Archives for category: Sydney
security detail on macleay st
tiny dancer on victoria st
subway station under elizabeth st
sky blue mg on king st
see a trend here? either i have really bad luck traveling or i have superhuman meteorological powers. i like to think it’s the latter.
so i’ll keep this short and sweet. apparently, london had one of the hottest, sunniest weekends ever. in sydney, it was rainy and cold. to that i say feh! you can still have a great time! try this:
1. shop like mad. i ❤ the boutiques of william st. especially the corner shop, which stocks label lovers’ marc jacobs, alexander wang and opening ceremony but also quirky accessories from emerging designers.
2. eat sushi. try toko after a marathon shop up oxford street in paddington. simple, fresh and uncomplicated. just like it should be.
3. take a stroll in sydney’s hyde park. the trees are so lush they’re like umbrellas (even in winter).
4. take the ferry to manly. great views even if it’s pouring.
5. climb the sydney harbour bridge. or just watch the insanity from afar. why you’d want to climb 400 feet in the air in pouring rain is a bit beyond me.
6. go sailing. loads of people do it rain or shine.
7. or just kick back and watch the view.
8. have a late lunch at manly ocean beach house overlooking the surf.
9. read the paper overlooking the surf.
10. take your time finishing lunch overlooking the surf.
11. enjoy the journey. even if it is just a ferry.
host: table for two? it’ll be about 5 minutes. let me just take your name and mobile…
me: it’s a UK number, is that ok?
host: oh no that won’t work…just need a way to find you then. (looks me up and down)…ok (writes) ‘reallly…white…legs’
and so went my first dining experience in sydney. seemingly unintentional insults aside, it was a most excellent dining experience…not to mention, a most excellent first few days in this chilled out, stylish, diverse and strangely familiar ‘city of villages’. here’s how day 1 and 2 went:
sunday 25 may
arrived at 6am after a superb 22 hour flight on qantas (highly recommend requesting exit row upon check-in, even though they’re going to start charging 160 AUD…so worth it)
breakfast (lunch? dinner?) of poached eggs, sausage and toast at a restaurant in the centre of brunch mecca on macleay st in potts point
quick hop on the subway two stops to bondi junction to spend the afternoon watching the surf at bondi beach
back to elizabeth bay around 7 for a dinner of fresh salmon at gazebo wine garden (see ‘really white legs’ incident)
monday 26 may
give in to the jet lag around 6am and go for 10 laps in the indoor pool of the building where we’re staying (bliss!)
coffee and a poached egg al fresco at the charming and quintessential sidewalk cafe fratelli paradiso off macleay street
stroll up paddington’s enticing oxford street to check out the array of vintage, local designer and high end label boutiques…nice. i’ll be going back to belinda, shag and the paddington markets on saturdays
taxi (about $20 AUD – lazy but worth it for the nice view on the way) to sydney harbour to tick the tourist box that is the sydney opera house
next, a lavish seafood lunch (and martini) at wildfire overlooking the harbour – we shared the wildfire selection with king prawns, sydney rock oysters, pacific oysters, blue swimmer crab, balmain bug, mussels, tartare of ocean trout (about 30 quid) and then a ‘decontructed’ banana split. wow.
then back to potts point to meet lovely friend liz for a glass of prosecco at gazebo wine garden (i’m a sucker for punishment)
it’s safe to say i’m going to like it here…
the suspended lute 