After two flights and sleeping through one of those precious Qantas meals, I arrived safetly in Sydney. I don't have much time to update on the things I have been doing, because I have only traveled around the city to take pictures on my own yesterday. I passed Darling Harbour, the Bridge, the Rocks, Dawes Point and the Opera House. I dined with Shannon when he arrived at an outdoor cafe near the Opera House, enjoying a view of the bridge and a bottle of Australia Red.
Jet lag caught up with us midway through the bottle and we stumbled around the Opera House and back to the hotel. Today, we got up and checked out and are now at a hostel. This is my first time at a hostel, but it's a seemingly secure and nice one. Though when we got into our room, two people were still sleeping.
I have five minutes left on this card and a city to explore. I promise more when I can upload photos. I'll be setting up photo albums when I get to Adelaide. I'll be in touch! I can't believe I'm back in Sydney! It feels as though I've never left. Like I'm home again.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Saturday, May 12, 2007
A Catch-Up on the Last Few Weeks in Toronto
Classes ended with almost a month for me to enjoy Toronto. I think I spent more time sleeping and sitting in the main library of U of T (known as Robarts Library) and drinking my over-priced starbucks.
Most days I got up late, showered and stumbled to U of T in order to get myself a tasty starbucks and leech internet. As soon as the grass turned green and the sun appeared, I turned to sunning myself on the lawn. I wanted to enjoy all the warmth and sun I could before I leave for a winter in Australia. Granted, winter in Australia is like winter in LA, but the word winter causes me to shutter just the same.
After Shannon finished studying, we spent most evenings going out with my friends or going out to eat at a new restaurant. Half the things I wanted to do in Toronto, I never did, but I at least got to revisit all my favorite places. I spent an afternoon with Tess, Adam and Shannon at Kensington Market. It's a great place just West of Spadina, where there are several used clothing stores and cheap restaurants around. We ate lunch on the patio of a little restaurant--the only one on the block that didn't sell just BBQ. Although since meat is cheap in Kensington, it makes sense there would be cheap BBQ ribs everywhere. I got my first sunburn that afternoon. Post-lunch, we shopped for great second hand deals. I got a few things--it takes a long to find good bargains. The skinnier you are, the better.
Not so good for me.
The other night Shannon and I went to the Victory Cafe. It's near Honest Ed's, which is owned by Ed Mirvish. He also owns the big theatres in the city. But Honest Ed's is a huge, almost Vegas-lit bargain store. It sells everything for cheap, and most everything you buy eventually falls apart. Like Shannon's bedsheet, which by the time he threw it out was nothing more than a piece of shredded cloth. But it's cheap.
Anyways, as soon as we sit down at the Victory Cafe and before we could order a beer, we noticed a HUGE flame coming from the table. The candle lit the napkins in the holder on fire. At the same time, Shannon and I blow on the flames out of shock, but it only made the flame worse. I imagined the entire cafe burning down, but Shannon grabbed the holder and slammed it on the table, putting the fire out. No one in the bar appeared to notice, except for two drunk people across from us. I never asked the server to re-light the candle after that affair. I didn't want to burn the place down.
The best thing about Robart's Library is that it's right on St. George Street. These food trucks park on the street. A soft-serve ice cream truck parks out front of the library and it serves cheap cones with vanilla, chocolate or twist. I got the twist and sat down nearby to enjoy my first cone of the season. When I start munching down on the cone, this little sparrow comes by. So I throw it a little piece. And then another. After a while, I managed to get it to eat out of my hand, which was pretty cool. I made a little friend; I called him Henry.
But now Henry is in Toronto and I am here in Rochester. My adventure is over. But as always, another one is just beginning. The adventure to Australia. But I will miss the late night beers with good friends from all over the world in dingy bars, or nice pubs or on a balcony at an apartment. I'll miss the harborfront and the cafes and Robarts. I'll miss a lot. Though my chapter in Toronto is over, there are more adventures to record. More photographs to save. Just 12,000 miles from here.
Most days I got up late, showered and stumbled to U of T in order to get myself a tasty starbucks and leech internet. As soon as the grass turned green and the sun appeared, I turned to sunning myself on the lawn. I wanted to enjoy all the warmth and sun I could before I leave for a winter in Australia. Granted, winter in Australia is like winter in LA, but the word winter causes me to shutter just the same.
After Shannon finished studying, we spent most evenings going out with my friends or going out to eat at a new restaurant. Half the things I wanted to do in Toronto, I never did, but I at least got to revisit all my favorite places. I spent an afternoon with Tess, Adam and Shannon at Kensington Market. It's a great place just West of Spadina, where there are several used clothing stores and cheap restaurants around. We ate lunch on the patio of a little restaurant--the only one on the block that didn't sell just BBQ. Although since meat is cheap in Kensington, it makes sense there would be cheap BBQ ribs everywhere. I got my first sunburn that afternoon. Post-lunch, we shopped for great second hand deals. I got a few things--it takes a long to find good bargains. The skinnier you are, the better.
Not so good for me.
The other night Shannon and I went to the Victory Cafe. It's near Honest Ed's, which is owned by Ed Mirvish. He also owns the big theatres in the city. But Honest Ed's is a huge, almost Vegas-lit bargain store. It sells everything for cheap, and most everything you buy eventually falls apart. Like Shannon's bedsheet, which by the time he threw it out was nothing more than a piece of shredded cloth. But it's cheap.
Anyways, as soon as we sit down at the Victory Cafe and before we could order a beer, we noticed a HUGE flame coming from the table. The candle lit the napkins in the holder on fire. At the same time, Shannon and I blow on the flames out of shock, but it only made the flame worse. I imagined the entire cafe burning down, but Shannon grabbed the holder and slammed it on the table, putting the fire out. No one in the bar appeared to notice, except for two drunk people across from us. I never asked the server to re-light the candle after that affair. I didn't want to burn the place down.
The best thing about Robart's Library is that it's right on St. George Street. These food trucks park on the street. A soft-serve ice cream truck parks out front of the library and it serves cheap cones with vanilla, chocolate or twist. I got the twist and sat down nearby to enjoy my first cone of the season. When I start munching down on the cone, this little sparrow comes by. So I throw it a little piece. And then another. After a while, I managed to get it to eat out of my hand, which was pretty cool. I made a little friend; I called him Henry.
But now Henry is in Toronto and I am here in Rochester. My adventure is over. But as always, another one is just beginning. The adventure to Australia. But I will miss the late night beers with good friends from all over the world in dingy bars, or nice pubs or on a balcony at an apartment. I'll miss the harborfront and the cafes and Robarts. I'll miss a lot. Though my chapter in Toronto is over, there are more adventures to record. More photographs to save. Just 12,000 miles from here.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Patio Season
As soon as the weather gets warm, every restaurant and pub opens their windows, doors and their patios. I assume that's why everyone in Toronto calls this time of year, patio season. It's not really spring or summer to Torontonians. It's the time of year when they can sit on the patio, have a beer and pretend for a moment that 365 days of the year it's patio season. And that cold and gripping winter never happened.
Patio season just might be my favorite time of the year, as Future's, my favorite cafe/bar in the Annex (if you come to Toronto, you will find it on Bloor West and Brunswick, between Bathurst and Spadina) has opened its patio. Future's is my favorite mostly because it has good, cheap food, cheap beer and amazing coffee and cakes--all of it easy on my pocket. The place is always bustling and open late, so last night we decided since it was a balmy 25C or about 77F, we'd sit on the patio and enjoy a late supper.
I'm going to be sorry to miss patio season. It's an interesting time, where the city seems to double in size overnight. People show skin and sit on plastic furniture in the middle of the afternoon drinking beer. If you've never liked Toronto, or never been, you'll love it much more if you come for the patio season.
Patio season just might be my favorite time of the year, as Future's, my favorite cafe/bar in the Annex (if you come to Toronto, you will find it on Bloor West and Brunswick, between Bathurst and Spadina) has opened its patio. Future's is my favorite mostly because it has good, cheap food, cheap beer and amazing coffee and cakes--all of it easy on my pocket. The place is always bustling and open late, so last night we decided since it was a balmy 25C or about 77F, we'd sit on the patio and enjoy a late supper.
I'm going to be sorry to miss patio season. It's an interesting time, where the city seems to double in size overnight. People show skin and sit on plastic furniture in the middle of the afternoon drinking beer. If you've never liked Toronto, or never been, you'll love it much more if you come for the patio season.
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