enough to know that I had to go, but the realization quickly hit me that I didn’t really know where. Even before I descended upon the Sydney streets I knew I was too late to catch the sunrise, but that didn’t mean the Harbour Bridge and Opera House wouldn’t still be a sight. Of course, I was a bit soft in the head from the boozy-do the night before so reading the map in my pocket was not going to prove an easy task.
A sculpture on Oxford Street.
I opted instead to start with the familiarity of Surry Hills and Crown Street. I hit up a market for some fruit and a bottle of water, and just by luck, struck up a chat with the fella working the drawer. As it turned out, I learned he once lived in Des Plaines, Illinois, and has family in the suburbs around Chicago. The topic of climate difference was a given at that point, and he swore he could never return to the extremes of the Midwest. Over the next couple days I learned all to well why he would say such a thing, but more on that later.
The one thing I did specifically want to ask was where I should go to watch the sunrise. Without hesitation, he said; “Bondi Beach”. For some reason, I can only think of the end of that film with Keanue Reeves and Patrick Swayze in which the band of renegade surfers (led by Swayze) rob banks wearing masks of former Presidents as disguise. I doubt that scene took place at Bondi, but it’s fitting in my mind.
Taylor Square area of Sydney.
From the corner of Foveaux and Crown I set out to find nothing in particular and was not disappointed when my jaunt through Sydney concluded back at the Vibe Hotel three hours later. Without even realizing I managed to find my way to Oxford Street and Taylor Square—two places that were recommended to see, as well as the business district where I strolled along in tourist bliss next to men and women hustling off to earn a living.
Hyde Park, Sydney, Australia
The Aussies have been nothing but welcoming and accommodating at every turn, to the point of feeling ashamed for being so ignorant about their way of life. Yeah, the band has been down under before so they were not as taken aback by the hospitality, but when the episode of The Simpsons going to Australia is considered a worthy topic of conversation, you should probably try a little harder to connect with the locals.
What does that have to do with my trek around town? I’ll tell you. I have two criticisms of Sydney, and Australia as a whole.
- Why is it so difficult to find a trash can? I don’t get it. Sydney is almost immaculate. No litter, no graffiti, but no trash cans either. They must repurpose better than any other country I’ve been to, or everyone walks around with pockets full of rubbish until they get home at night.
- Why is it so difficult to find a public toilet? You would think that with the number of coffee shops and cafes that there would be an insane demand for places to have a piss. Seriously, not even the Starbucks near the park had a loo I could use.
Okay, i just needed to get that out of the way.
St. Mary’s Catherdral
From St. Mary’s Cathedral I moved toward the Skydeck Observation Tower, and then through the streets of downtown Sydney. There is no easy comparison of Sydney to any one city in the States. It’s the most like New York, but outside the downtown, and away from the harbour , it feels more like San Francisco. At the same time it’s not unlike Chicago, especially the Magnificent Mile and financial district. Still wandering without purpose, I snapped away with my digi and did my best to soak it all in.
I returned to the hotel around 10:00AM. Scott and Bryan were just attempting to brave the new day. I went to the lobby and got us coffee and then just chilled for a little while until the afternoon excursion to the harbour.
