K+S In The City: Day 4- Museum & Aquarium Day

Monday morning we woke up intending to go to Bondi Beach to embark on the Coogee to Bondi coastal walk. Kristin and I threw on our swim suits, applied sunscreen and stuffed my backpack with towels, but when we hit the road we discovered that the sun which had been shining in the a.m. was now covered by masses of grey, billowing clouds. The occurrence of precipitation, however, was not certain. We looked at each other: to go, or not to go to Bondi, that was the question. We decided to forgo the beach and opted instead to do some indoor activities. This was a wise decision because an hour later the rain was pouring down from the sky- not ideal beach weather.

First up was the Museum of Contemporary Art. Visiting museums make for perfect rainy-day activities.  The museum was...nice. It was small. There were only two floors with artwork on display which took us no longer than one hour to view. The one display that stands out in my mind was a series of wall projections in dark rooms, and which I remember it because it was so creepy. The images projected ranged from a disturbed human face to glasses breaking to blankness of nothing. These coupled with the creeking sound of the projection reel slowly turning round and round left the hair on my arm standing straight up. I felt like at any moment a psycho killer was going to jump out and attack me. My fears turned to laughter when we decided to make some artwork of our own by sitting in front of one projection and making hand animals on the wall: birds, rabbits and dinosaurs were are best masterpieces. Perhaps better than the actual museum galleries was the museum gift shop. It was full of awesome books and we spent practically more time browsing these, especially the ones dedicated to fashion, food and traveling.

The Museum of Contemporary Art

Next we hit the Sydney Aquarium, which I had yet to see. The aquarium was great. The creatures that live under the sea are simply spectacular, unique, intriguing and fun to see. Unfortunately, Kristin's camera ran out of battery at the aquarium so I was the official picture taker and I don't have those to share with you- yet. I assure you, however, that the moment I get them (and I will, fingers crossed I will) I will post them for you to see because they really are cool.  I give the aquarium two thumbs up though.

By the time we exited the aquarium the rain was pouring down, and my flimsy umbrella was unfit to protect us both. Soaked, we hopped a cab back to my apartment to dry off before dinner. Then we joined  Sara and some of her friends who are now also mine- Louise, Mike (friend's of Sara's from her time studying abroad in London) and Matt (a friend of Sara's through a mutual friend)- for dinner at a sushi restaurant down the road. The company and food (yummy, cheap sushi!) made up for the crummy weather. Sadly, this would not be the last of the rain which persisted to drench us for the majority of the remainder of the trip. But I assure you, we didn't let this rain dampen our attitudes or our fun!

K+S In The City: Day 3- Darling Harbor & Chinese Garden of Friendship

Sunday morning we awoke and headed to Darling Harbor. Unbeknownst to us, there was a rowing competition taking place that morning so the harbor was vibrating with colors, people and boats. We enjoyed a lovely lunch along the harbor watching the competitions take place.

Then we made our way to the Chinese Gardens of Friendship (an obvious destination and must-see attraction on our list). The Chinese Gardens were incredible! They were stunningly beautiful, tranquil and serene. The moment we entered the gardens it felt as if we were transported out of the hustling city and into a foreign land thousands of miles away. It was a great escape, and even more great to enjoy the majesty of the gardens together.

Seeing as Sunday was the actual date of Halloween and seeing that we are Americans, we of course celebrated the silly holiday of costumes and candy again. Sara, Aubrey, Kristin and I ventured around the city partaking in the Halloween festivities that abounded.  

K+S In The City: Day 2- Sightseeing In Sydney

Saturday morning Kristin and I awoke to a beautiful, sunny day in Sydney. We threw on our clothes and wasted no time getting outside to see the iconic tourists sights of the city.


First Stop: The Royal Botanical Gardens


I took Kristin on the path that runs between the outskirts of the gardens and the ocean, the same path I run each morning when I go on my jogs. This path offers an incredible view of the Sydney Opera House and harbor. When we finished taking pictures galore, we headed into the gardens to explore the exotic wilderness within.

Second Stop: The Sydney Opera House

Third Stop: The Rocks Markets


Next we headed to the Rocks Markets, which are open on Saturdays only. We browsed the lanes of tents, ooo-ing and aaah-ing at the items for sale, mainly the jewelry. Kristin and I each spotted a piece of jewelry that we instantly fell in love: Kristin's was a bronzed (or gold?) spiraled snake ring with green gemstone eyes, mine was a colorful beaded necklace that had an aboriginal, summer vibe. Both, ironically, cost $35 and so we indulged- they were our Sydney souvenir purchases (I had a photo of them on my camera, hopefully I can post it later).

Fourth Stop: The Sydney Harbor Bridge


We wandered up the the Sydney Harbor Bridge in the afternoon which has a pedestrian walking path. The bridge was long, and after a jammed-packed morning of walking all over Sydney we hadn't the energy to cross the entire bridge so we settled for walking about a quarter of it. Still, we were still able to see an amazing view of Sydney Harbor and the Opera House.

I had to work Saturday evening, but first we met up with Aubrey and Sara so that they could meet Kristin. Both were so excited to meet her and had eagerly offered to hang out with Kristin when I was working. I love when my friends get along, and this proved to be no exception as the three of them got along grandly. Saturday happened to be Halloween eve, so after work the four of us went to a Halloween house party to celebrate one of our favorite American holidays. Halloween in Australia is no where near as big as it is in the states, but it is slowly starting to gain in popularity. Kristin and I bought our costumes at a $2 store: I was a devil (I was lacking originality this year) and she was a dark angel. Sara went as a flapper and Aubrey was a unicorn. We were the lightness and darkness, ying and yang. All in all, it was a wonderful day!

K+S In The City: Day 1- The Arrival & Summit

FINALLY! As many of you know, Miss Kristin Farris (my bestest friend from high school) flew all the way from New York to Sydney to visit me for 10 days (what a good friend, huh?). This is part of the reason why I have been m.i.a. for so long; that and my computer dying. I didn't want to retell our unforgettable adventures together without including photos. Fortunately, Kristin took a ton of her own photos which she shared with me, so now I can proceed with blogging about her trip.  Expect about ten blogs (one for each day) appearing over the next week. Get excited!


Day 1: The Arrival & Summit 

I woke at 6:00 am to go to the airport to meet Kristin after her longggg flight from New York to Sydney. I was so excited I could barely contain myself. I pushed my way through the crowd of people at the arrival gates and stood right against the front bar. I waited eagerly, looking attentively from side to side (passengers were exiting customs from both the left and right) for the glowing red hair, sparkling blue eyes and huge dimples of my best friend. For some reason I kept singing, "She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes" over and over, hoping each time that the next person to round the bend would be Kristin. Twenty minutes or so passed and I was still waiting, now less patiently. I started to wonder whether I had missed her or, even worse, if she was perhaps stuck in customs for some outrageous reason. I started to become anxious. Where was she?! The anticipation was killing me. I strained my neck searching the sea of people for her, but I didn't see her. Suddenly, two arms wrapped themselves around me in a tight embrace. Thrown off-guard I looked to see Kristin embracing me. I was shocked that I didn't see her come down the ramp (I am still baffled by this. I literally did not take my eyes away from the exit) and THRILLED to see her! We hugged like long lost lovers who had been separated for decades, screaming and hugging and crying, making a ruckus in the middle of the airport (many of them were hugs from you Mom). It was better than airport reunions shown in the movies. After three months in Australia, it was surreal to actually see a loved one from home live and in person. I had to touch her repeatedly to convince myself that she was really there. I was overcome with happiness.

After our joyful reunion, Kristin and I made our way back to my apartment. We hopped the train from the airport into the city and then walked, lugging her two suitcases, through the city to my apartment. Unfortunately, I had to work a double at Summit that day (both the lunch and dinner shifts) but Kristin was a great sport about it. She accompanied me to work at 11:00 am and sat in the Orbit Lounge Bar for about two hours, rotating around with the restaurant and looking at the spectacular view of Sydney from above while sipping on some tea. This actually was the perfect morning activity for her: since she was jet lagged and tired from her long flight Kristin was able to sit and relax while still getting aquatinted with all of Sydney.  She also met some of my lovely co-workers and managers who of course adored her.

The Orbit Lounge at Summit

Kristin enjoying the view (jet lagged? psh, you coulda fooled me!)

Sydney Harbor from the Summit

Look Ma! Me Hostessing. This is where I work and what I look like when I'm working.

Hostessing from the back side

More of Sydney from above



The tea that was sipped (and more view)

During my break we grabbed a quick bite to eat. Then I sent Kristin back to my apartment to shower and rest while I returned to work for the evening. I came home around 11:00 pm to find Kristin passed out in my bed, which I expected considering the lengthy flight she had endured. We rested up to prepare for an exciting Day 2 which was dedicated to seeing the iconic sights of Sydney.

Daily Dose of Laughter

This was at the Newtown festival. I don't have a clue how it works, and I don't want to know. But you go girl!

A Sunny Day At The Newtown Festival

This Sunday Sara, Natasha (my friend from work who is coming back to the states with me in February!) and I went to the Newtown Festival, which fuses music, food, and art within grassroots community. Newtown reminds me slightly of Woodstock, NY- it has that hippie, tree-hugging vibe that is fun to immerse yourself in for a day. It was a wonderfully hot and sunny day, and we enjoyed roaming among the sea of people sampling foods and drinking cold beverages while admiring the endless amount of jewelry, hats, clothing and other "things" being sold.

The Newtown Festival

Natasha and I

Sara and I

One of the food novelties we tried were Chips-on-a-Stick. I've been to plenty of festivals and fairs back home, but I don't recall ever seeing or eating chips-on-a-stick. This is probably because in the states we prefer munching on buckets of french fries, but I assure you that chips-on-a-stick are just as if not more tasty than french fries. If I could I would ship you all some, but I don't think they would preserve too well over a few days; soggy chips-on-a-stick would be pretty awful. 

Sara enjoying her chips on a stick

After we had our fill of festival, Sara and I roamed the streets of Newtown exploring the neat shops that lined them. One of them was this massive book warehouse. It was stuffed with aisle after aisle of shelves overflowing with books. It was fun getting lost in the shop, discovering the books that existed there. 

The book warehouse. 

John McEnroe Did Not Yell At Me!

Yes, that is correct. John McEnroe, the US tennis "legend" known for throwing temper tantrums and lashing out at anyone in his path, did not yell at me! I know what you're wondering: "Under what such circumstances would this even be a possibility, Sarah? Where did you see John McEnroe? And why would he even yell at darling little you?" The answer, of course, is at the Summit which hosted a cocktail hour this past Wednesday for the Champions Downunder tennis tour. The Champions Tour, as the official program put it, "features some of the greatest, and most entertaining players in history", such as John McEnroe. You don't get much more entertaining then John and his outlashes. "Played out in a highly competitive atmosphere with a party twist, the tour reunites the top names from men's tennis to rekindle some of the most exciting rivalries." The other champions featured in this years tour, and who were also in attendance at the Summit event, were (for those of you tennis fans out there): Thomas Enqvist (Sweden),the super, Pat Rafter (Australia) (super, rediculously good looking), Henri Leconte (France), Wayne Ferreira (South Africa), Goran Ivanisevic (Croatia), Pat Cash (Australia), and Mats Wilander (Sweden).

I have always enjoyed watching tennis. Growing up, the big tennis tournaments were always playing on the television. Thus it was enjoyable for me to work this event and mingle with some tennis champs, even though I could only name Mr. McEnroe. I did recognize most of the players, but I hadn't the slightest idea what any of their names were until I picked up a copy of the program. Unfortunately, I have no exciting stories to tell from the evening. They pretty much came, drank, ate, mingled, chatted and left after two hours. It was very cordial and professional. So for me the most exciting thing to report was that John McEnroe did not yell at me. I was envisioning a replay of the time I spilled the pink lemonade on the little girl, only this time it ended up in an erruption that could be heard around the world. But my hands were sturdy and all beverages remained on the trays and in the glasses where they belonged. Game, set and match baby!