48 Hours in Sydney

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As I’ve said before, having a mere 48 hours in any city is hardly ideal, but sometimes the reality is that it’s all you have and you simply have to roll with it. I knew before even touching down in Sydney for the first time this summer that it was going to be far from enough time to squeeze in all I aimed to do, but managed to put my turbo-speed TOMS on and knock out a good deal of the tourist attractions and now can enjoy my next visit to Australia in local style. (Because, oh yes, there will be a return visit—and hopefully sooner rather than later!)

 sydney, australia, travel, photography

Our transpacific flight arrived from San Francisco at 6am, and Kirsten, Jennie and I went straight to the Four Seasons to check in. It took awhile for our rooms to be ready that early in the morning, but once they were, it was worth the wait. We’d all been given corner rooms with views of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.

sydney, australia, travel, photography

I’m pretty sure it doesn’t get better than this (although a little sun would probably enhance the picture). This was the panaroma at night:

sydney, australia, travel, photography, four seasons

Not to mention, the rooms themselves were quite a treat. I’d stayed in a couple Four Seasons stateside before and was never too impressed—I found those in particular to be a bit generic and lacking in character—but not the Four Seasons Sydney. This place was spectacular, located right in the pulse of the city, in The Rocks district.

sydney, australia, travel, photography

From there, we followed the trail of every tourist who has come before us. We wandered down the cobblestone ways of the Rocks until we were sandwiched between the bridge and the Opera House.

sydney, australia, travel, photography, the rocks

sydney, australia, travel, photography, harbour bridge

We continued along the harbour waterfront at Circular Quay, and Jennie and Kirsten indulged me by posing in silly photos.

sydney, australia, travel, photography

We stopped in front of the actual Opera House to admire the architecture (and reflections). We tried to get tickets to a show, but failed given that we had only two nights in town.

sydney, australia, travel, photography

sydney, australia, travel, photography

sydney, australia, travel, photography

Then, after walking some more and finding ourselves in no man’s land, we hopped a cab out to the Paddington area. I had a feeling based on its name alone, that I might become immediately smitten with Paddington. My assumptions weren’t false.

sydney, australia, travel, photography

Sure, there’s the stellar shopping, which always appeals to a girl with an addiction (i.e. me). But behind Oxford Street, there’s a trove of quaint New Orleans-style flats, complete with balconies and wrought-iron railings, just waiting for SVV, me and Ella to move in.

sydney, australia, travel, photography

sydney, australia, travel, photography

sydney, australia, travel, photography

The reason I’ve waited so much of my life to start exploring Australia is that I’ve always known it would feel like a second home—or like somewhere I can’t get away with not living at some point in my life. This theory held true. I’d see a supermarket and ponder, “this is where I could buy all my groceries!” or have a delicious lunch at Tiger Mottle and think, “I could be a regular here!” In my state of never-ceasing wanderlust, I see myself living in many cities—Munich, Berlin, Paris, Zurich—but none quite as strong as my attraction to Sydney.

sydney, australia, travel, photography

We had a very early flight to Tasmania the following morning, so that night we had a casual dinner at the Four Seasons’ restaurant, and my friend Carla joined us for dessert. Carla and I met in Prague five years ago and have kept up ever since (thanks, Facebook!). She and her partner-in-crime Hanna, both fashion designers, came to visit me in Holland, but it’s been several years since our paths have crossed in the right way. They’ve gone to NYC a few times for work, but after I left for the West Coast. They were both recently in LA—just two days after I’d flown through there. As luck would have it, Hanna moved to London three weeks before I finally made good on my promise to one day visit them in their town. But Carla was still around.

sydney, australia, travel, photography

Due to my tremendous jetlag—36 hours and going strong by this point—we ditched the plan of heading to a bar and, instead, took advantage of my cushy suite, the free cheese and wine and—let’s not forget—the views.

 sydney, australia, travel, photography

On the 24 hours I had back through Sydney, several of them were spent in the Qantas Control Center, so I never made it out to walk the loop at Bondi. Next trip. Nor did I get out to Manly Island, which I was told was a must-do by many Sydney residents. The weather was so stormy then, I’m not sure I would have chosen to brave either of them even if time had allowed. Instead, I took a long stroll around the downtown Sydney area, passing through the many arcades (or open-air shopping malls) to shield myself from the cold. And, OK, buy a few things too, if you must know.

 sydney, australia, travel, photography, arcade

We were meant to have dinner that night at Neil Perry’s highly-acclaimed restaurant Rockpool, but a friend called in a favor and got us a harbour-front table at Quay instead, which apparently is very difficult to get in. If you’ve seen Date Night, we were received much how Steve Carrell and Tina Fey were treated when they tried to get a reservation at Claw. You’d never know we were forking over $350 a person for food and wine based on the way the GM and waitstaff acted.

sydney, australia, travel, photography

sydney, australia, travel, photography

But c’est la vie. The snootiness of the employees gave us something to laugh about profusely, and our resident jokester Marc finally managed to lighten the mood when he grabbed our stone-faced waitress and twirled her around the room. I do think she actually emitted a chuckle. A success story on our final night of the trip if ever there were one.

sydney, australia, travel, photography

Now who wants to take me back to Sydney with them? My bags are packed!

COMMENTS
  • October 26, 2010

    the views from your hotel are awesome, its sad you only stayed there for a couple of days

  • October 26, 2010

    Gorgeous! Let’s go to Sydney! I have a giant suitcase you’d probably fit in 🙂

  • October 26, 2010

    Looks like a great place to return to.

  • October 26, 2010

    I fell in love with Sydney so hard when I visited in 2008. Like you, I only had a weekend to spend there (and it was Mardi Gras so the city was out of it’s mind) but I definitely left a piece of my heart there.

  • October 26, 2010
    Liv

    Five Ways is great. You’d probably love Surry Hills as well – similar architecture, great little cafes, lots of urban renewal going on. You should see Melbourne as well if you manage to come back out to Australia – if you like Paddington, you’ll love Melbourne!

  • October 26, 2010

    One place I have yet to get to, but it is on the short list for one of my next trips!

  • October 26, 2010
    Chase

    I’ve only been to Sydney once, but it was an amazing place. I wouldn’t mind going back there soon. Glad you had a great time there!

  • October 27, 2010

    The views from that hotel are ABSOLUTELY first rate. I really think you were meant to be a southern hemisphere girl… Speaking of which, what’s happened to the rest of your posts on SA? Am dying to see what trip you took on the garden route!

  • October 27, 2010
    Knoxville Girl

    As usual, your photos are fabulous! And they make me want to return to Sydney RIGHT NOW. sigh. Maybe in two years… Also, the locals ar right – Manly is worth the trip! If you have photos of SA, I hope you’ll share them in a future post – that’s where I spent most of my time in Oz, and would love to see/read about your experiences.
    Cheers!

  • October 27, 2010

    Well-done prequel of your Tasmania trip, Kristin. At least, that’s how I understand your recent Australia posts. You continue to whet my appetite for Australia. I showed my wife your pic of the New-Orleans-like homes. She said, “When do we leave?”
    Your first pic of the opera house is from an angle I’ve never seen. That angle highlights the shells that make up the opera house in a way I’ve never seen before. The other opera house pix are similarly distinctive. You and your friends with umbrellas is fun and funny.
    I get a kick out of your interest in reflections, including reflections that show yourself as the photographer. And the great swirling pic of the wait person (I assume) and your friend dancing.
    Where do you get all that energy–36 hours of jet lag? I assume you mean that from the time you arrived till you all went to your suite, you hadn’t slept.

    Russ’s latest blog: After the Awe, Wild West and Returning Falcons to the Wild, Grand Teton National Park, http://scribblerstravels.com/

  • October 28, 2010

    Thanks for sharing fabulous snaps of Sydney Australia. It is the largest city of Australia and possesses a great city life with all modern and stylish building architecture. The Sydney harbor is a wonderful place to visit.

  • October 28, 2010

    Did you get to fly over in the A380?

  • October 28, 2010

    Great pics! The opera house is just beautiful. I absolutely cannot wait to go to Australia. I hope you’re able to go back soon and spend more time in Sydney!

  • October 28, 2010

    Dear Kristin,
    This post is perfect timing. I’m going to Sydney over Xmas, and I was just starting to think about my schedule of activities there… I’ll be there for a week, but I’m leading a tour, and have limited personal time. So, how was the food at that restaurant? In hindsight, would you have gone to the other one instead?

  • October 28, 2010

    Love the Opera House shots! And your view!

  • November 1, 2010

    Such great pics, wow!!! I almost have tears in my eyes after reading this post, I miss Oz THAT much.

  • January 14, 2011

    wohooooo, great pics! I’m going to spend march-june in sydney – after seing these pics I’m even more excited than I’ve already been!! YAY

    • January 16, 2011
      Kristin

      That’s amazing–you’re totally going to love it! That’s a decent amount of time to spend in a glorious city. I need to get back there soon!

  • May 26, 2011

    I want to thank you for sharing your ideas and putting the time into the stuff you publish! Great work!

  • October 9, 2012

    Great post… i really enjoyed reading this. Great pics of the opera house too.

  • February 18, 2014

    This completely made my heart ache for Sydney! I lived there for a year and hope I make it back there some day to put down more permanent roots! Looks like you had a great time out there even if it was only for a short time! 🙂

  • March 12, 2014

    For all your PC Configuration in Cobham call Melontek.

  • June 14, 2016

    Thanks, This story will help me, when I get a chance to visit Australia.

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