Yesterday was a beautiful day with clear blue skies and temperatures around 75 degrees. I started my day by walking up Pitt Street and making a stop at The Strand arcade to visit The Nut Shop to get some "bullets" and other yummy treats. Bullets are black licorice covered with dark or milk chocolate. They are yummy.
After shopping I headed to the 1000 foot high Sydney Tower to get a bird eye view of the city and the harbour. The price to ride the elevator to the top is $22 (US$17.60) which also include some sort of simulate ride which is a tour through Australia.
I have to say that this was the biggest waste of money on my entire trip. Yes the views are nice but the price wasn't worth the trip. The viewing deck is enclosed and the windows weren't very clean. The tower itself is quite an impressive sight but I think it's better viewed from ground level. If you want really good views of the city take a ferry from Circular Quay.
After the tower I headed over to Darling Harbour and Malaya for lunch. On the way I made one stop at a store called Gowers which is on the corner of George and Market Street across from the Queen Victoria Market. Gowers is an old stylemens store which has everything from classic mens clothing to sporting goods. It's a great store to pick up some good deals on shirts and sweaters.
From Gowers I finally headed to Darling Harbour and my lunch. After lunch I went to Blackbird for tea and some cake then spent some time strolling through Darling Harbour doing some people watching and taking a bunch of photos.
Shortly after 4pm I caught the ferry to Circular Quay. It was such a nice ride with the sun near setting and the city rising from the harbour in the distance. The sights are amazing when you pass under the Harbour Bridge and come into view of the Opera and downtown skyscrapers.
After docking I walked into The Rocks area and checked out The Rocks Market which is on Saturdays and Sundays on the north end of George Street. Here you can find everything from homemade soaps to crafts. The Rocks is an old part of Sydney with quaint buildings housing shops, restaurants and cafes. I walked through this area on Saturday night and it had taken quite a different scene had changed significantly from the tourists that walk here in the afternoons. Hoards of "youngsters" descend on this area on weekend nights to partake in the nightclubs and bars that line the streets. The street turns into a show of who has the noisiest muffler and best altered vehicle. Not really a positive scene.
For more info on The Rocks, check out...
www.therocks.com and www.therocksmarket.com
This morning I spent some time sorting through and making a list of all my purchases for customs when I return to Los Angeles. I made a seperate list of food and non-food items since customs always wants to know if you are bringing in food. The rule is no meats or vegetables! Everything I bought is packaged so I have no worries but it always helps if you have a list to show the customs official at the destination.
I really didn't buy as much on this trip as I usually do. I did get a few tee shirts for summer, a couple woven shirts and a vest. The rest of my stuff is mostly food products, as if we don't have food in the USA.
Today is another beautiful day and I am going to take the ferry to the Zoo. They say that the zoo here is excellent. We'll see!
See you later!
Blogging from Australia with Blackberry and Cingular Wireless.
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