First trip to Sydney

You cannot stay put very long in science; there is always a travelling excuse around the corner (meetings, conferences, experiments) waiting for you to leave the bench and hit the road. My first Australian job-related journey took me to Sydney, to visit collaborators.
I don’t enjoy so much traveling for work anymore, or at least not as much as I used to. If it’s not an official vacation, I’d rather work in the comfort of my lab and office, then go back to my family at night. For this reason, I decided to jam my Sydney sightseeing into one full day (Sunday), while I’d be working on Monday, Tuesday, and be back in Brisbane Tuesday night, on time for the Easter weekend.
 
Sydney is a big city, but it CAN be done in one day if you really want or have to- although I’d suggest spending 2-3 days in Sydney itself, and some (a lot) more time to visit the beautiful NSW surroundings. So here is the plan, or how I did it.

8 AM: Departing Brisbane. Note that I went through security check with food, water, and shampoo in my carry on, and that nobody asked to see my ID before I checked into my hotel 10 hours later. It was as easy as catching a flight in the 80s.

9:30 AM: Landing in Sydney is very similar to landing in La Guardia for the 1st time, when you think that this damn pilot missed the turn and now you have to keep flying above the ocean for 20 minutes and no good reason.

10:30 AM: The airport train took me to Central Quay, after 30 minutes of waiting, one train change due to station remodeling and for AU$16. I chose Central Quay where I wandered on the piers, and from there I walked my way to the opera. Where I did take some lovely cliché- pictures, as expected of any good tourist in Sydney.

getting ready for a british wedding

11:30 AM: Entering the Royal Botanical Garden. This place is an ode to the British art of gardening. Luxurious, gigantic, peaceful: perfect.

Government house

The large areas of grass where you are invited by official signs to step and lie on, although you have to share it with birds; the hidden thematic gardens (the Asiatic one is so quiet and precious); the little kiosks and the garden's shop. From there, you also get a nice view on the harbor and the bridge. The garden is the nest of the government house, which you can visit for free (if you arrive on time; I didn’t). On the front porch, you can see the steps that helped the governor wives get in and out their carriage without effort. Now, how cool is that?

I also spent a good 15 minutes looking at the amazing bats flying around in the daylight.

1PM: stop for lunch in one of the numerous cafes of the garden, to enjoy a delicious shepherd pie and a diet coke (very hot day).

1:30PM: Heading toward the NSW art gallery. It’s free, except for the temporary exhibits, and I got to leave my heavy backpack at the coat rack (thanks god!!!). The collection is eclectic to say the least, and covers a broad range of French and British 18th-20th century classics, some interesting Aboriginal art, and some more recent acquisitions such as a Gilbert and George... I got lucky enough to see the art of 12th graders. I know exactly what you’re thinking now, so I dig up the website where you can read about the concept and about this year's winners.
I couldn’t take any picture since I had only my cell phone, flashlight of which I cannot deactivate, but go see for yourself: walkthrough the exhibit and let me know if they're good or what. The creativity and the talent of these 17 years-old kids totally deserve a spot in National Museum. 

From up there you see all Sydney

3PM: Taking detours through the city, I walked my way through crowded streets full of performers (from the gipsy/spanish guitar player to the acrobats) to the Observation tower. The view is nice from up there, but I was disappointed not to be able to go outside on the roof.

3:30PM: Walking my way back to Darling harbor through the city, and across the shopping strip. Darling harbor deserve its name, it's cute as can be and did remind me of SF or Montreal piers to a certain extend. Maybe because of the big war vessel, or is it the aquarium and the shops? Anyway, touristy, crowded, and yet cute. I did look for the Chinese garden that is supposed to be close-by but could not locate it.

5:50 PM: It started to get dark and I decided to head toward Darlinghurst before the rain would start. I arrived to a sweet little hotel (l'otel, very original name?!), where I got upgraded to a bigger room with a nice-size deck and free Internet; you have to appreciate a good surprise when you see one. 

7PM: applying lotion on my sunburns while writing my grants and my new blog entry.

7:30PM: out for early diner. I ended up in a small Japanese restaurant. Tiny and packed, it looked like a canteen, and I was the only non-Japanese face here, but for another girl with her Japanese boyfriend and a older guy with his Japanese family. The food there was cheap and delicious, and I regretted to be alone because I would have loved to share some rolls and sashimis. You know this memory of taste and smell, when you eat a candy that tastes like childhood? Well, this place tasted exactly like London 15 years ago, when I discovered Udons with Nico and Alex.

I’ve heard that you can dance your ass off all night in King's Cross, but I also read online that it can be very dangerous to do so. My danger tolerance considerably decreased about 20 years ago or so and has plateaued around -5% since then, so I decided against verifying myself whether the Internet reviewers are cowards or wise people. I have to say, I did hear from my opened windows the cops driving through the lively night till morning hours, and some people seemed to be having a good time out there. That being said, the Cross is quieter on a week night, and on Monday it looked more like Brooklyn than Harlem already.