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Thursday at the Olympic Park
November 26th was Thanksgiving, so I took the day off to celebrate my American holiday with Matt from New York and my friends in Sydney. But in the morning, Matt and I took the train to the Olympic Park in the Homebush suburb of Sydney. The city of Sydney hosted the 2000 summer olympic games and I have heard a few people call that year a "turning point" for Sydney and Australia. I overheard an Aussie talking about it at the airport and he said that before 2000, Sydney was an Australian city and after 2000 it was a global city.
I think it would be exciting to live through that kind of transformation. If I lived in Sydney, I would be proud of being a world class city - especially considering its unlikely history as a penal colony for a late discovery-era England. The Olympic Park in Sydney is a reminder of that transformation from a dusty backwater to a modern metropolis. It is also a great public space for Sydneysiders and other Earthlings. It blends a set of buildings used for trade shows and sport events with a natural setting that highlights its uniquely Australian location.
Matt and I walked around and saw the main stadium and the stables. We walked over to the brick pit and walked about a third of the ring walk. I couldn't figure out what the ring walk was for until I found a description on the internet. The ring walk is a raised walkway that makes a perfect circle over the brick pit, which is flooded and reported to be a habitat for rare frogs. That's all it is... it doesn't mean anything and it was never used for anything other than walking over the brick pit in a circle. As you can see from my photos, it's rather large!
After walking back to the train station we were exhausted and it was starting to get very hot. We grabbed some cold drinks before getting on the train back to Central station in Sydney. In Central station we took a quick tour of the railway museum they have in the station.
We had plans to meet Cheryl later for a Thanksgiving Dinner so we needed to head over to the fish market to pick up some things to grill...
Darling Harbour and Star City Casino 5 March 2010 3:13 AM - 0 comments
After spending a few hours at the aquarium, I grabbed a coffee and we wandered around Darling Harbour for a little while. There was an exhibit set up by UNICEF where they took photos of children and asked them to draw pictures of themselves. The results were interesting and sometimes very funny and endearing. There was also an exhibit that discussed the history of Darling Harbour and how it developed into the pedestrian entertainment thoroughfair that it is today.
UNICEF Exhibit (Click thumbnails to see larger Photos)
We walked around the harbour and past the fountains and decided to go see Star City Casino where we could get a drink. We were going to get dinner at Astral, the restaurant on the top floor of the Star City Casino Hotel. The problem was we were both getting tired and the restaurant would not be open until later. We just found a place in the casino where we got a beer and rested our feet. After that, we walked back to The Rocks and had some bar food at the same sport bar that Cheryl and friends took me to before going to the observatory.
Star City (Click thumbnails to see larger Photos)
In 2007 on my first visit to Sydney I spent my last three nights at the Star City Casino Hotel because the hotel I was staying in for the first part of my trip was not able to extend my booking when I was asked to stay for an extra 3 nights. I really liked the room there and there is plenty to see and do around the casino and Darling Harbour.
Sydney Aquarium 3 March 2010 2:08 AM - 0 comments
The Sydney Aquarium is probably, for me, the main attraction at Darling Harbour. They have an impressive assortment of aquatic life, especially native Australian species like the saltwater crocodile. I had the day off after working all night, so in the late morning on Tuesday, November 24th I met Matt by Town Hall and we walked to the aquarium. People were starting to put up Christmas decorations everywhere, it was impossible to shake the novelty of seeing Christmas decorations in the middle of the summer!
Long-Necked Turtle
Saltwater Crocodile
A couple of things I really like about the Sydney Aquarium are the glass tunnels where visitors can walk beaneath the shark aquarium and where visitors can stand on the glass and see fish and other things beneath them. There is a viewing area where music creates an underwater feeling and visitors can sit down and listen and watch. I created a video to capture the feeling.
(Click thumbnails for larger photos)
On Conveyor Belts and Sushi 26 February 2010 10:12 PM - 1 comments
Sushi is the traditional Japanese equivalent to American fast food. It's quick, convenient, and neat. There are the standard condiments, specialized restaurants, and even a number of popular franchises. In Chicago, sushi is a more American experience. Typically the restaurants are upscale and in trendy neighborhoods. The food is ordered from a server who then relays your request to the chef. The food comes after a wait and then you eat and pay a check that's been tallied according to prices on a menu.
In San Francisco I learned about a whole new way of eating sushi. Conveyor-belt sushi! It is common in Japan and elsewhere in southeast Asia, but not so much in the American mid-west. The idea is the chef is always preparing whatever he feels will be popular or whatever he likes to prepare, and puts it onto colored plates and onto a conveyor belt that snakes its way around the entire restaurant. As the plates pass the tables, diners grab what they like and enjoy. The prices are set according to the colors of the plates, so once you're done eating you go to the register and they tally your bill.
Sushi Train (Click for larger Photos)
This is SO convenient! I am not sure it will ever be particularly popular among Americans because of the way most Americans appreciate having personal service and regardless of the reality, they want to feel their food is as fresh as possible. The idea of eating foods that may have been on a conveyor belt for an untold length of time concerns people. The conveyor belt is actually refrigerated and the plates have plastic covers to keep everything fresh, and I ate conveyor belt sushi several times each week while I stayed in Sydney with no ill effect.
One thing I really like about this is the small size of the portions, so you can just pick what you want and not waste anything. Also the fact that you are seeing the food before you "order it" makes it a no-guess operation. I really enjoy trying new things and the conveyor belt leading from the chef to me brings me not only the things I like, but the things THE CHEF likes... and this is fantastic!
Sushi Roll (Click for larger Photos)
I tried raw scallops, seared scallops, different preparations of oysters, a few different desserts made from bean paste, and lots of miso soup. There were so many different conveyor belt restaurants in Sydney it was impossible to try them all. Just on Pitt Street near my hotel I found four different restaurants in short walking distance. I really started to like Sushi Train because of their adorable decorating and the apparent popularity (the place was always busy) .. I also like Sushi Roll because they had sake (a Japanese rice wine) on the menu, the perfect thing after a long day of work.
Australian Museum 24 February 2010 3:26 PM - 0 comments
Matt and I took the train to St. James station and then walked to the Australian Museum. We would only be able to stay for an hour before they had to close, but that was long enough to see some cool things. We tried to focus on things that would be particularly Australian like the Surviving Australia exhibit. We walked quickly through some bird exhibits and the Dinosaur exhibit and finished up being chased out of the Indigenous Australians exhibit by a security guard wanting to finish his shift for the day.
(Click thumbnails for larger photos)
Manly and North Head 23 February 2010 10:19 PM - 1 comments
On Sunday, November 22nd I didn't have to work, so I decided to go with Matt across Sydney Harbour to see the beach town of Manly and take a walk to North Head. The ferry trip was only about 15-20 minutes but was very scenic. We passed close by Fort Denison and were able to see North and South Heads from the ferry. The heat was already making the air hazy and we were expecting the day to get hotter!
(Click for larger photos)
Manly is a small town on a strip of land between the North Shore area and North Head, a rocky outcrop that guards the north side of the entrance to Sydney Harbour. The beach was already fairly crowded despite a dangerous current and fierce waves. We had a quick breakfast and then started walking up the cliffs.
(Click for larger photos)
It really started heating up and our thermometer read 43C / 109F by the time we reached the top of North Head. We were drinking a ton of water and sweating it out just as fast. I was frequently distracted by the exotic plants that decorated the area. There was a park museum at North Head where we stopped in to ask where we should hike, the rangers seemed very concerned about the heat. It did feel hot, but we were determined to finish our hike!
(Click for larger photos)
After walking back into Manly we caught the ferry in the nick of time back to Sydney. On the way back I really started to feel the heat! We got back to Circular Quay and ducked inside the Quayside Brasserie for some cool air. I ordered a beer and regreted my decision within minutes. The day was still pretty young so we decided to go to the Australia Museum where it would definitely be air conditioned!
Company in Sydney 22 February 2010 12:06 PM - 0 comments
Being in Australia puts you into a time zone that makes talking to friends back home slightly inconvenient. The morning in Sydney is the evening in Chicago and evening in Sydney is the middle of the night in Chicago. I end up chatting with friends through instant messenger during the early hours of the morning. One morning I was chatting with Matt and suggested that he take Thanksgiving week off and come visit me in Sydney. I could show him around the city and he could get some sun.
Matt lived in the suburb next door to where I grew up. We've been friends for almost 15 years now. When Matt booked his trip to Sydney I was a little bit surprised but mostly excited to see my friend again and share what I love about Sydney and Australia with a like-minded countryman.
I got up early to take the train to the airport to meet Matt and help him get his bearings. We got a taxi back into the city and he dropped off his luggage at his hotel. We took the monorail to Darling Harbour for breakfast at Nick's. The air conditioning on the monorail was not working and the city was starting to heat up... the temperature inside the monorail cars was at least 90F/30C.
(Click Thumbnails for Larger Images)
We walked around Darling Harbour for a while since Matt was waiting for his room to be ready. After being on airplanes for 24 hours, all a person wants to do is take a nice shower. After stopping back at the hotel we were ready to do some sightseeing. We walked to Circular Quay and past the Opera House. Then through the Botanical Gardens and back into the CBD. We went up into Sydney Tower so we could see the city from above and I could point out where we'd walked and where I've been. After that we went back to the Circular Quay for a quick dinner and then called it a night. The next day we would be going to North Head for some hiking so we wanted to be well rested.
(Click Thumbnails for Larger Images)
Sydney Tower
(Click Thumbnails for Larger Images)
Dinner at the Quay
(Click Thumbnails for Larger Images)
Sydney Observatory 20 February 2010 6:23 AM - 0 comments
On Tuesday, November 17th - the week after seeing the sculptures by the sea - Cheryl invited me to go with a group of her friends to the Sydney Observatory for a guided tour. I would need to work at midnight to put some new servers into our APAC website environment, so this would keep me occupied until then... and I love this sort of thing!
We met at the Circular Quay to grab some dinner at a sports bar in The Rocks. After that, we walked up to Observatory Hill where I got some nice pictures of the surrounding harbour and city. Then we went inside and started our tour.
The Sydney Observatory is the oldest on the continent of Australia. We were able to get a live demonstration of a historic 29 cm refractor telescope built in 1874, the oldest telescope in Australia in regular use. The tour guide pointed it to a clock tower in Sydney, it through the eye piece in reverse. After that, we went to the other tower of the observatory and got to see Jupiter and two of its moons through a modern 40 cm Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope.
Sculpture By The Sea 19 February 2010 4:41 AM - 1 comments
Things really started to heat up in Sydney later that week. It hit 30s/90s (C/F) toward the end of the week so it seemed like a great time to hit the beach. Cheryl picked me up and we went to Clovelly Beach to start our walk around the beaches. This also happened to be the last weekend of Sculpture by the Sea, an annual sculpture exhibition / competition that takes place at the beaches of Sydney.
We also walked through Waverly Cemetery, which dates back to 1877 and occupies a beautiful space on the cliffs of Bondi. A picture is worth a thousand words, so here you go!
That is a view across the rocks toward Bronte Beach just south of Bondi Beach.
There were signs that said things like, "Memory 300m" and "<-- Past" "Future -->" pointing in different directions. I liked this one "You are here" the most. There were parrots in the trees, but they were hard to see clearly because they kept hiding in the leaves. I finally got this clear view of one. The Cemetery was really beautiful and a small island of quiet between the loud beaches.
Here is some of the artwork we saw during our walk: (Click for larger picture)
After the walk Cheryl and I were both a little sunburned on the face. I didn't wear any sunscreen, but just got a little pink. Cheryl was wearing some SPF 2billion and still got burned on her nose enough to peel! I am surprised I had such a good resistance to the sun, I have a pretty light complexion.
Cooking with Walken 17 January 2010 3:24 AM - 0 comments
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