We walk to Circular Quay, passing several pubs that are very lively for a Monday morning, and there is a good reason. Back home, it is Super Bowl Sunday! The game here is broadcast live at 10am. I would have thought that the appeal of the game was mostly for Americans, but I think there is quite a bit of Australian interest as well. As we watch the news later in the day, there is much news coverage of the big event, including Katy Perry's over the top halftime show!
Arriving at Circular Quay, we book our trip with the Captain Cook cruises, They offer a "hop on hop off" harbor cruise, and our boat departs at 12 noon. The first stop is at Fort Denison, a small island that is a former military fort in the middle of the harbor. There is a museum and restaurant there, but we elect not to get off. The boat continues on the the wharf at Taronga Zoo. The commentary provided is interesting. We learn that Russell Crowe has a penthouse at the finger wharf that extends from Wooloomooloo! The next stop is Watsons Bay, which the guide definitely recommends as a place to stop and tour. There is a short 5 minute walk to the ocean. The wharf also features a famous restaurant, Doyle's on the Beach, for seafood. We depart the boat and explore.
The guide is correct in that the ocean can be reached very quickly by crossing a small park. The views are unexpectedly great! We can see a very rocky shore with a view to North Head in the distance:
We are able to take a short walk north to see more views from higher up on the cliff. We return to the bay shore to await another Captain Cook boat and enjoy a beer at the "Beach Club."
The cruise continues and returns to the zoo and Fort Denison, then makes a quick stop at the steps at Circular Quary before continuing on to Luna Park and finally to Darling Harbor where we make our final departure.
We walk through Darling Harbor, but it is not really our scene. It is really reminiscent of San Francisco's Fishermans Wharf -- very touristy and crowded. The aquarium is here, which is highly recommended, but we plan to go there on another day. We walk through the area. Note: there is a lot of construction going on around here, including a new convention center, so it is also extremely noisy!
Our destination is actually off the beaten path to a very interesting building that we have been admiring from our apartment's balcony. We're not really sure how to find it, but we muddle our way there. The building looks like a Gaudi building in Barcelona with its odd shape and a "melting" look to its architecture. We find it but it is blocked off from the public, although a guard indicates we can walk near to it. Apparently there is some type of reception shceduled for this evening at this building that staff is preparing for. Must be some VIPs attending with all of this security. The building is even more amazing up close with it brickwork and glass. Here is a picture I found of it online (Rob took several as well):
We are told it is the new home of the business school at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). Later on, as we watch the evening news, we learn that the building's grand opening is actually today (coincidentally) and that the building is the first in Australia by renowned architect Frank Gehry. In the dedication, Australia's governor-general called it "the most beautiful squashed paper bag I've ever seen." This immediately provided a name for this new iconic structure: the paper bag building.
We walk back to our apartment and our path takes us through Sydney's China Town, which is interesting and, as it turns out, adjacent to the area where our apartment building is. Back at the apartment, we relax and call for a dinner reservation at a restaurant called Flying Fish, where we had enjoyed a wonderful meal in 2006.
Dinner requires a cab ride, as Flying Fish is at the end of a wharf in the Pyrmont neighborhood, just a little too far to walk. There is a great view of the harbor bridge. We enjoy starters of a leaf salad and a fennel citrus salad. For mains, Rob has baramundi with yellow curry, and I have John Dory, very well prepared and delicious. We also share a side of carrots with harissa and cardomom -- really good. Our wine is a chardonnay from the Margaret River area of Western Australia from a winery called Evoi. A quick cab ride home completes our evening.
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