This is only a test

SYDNEY- - Sydney is testing me, I think. Trying to find out if I would really love this city so much if it was my permanent home, instead of just my fantasy getaway. It's easy to love a city when the sky is blue, the sun is shining and every aspect of everyday life is uncomplicated.

BUT...

The weather in Sydney has been pretty crappy except for the last day or two. Of course, it's not bad compared to Chicago, but just the same.

Surprisingly enough, I've found that when I've been faced with a disappointment, some other positive jumps up to take its place. A few examples:

• rainy, windy, chilly weather forced me indoors and into the Sydney Aquarium (which is amazing!!!) I saw a manta ray that's about the size of my dining room!
• feeling a bit down about my career and not really hungry, (but it was dinner time) so I stopped in to Sailors Thai. It's an inexpensive restaurant that has one long communal dinner table. It was here that I met Judy, a Melbournian woman who was in town on business (advertising). We hit it off so well, that we had dessert and coffee at another restaurant and traded business cards. She mentioned that it probably wouldn't be hard for me to make a career and life change to Australia. Hmmn??
• got dressed up on Friday night to go to dinner at Wildfire, a very nice restaurant that faces the Opera House. Last year, they treated me like royalty (or maybe a restaurant critic??) I walked up and asked about a table for one. I was told that I could sit at the counter (but they gave it some cute name, so it didn't sound so much like a diner). Basically, I could sit shoulder-to-shoulder with some strangers (keep in mind, this is a MUCH nicer and pricier restaurant than Sailors Thai), or I could come back in a few hours, when they weren't busy. Needless to say, I left angry. I went to the Horizon Lounge, a swanky bar on the 36th floor of the Shangri La Hotel. It was there I met Susan and Victor, a couple of Chicago vacationers. They suggested we try to get a table at Rockpool. If you haven't heard of Rockpool, maybe you've heard of Neal Perry, the celebrity chef who owns it. It's one of, if not THE best restaurant in Australia. We sat for five courses with wine at each course. FABULOUS!!!!!
• got to sleep at 2:30 AM after dinner at Rockpool. Was awakened at 8:30 this morning by some screaming children who were splashing around in the pool two floors below my balcony. I wonder what the "positive" of today will be???

The Rocks

SYDNEY- - I woke up this morning in the middle of a dream about work! Yuck!! I'm still on vacation, I'm not supposed to think about my job!! And then I realized why.

It's my first morning in Sydney and as I was slowly awakening, my subconscious heard the sounds of a city coming alive. People going to work, traffic on the roadways, ferry horns signaling departures - - sounds I certainly didn't hear last week in Port Douglas. Hell! in PD, a traffic jam is when more than 3 cars are on Macrossan Street at the same time!

But, as a self-proclaimed "city girl" I am adjusting and my new hotel certainly helps. I booked it a while ago and forgot the details. I've got a studio apartment with a kitchen, sofa, desk and a balcony!! I've got coupons for brekky plus there's a small health club and a pool. Not too shabby, but I still miss the heat of PD!

I took the elevator to the second floor and walked down the hall to my room, stopping to look out the window at a man walking by. No, he wasn't a window-washer on scaffolding, but a man walking down the street on his way (presumably) home.

I'm staying in The Rocks, an area of Sydney that is VERY hilly! So much so that I wasn't surprised to find myself at "ground" level in the lobby, again at "ground" level on the second floor elevator lobby. Once inside my apartment, I walked outside to my balcony, which overlooks several rooftops in The Rocks. It's weird, but it's one of the things that makes The Rocks such a fascinating neighborhood.

There is one place I plan to go while here (okay, several places). It's the 30th floor bar at the Shangri-La Hotel (formerly the ANA Hotel). The bar is surrounded by windows and gives amazing views of the Harbor Bridge and the Opera House. Oh, and to get there from my hotel, I have to climb a flight of stairs built out of rock in the middle of a wall near my hotel. Like I said, fascinating place.