As my last post may have suggested, Sydney has been treating me quite well. The weather has been gorgeous. My free afternoon was put to good (and busy) use. The conference itself has also been enjoyable, in a work-related way, although Friday and today were rather full days.
I do enjoy the camaraderie of conferences though, and the refreshed feeling I take away with me, full of ideas for new things to try and ready to return to work.
If I'm honest, conferences are also aided by hotel accommodation paid for by someone else. In this instance, at the Crowne Plaza, Coogee Beach.
This has also been my first 'adult' experience of Sydney, and brief as it has been, it's been nice to form some semi-coherent ideas of the city. I can hardly presume to know it well after such a short visit, but my memories from our family holiday when I was 15 were definitely faded - and my ideas of the city mostly stereotypical.
In truth, I have tended to define Sydney by how it differs (in my mind) to Melbourne, which I am more familiar with. Melbourne makes me think of cafes in lane ways, culture, parks and trees, a friendly city centre, terrace houses, good coffee, and cool weather (something I like). In contrast, I associate Sydney with a fast-paced life, a busy city centre, beaches and sunshine, heat (which I don't like), apartments, and beautiful people who work in business-y jobs or the entertainment industry.
I told you I was stereotypical :P
Some of those Sydney associations may be realistic, and having the conference based at
Coogee Beach (not far from the more famous Bondi Beach) has certainly cemented the beach associations.
The view from across the hotel looks like this...
My visit to the city also lent some support to the fast-paced idea, with an atmosphere of action that felt different to even the larger cities I've visited (London, New York). I'm not sure what it is. Unexpectedly, the acclaimed
Westfield shopping centre in the city centre also proved surprisingly scary. Prada, Chanel, marble floors, black walls, sparkly lights...I felt like I was in Dubai.
Please excuse the poor photo quality.
The atmosphere at Sydney City Westfield also made me think I might just get arrested for taking photos.
I'm all for shopping, but know when I'm out of my league!
This visit has shown me, though, that there is more to Sydney than those qualities (and indeed, those who actually live in Sydney may tell me I'm wrong about those too).
As yesterday's photos go some way towards showing, it is a beautiful city. The waterfront is gorgeous, especially in sunshine, and you don't have to be a beach person to enjoy it. The botanical gardens are right in the city centre, and the city itself might be busy, but it has a lot to offer - and older shopping arcades as well as the new, flashy stores.
Being able to walk and run along here in the morning is quite nice too.
The Coogee Beach area, around where I'm staying, has also turned up a few pleasant surprises, particularly of the food variety.
Good coffee...
A delicious rice paper roll with pumpkin and coriander...
And Maloneys Grocer, which provided a delightful local store, with fresh fruit and vegetables, packaged salads and pre-made meals, exciting frozen yoghurt and coconut ice cream varieties (sadly, not to be tried by me on this trip), and rather a lot of appealing snack and chocolate options.
I was very excited by the dark chocolate coated dried banana pieces, and couldn't resist buying a pack to take home, despite the rather extravagant price.
As most of my meals have been conference based, or with work colleagues, they have been fairly standard fare and gone unphotographed. I did have perfectly grilled barramundi last night, and was grateful to still eat fish, given the lack of vegetarian options at the restaurant we went to. Given that it was a seafood and grill restaurant, I think that was probably understandable though - and the fish was good enough to make me glad I chose it.
So all in all, a good few days, a lovely visit, and a lovely city. As this goes up I should be flying back (I hope!) to Perth, and whilst I'll be glad to return home and to Mr Bite, I'm pleased to have seen a snippet of what Sydney has to offer.
Have you had your stereotypes of a city challenged? Or have any additional insights into Sydney to share?
