Upper West Side To Upper West Coast

Our journey from NYC to San Fran, via Japan, Indonesia, and Australia

[ashbonyc-blog]

We had one awesome night out on the town, Sydney style!

 For dinner, we went to Mr. Wang’s in the CBD. It’s down a secret back alley and is in an awesome space. We went at opening because we heard there were lines, but at that time it was totally fine because it is a HUGE restaurant. It was so cool- it seemed like you were eating in a shipping warehouse that was trading with the Orient. I also loved seeing the roast ducks on a spit- straight out of Chinatown! The food was awesome. We got dumplings, the roast duck, bok choy, and stir fried rice. While that seems like standard Chinese fare, it was super fresh and high quality ingredients and is definitely one of my top Chinese food dinners ever. Yum!

After dinner, we met up with my friend Kim. I interned with Kim 6 summers ago, and she’s now an expat living in Sydney. It was fun seeing a friendly face (besides Dan’s) after almost a month of travel. We did a 3-stop bar crawl in Sydney’s CBD.

First on the list was Shirt Bar, where you could order either a cocktail or a dress shirt! Yep, there was a bar in the middle of a suit store. It was fun for the novelty factor, but we didn’t buy any shirts.

Next up was Baxter Inn, which is the most comprehensive whiskey bar I’ve ever seen. They must have had 300 bottles of whiskey from all over the world, and their staff was super knowledgeable. The bartender asked our preferences and managed to recommend whiskies that suit our individual tastes. It was a little bit of a mob scene because it was Friday night, but it was very cool. 

The last stop on our crawl was Grandma’s, which we loved. It had a pretty funny décor- it mixed Grandma chic with a tiki bar vibe. We each thought our tiki drinks were fabulous. Highly recommended!

[ashbonyc-blog]

The next day we focused on the waterfront of the CBD (Central Business District, aka ‘downtown’). 

We started by walking through the very nice Royal Botanical Gardens. Every Australian city (at least that I’ve been to) has a Royal Botanical Gardens, and Sydney’s was super nice. It’s right in prime real estate- on the water and with the city’s skyline rising up behind the trees.

From there we walked to the other side of Circular Quay to visit the historic Rocks neighborhood, the oldest neighborhood in Sydney. The Rocks is so named for the giant pieces of stone the neighborhood was built on. It has a very colorful history- convicts, salt of the earth marina workers, and a preponderance of bars gave it a checkered reputation until pretty recently.

For lunch, we went to the Rocks Foodie Market. It’s sort of like NYC's Smorgasburg but on a smaller scale. The Rocks also hosts a gifts and clothes market on Saturdays, which I visited last time I was in town.

We went to the Rocks Discovery Museum, which was good for context but wasn’t super exciting. I learned that when the settlers first landed there, they wiped out a huge section of the Aboriginal population with smallpox (sound familiar?). I also noticed one difference between early colonial Australia and early colonial America. Australia was settled about a hundred years after America, so I’d say that life was easier for the average colonial Australian with the modern luxuries that had been invented by the 1860s. (Life was not easy for the settlers that were in one of the penal colonies of course! I’m talking about free people).

Then we went on a tour of the Susannah Place Museum, which my inner history nerd really enjoyed. It’s very similar to the Tenement Museum in New York (which incidentally I’d also really recommend). Like the Tenement Museum, the tour tells the story of real families that lived in the four apartments at Susannah Place. When the buildings were built in 1844, the residents were solidly middle class. People lived in the buildings until relatively recently (despite the fact that the building never installed indoor plumbing!). My favorite factoid from the tour was that I learned the origin of the phrase ‘don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.’ The only running water the residents had access to was outside, and it had to be boiled as there was clearly no hot water heater. So, people only had a real bath once a week and used sponge baths in between. The mother of the household would heat up the water and put it in a large tin tub outside. The father got to bathe first, then the mother, then the children from eldest child to youngest. So, you had to be careful to not get rid of the baby when dumping the (probably filthy) water. Now you know too!

I had planned on doing one of the art museums in the afternoon, but we ran out of time. Instead, we went and checked out Darling Harbour, which is sort of a combination of New York’s South Street Seaport and Times Square (complete with a Madame Tussaud’s and Hard Rock Café). While the view of the marina was pretty nice, I was glad to have only spent 20 minutes there. Skip it!

[ashbonyc-blog]

Even though it was winter in Sydney, we wanted to enjoy the iconic beaches. It should be noted that winter in Sydney meant 65 degrees and sunny. Ha! 

We did the famous “Bondi to Coogee beach walk,” though we did it in reverse starting in Coogee. I found out later that Coogee is pronounced more like ‘Cudgey,’ crazy Aussies! The walk is awesome- the path generally is right on the ocean and it’s very well marked. We did it in a very leisurely 3 hours or so.

Along the way we saw some very pretty scenery as we walked through various beach neighborhoods. The ocean color and the cliffs were not too hard on the eyes. We also passed lots of surfers, swimmers in saltwater pools, and what has to be the cemetery with the nicest view in the world.

We made it to Bondi just in time for the sunset, which we enjoyed from the Bondi Icebergs Swim Club. The Icebergs club has a saltwater swimming pool right next to the ocean. While people do swim year-round, no one was in the pool when we were there- the waves were super high and were crashing into the pool!

After sunset we had a delicious dinner at North Bondi Fish, a waterfront restaurant on the north end of the beach. Mmmmmm!

It was really nice having the beaches and the walkway mostly to ourselves. In the summer months, Bondi alone can draw tens of thousands of beachgoers a day!

[ashbonyc-blog]

Whoops! A whole semester went by and I didn't finish posting about our trip! Time to catch up!

---------------

After the zoo, we had a fancy evening at the opera. Of course the Sydney Opera House is one of the most recognizable buildings in the world (and how Nemo knew he had made it to Sydney!). It is super cool to see it in real life.

 We had a pre-opera dinner at Aria, a restaurant from which we could see the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. We expected the food to be mediocre, because when you have a view like that the customers will come no matter what! But it actually was a very tasty meal. 

We went to see Rigoletto, which we actually found very boring. It was worth it though, just to see the inside of the Opera House. (Pro tip: you can just book a tour, which lets you enjoy the architecture without buying a show ticket.) Afterwards we had drinks at the Opera House’s outdoor bar, which takes advantage of the great Circular Quay views.

What a quintessentially Sydney evening!

[ashbonyc-blog]

The next morning we took a ferry from Circular Quay (pronounced ‘key,’ those crazy Aussies) to the Taronga Zoo. It’s a world class zoo, comparable to San Diego and the like, and it’s situated on a hill facing the Sydney skyline. It also has all of the silly Australian animals- what’s not to love? 

While they have all of the regular zoo animals like elephants and such, we decided to skip that so we could spend more time with the Australian animals. 

I enjoyed a nice visit with the koalas- I find them incredibly cute and endearing. Fun fact: they sleep so much because eucalyptus does not have very much nutritional value, not because they’re high (as pop culture suggests). We saw kangaroos too, though they’re pretty boring compared to some of the other things we encountered.

We had an exceptional visit with a platypus! His (I actually don’t know if it was a male or female) enclosure was indoors and in near-darkness since he’s a nocturnal animal. Platypuses are awesome because they don’t seem like they should be a real animal- in fact when the first specimen was brought from Australia to Europe the scientists believed it to be a hoax of several animals sewn together. Our zoo platypus was especially great because he was super active. He did barrel rolls in the water, climbed onto branches hanging above the water, and was generally charming. Unfortunately it was too dark to get a clear picture of him in action.

Another animal we really enjoyed was the echidna. The echidna sort of looks like a porcupine with an anteater’s nose. Both the echidna and the platypus are monotremes- extremely rare egg-laying mammals! The echidna is hilarious to watch. It must have a flexible spine because it ripples back and forth as it walks. It’s actually very cute for something that’s spiky!

We also saw the Little Penguin, which is the smallest species of penguin in the world. As you might imagine, they are super cute. And we got to see a cassowary, a giant bird that lives in the tropical parts of Australia that is one of the closest living dinosaur relatives.

It was fun sharing these crazy beasts with Dan. Some of them you have to see to believe!

[ashbonyc-blog]

After Bali and our adventures in the Outback, I was glad to be heading to a city. And not just any city- a world-class city like Sydney! Our Airbnb was in the trendy Darlinghurst neighborhood and conveniently located near everything. I felt like a real Sydneysider, if only for the 5 days we were there.

Sydney is so great because it’s totally cosmopolitan but it still retains the beach culture at its heart. The center of the city is only 30 minutes from the best beaches, which results in the image I have in my head of a Sydney businessman running to the beach wearing a suit and tie and carrying a surf board (I have no idea if anyone actually does this).

On the evening we arrived in Sydney, we decided to check out its bar scene. One thing that’s changed since I was there last (in 2007) was that a liquor law change made it easier for small bars to operate. Sydney has embraced bar culture just as you’d imagine Australians would.

First we headed to Pocket, located close to our apartment in Darlinghurst. It nailed the Brooklyn vibe perfectly, down to the Edison bulbs. We had really yummy dinner there- I had the tasty pumpkin gyro. (Sidenote one- Aussies LOVE pumpkin on everything. Why is this? It’s a mystery to me. A delicious mystery.)

Then we went to Shady Pines Saloon, which was a spectacular recreation of an American Wild West saloon. There were all kinds of taxidermied animals on the wall, including a hilarious bear. American country music was playing, there was an American flag, and behind the bar there was a string of lights where each light was a Budwiser can. I think it was a better interpretation of Americana than any actual American bar could pull off. I had a strawberry lemonade gin drink which came complete with a real fruit popsicle! Dan’s drink was house-made gin fizz that came pre-bottled in a glass soda bottle. (Sidenote two- this bar needs to exist in Brooklyn, the hipsters would flock to it.)

The only bummer about the evening was the cocktail prices. As we were starting to realize, while the USD and AUD were converting at close to a 1:1 ratio when we were there, the “Big Mac Index” was not in our favor. That is to say that equivalent things were much more expensive in Australia. As New Yorkers we don’t blink at a $14 cocktail, but we felt robbed by a $20 cocktail, which seemed to be the going rate.

We went to bed well fed and watered, ready to see more of the city!

[ashbonyc-blog]

Uluru's lesser known cousin, Kata Tjuta. #latergram #katatjuta #australia #UWStoUWC

[ashbonyc-blog]

Seeing a moonrise from Mars? Nope! Just a big, rusty rock! #latergram #uluru #australia #UWStoUWC

[ashbonyc-blog]

The most famous rock in Australia, for good reason. #latergram #uluru #northernterritory #australia #UWStoUWC

[ashbonyc-blog]

The next morning after our Uluru hike, we woke up super early to watch the sunrise. It was hard to get out of our warm beds, as it was actually 0 degrees Celcius outside. We knew that other parts of Australia would be cold as it is winter down under, but we weren't prepared for it to be that cold so early in our tour there. Whoops! Then we drove to Kata Tjuta (silent T, just pronounced Joo-ta). Kata Tjuta is Ukuru's less famous but equally stunning sister rock formation. Instead of being one big rock, it looks like a series of mounds above the ground. Under the ground level though, it is actually one big rock that goes really deep like an iceberg. It's also made of conglomerate rock (shout out to my seventh grade earth sciences teacher for teaching me that term) instead of sandstone.  We went on a three hour hike through the mounds which was a truly awesome experience. It's unlike anything I've ever seen, and I have seen some crazy things in Utah and Arizona in the US. With the wind whipping around and the unusual terrain, I felt like I was on a moonscape (or perhaps more accurately due to the color, a Mars-scape). Public Service Announcement: do not miss Kata Tjuta if you go to the Uluru park. Soooo good!

[ashbonyc-blog]

From Alice Springs we joined a tour with Wayoutback Safaris to head to Uluru. You may have heard of Uluru as 'Ayers Rock,' the European name for it, or you may just know it as the giant red rock that's an icon of Australia.  We were a little afraid that Uluru would be just a big red rock, and underwhelming. We were pleasantly surprised on the upside- it was awesome. It is strikingly gorgeous and otherworldly, and unsurprisingly it is a very sacred site for the local Aboriginal people. It is possible to climb to the top of the rock, but the Aborigines ask you not to because it is disrespectful to tromp all over something that has such meaning to them. We didn't climb, and I didn't feel like I missed out on the experience.  Instead, we walked around the base of Uluru. Up close, it was really interesting! When Uluru was formed millions of years ago, it actually pushed up through the ground sideways. This resulted in the rock striations being vertical instead of horizontal. Also, up close you can see what gives the rock its red color- it's rusting! The iron in the sandstone turns red as it rusts, and also makes the rock look craggy and peeling. There also were several caves that looked like waves, which were formed by debris being blown at the base of the rock for thousands of years.  After our hike we got in position to watch the sunset, a must-do for any Uluru tourist. We didn't get a spectacular sunset, but it was still very pretty to watch the rock glow as the sun slipped below the horizon. We ended the evening with kangaroo bolognese (I'm actually not kidding) cooked at our camp. Several tour mates opted to sleep in swags, aka self-contained sleeping bags, but I chickened out and opted for a bed in one of the permanent tents. Before bed, we appreciated the magnificent stars, which of course included the ubiquitous Southern Cross and also a visible Milky Way! So awesome. 

[ashbonyc-blog]

Feathered or leaded? #outback #northernterritory #australia #latergram #UWStoUWC

[ashbonyc-blog]

Our leg of the Ghan terminated in Alice Springs, which is essentially smack dab in the middle of Australia. It's not close to anything! Alice has a quirky and fun feel to it and hosts lots of festivals throughout the year. There's a camel race festival, and a dry boat race where people run down the course carrying other people in boats. Ha! We hit up the Sunday morning market and had a delightful breakfast at Page 27, a cafe that seemed like it belonged in a much more cosmopolitan place. After that we stopped by the Royal Flying Doctor Service, an amazing Australian institutions.  The RFDS is a network of small planes that provide medical care to people in rural parts of Australia. Australia is about the size of the size of the U.S., but the population is much more sparse. The majority of the population lives on the coasts, so the center of the country is super rural. An injury in the middle of the country meant death in the olden days, until the RFDS was invented. Now, basically anyone is 2 hours from care regardless of how remote their cattle station is. So cool! We also went to the Women Pioneers museum. They had lots of information on women that were the first to achieve something in various fields (one type of pioneer). But the stuff I found most interesting was the information on women pioneers in the frontier sense- the first European women to brave the Australian frontier. I tried imagining what it would have been like to raise a family in relative isolation like that, but I don't think Pioneer Ashley would have lasted that long.  Alice was a fun day trip, and I'm glad we stopped by on our way to Uluru.

[ashbonyc-blog]

Sunrise over the Outback. #latergram #northernterritory #ghan #australia #UWStoUWC

[ashbonyc-blog]

Sunrise on the Ghan sleeper train, rolling through the Outback. #latergram #ghan #northernterritory #australia #UWStoUWC

[ashbonyc-blog]

We had to get between Darwin and Alice Springs. We could have flown, but where's the fun in that? Instead, we decided to take a trip on Australia's legendary long-distance train line, The Ghan. We only went half of the route to Alice Springs. It actually goes all the way to Adelaide, which is the entire North-South distance of Australia.  Since we were going to be on the train for a full 24 hours, we debated splurging for a sleeper car so we could experience the journey in a true old-timey manner. It was triple the cost of the budget car, so we declined. The Red Service (i.e. budget service) ended up being great, as the seats reclined nearly flat to sleep. It was fun zooming past the countryside (though bullet train it was not!).  The lamest part was when we stopped for four hours in the town of Katherine. We then realized that the Ghan is basically a cruise ship on wheels, because the train offered excursions (and its main clientele was on the older side). We did a way too expensive river cruise excursion so we didn't have to sit on the stationary train for 5 hours. It was nice enough, but Karherine Gorge would have been better explored via kayak and with a longer time period. As we left, we saw a huge colony of bats sleeping in the trees- that was almost worth the price of the cruise.  The train's departure from Katherine was delayed, so our bus driver compensated by giving a 40 minute tour of Katherine, the most boring town in existence. The commentary was along the lines of "here's a school, here's a pub, here's a soup kitchen."  It was stuff out of a sketch comedy, and we were both dying.  But back to the train. It was fun eating in the cafe car, where we were served by Wayne. Wayne was a retired airplane steward in the Australian military, and he told us all about his fascinating former job. Besides doing all of the things a normal steward would do, he also had to learn idiosyncrasies of various diplomats and foreign cultures, lest he cause an international incident by saying something rude. Needless to say, he got to meet some very important people! Sleeping was uneventful and pretty comfortable. Seeing the sunrise over the Australian plains was really memorable- the clouds stretched endlessly towards the horizon.  We'd give the Ghan experience two thumbs up! It was much better than a plane, and fun to check off of our life experiences list. 

[ashbonyc-blog]

Right next to the border of Kakadu National Park lies Arnhemland, a territory set aside for the Aboriginal community that is the traditional owners of the land. Only a few non-Arnhemlanders are allowed to enter the territory each day, so it was quite a privilege.  The grainy picture of the two boulders perched precariously above the trees is thought by some to be the original landing point of the Aborigines when they first arrived in Australia via boat. (The land we were driving on was underwater for millions of years.) Amazing fact: the Aborigines are the longest continuously existing culture in the world. Experts have dated Aboriginal settlements to 50,000 years ago, with recent scholarship suggesting it may have been even longer ago.  Our first stop in Arnhemland was Injalak Arts Center, which features artists from the nearby community. We were able to see some artists at work making screen prints, paintings, and woven baskets. There was some really awesome stuff! I settled on a small basket that I knew I could fit in my suitcase, but could have easily bought more.  Next we went to see some Aboriginal art sites, led by our Aboriginal guide Gary. There was art everywhere on the hill we walked up! The 'paint' is actually naturally occurring ochre mixed with fat. Most of this art depicted animals and was meant to be a guide for what animals could be safely hunted and eaten.  It is really amazing how Aboriginal knowledge has been passed on for tens of thousands of years through both the oral tradition and the rock paintings. Traditions remain very strong, and this is because boys and girls learn them when they are initiated into adulthood. They are very careful to pass on their knowledge to the next generation. Sort of like me learning my Grandma's meatball recipe, but on a whole other level.