From out with the Gang to Confined to my Desk
Yesterday and today are pretty stark juxtapositions - not that that is a bad thing. Rather it is illustrative of a bit of play and a bit of work; I suppose all is good in moderation. Right now I am taking a break from writing my history paper. It is coming along nicely, and I have no doubt I will finish it tonight...
When I got into work yesterday and settled at my desk with a cup of tea and a piece of toast (to flip through a massive manual that I found on my desk when I walked in - the government had just had them printed), someone from another team across the floor (the urban planning division - I sit with the heritage division) came over to say hello. I have been working over in the planning division on that project that I mentioned last week, and have gotten to know people over there, so I was quite happy when I was invited to accompany their team on a bus tour to "recently completed sites." It seems that they have decided to do monthly team activities on Fridays, and it was really cool to be included. We headed down en masse to Kent street and clamoured onto a City of Sydney bus for the adventure to begin. It was quite a jovial, if not boisterous, group, and there was a bit of joking around and singing (quickly stifled) on the journey.
Our first stop was in South Sydney at a massive, massive residential development known as Victoria Park (I think). The construction is still very much in progress, and will be for at least a decade, but there are already hundreds (possibly thousands) of units built across the site(s) which envelop an entire neighborhood. Ultimately there are plans for 20-something storey towers, park space, and a new light rail line to service into the city. We walked around for a bit and I snapped some pictures to share...
We reloaded the bus and headed off to our next destination - Green Park Town Centre. I think those of us not familiar with the project were a bit surprised when we were let through a security gate and pulled up at the back of a warehouse; it did not seem very Town Centre-y. Turns out the 6 hectacre site (amalgamated from three old industrial sites) has not even begun the transformation to the massive mixed use development it is destine to become. In fact, the police, who recently sold their site to the developers, were still conducting training on the site that day, adding an element of excitement to the entire trip. We walked around the site seeing where things would be built (oh, in twenty years there will be a library there), before we got back on the bus to head to the next stop.
Our intended destination, Alexandria Commercial Park, ended up being a stop for lunch and coffee at Grounds of Alexandria (a really cool restaurant in an old warehouse which has a massive garden and farms its own vegetables). We wandered the site for a bit (there are other things in the old warehouse complex as well. As I have described, I think the title of the tour was a bit of a misnomer - there didn't seem to be very many things completed along the way.
Some people grabbed lunch, and we all sat outside in the sun happy to not be in the office. Finally, we loaded up and returned to Town Hall, where my lunch was waiting for me. I had prepped all the ingredients for a recreation of my kangaroo salad from the other day, and was not disappointed with the results.
The rest of the day flew by as I did some work for Cindy (who I sit next to and tend to chat with the most). Right before quitting time, Cindy mentioned that a few of the were going out for drinks by Town Hall and that I was more than welcome to come. I have to say, I was quite excited to be included in office outings. I knew I had dinner plans in St. Peters with the Friday night group, but Cindy had plans off in Bondi, so we both figured a quick drink with everyone wouldn't hurt before a dash to catch our respective trains.
We ventured down the street and went into a sketchy side door, up a few stairs, and then down a flight into a tiny, narrow, dark basement which was already teeming with people (and by teeming with people I mean only 30 or so can fit in the entire place...). It turns out the place was called Grandma's (which made the 50's decor make a bit of sense). We found a narrow gap at the bar and ordered our drinks - the selection was quite nice, but the prices made me dizzy (I had heard drinking in Sydney was hard on the stomach - I just didn't realize it was $17 for a cocktail hard). I decided on a knickerbocker, and was quite content to sip it and socialize with my coworkers. For the price I was actually quite satisfied, though will be happy to see New Orleans prices again! After about 45 minutes Cindy and I headed out of the bar (where there was now a massive line queueing to get in) and crossed the street to Town Hall train station. She headed off to her train, and I was left a bit perplexed as to which platform I needed to go to to get the train to Sydenham. I am usually good with trains and navigating my way, but I have to admit the station is a bit overwhelming at rush hour when you don't know which line you need to take. I made a few mistakes, and did quite a bit of walking up and down (the platforms are on different levels and only connected by the main concourse at the top) but I finally found my platform (with a bit of help from the Internet on my phone). I suppose the problem is there are four lines that service that direction, but it seems from my searching that only one stops at the correct station at rush hour. At least that is my story...
I made it to St. Peters and had a quick walk to Kylie and Candice's house. I came in to find Sal and Rick already there, and it turned out it was only to be the five of us. We had a nice evening with some dinner, conversation, and drinks. It was actually also a quite productive evening as I got Candice to cut my hair (she does Sal's, so I trusted her). We called it a night pretty early as we were all tired from a long week, and Sal, Rick, and I shared a cab back to Newtown. I was home and in bed by midnight.
This morning I woke up, had some breakfast, and started in on my essay. Overall it hasn't been too bad going, and hasn't taken that long (considering at least half of the day was wasted procrastinating). I will finish up tonight and be ready to start in on architecture (separated by a bit of grocery shopping) tomorrow. All in all, I would say a fun and productive weekend.
When I got into work yesterday and settled at my desk with a cup of tea and a piece of toast (to flip through a massive manual that I found on my desk when I walked in - the government had just had them printed), someone from another team across the floor (the urban planning division - I sit with the heritage division) came over to say hello. I have been working over in the planning division on that project that I mentioned last week, and have gotten to know people over there, so I was quite happy when I was invited to accompany their team on a bus tour to "recently completed sites." It seems that they have decided to do monthly team activities on Fridays, and it was really cool to be included. We headed down en masse to Kent street and clamoured onto a City of Sydney bus for the adventure to begin. It was quite a jovial, if not boisterous, group, and there was a bit of joking around and singing (quickly stifled) on the journey.
Our first stop was in South Sydney at a massive, massive residential development known as Victoria Park (I think). The construction is still very much in progress, and will be for at least a decade, but there are already hundreds (possibly thousands) of units built across the site(s) which envelop an entire neighborhood. Ultimately there are plans for 20-something storey towers, park space, and a new light rail line to service into the city. We walked around for a bit and I snapped some pictures to share...
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| Development as far as the eye can see. |
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| Quite clever usage for a required retaining pond. |
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| Looking out from the roof of a City of Sydney depot toward the majority of the development. |
Our intended destination, Alexandria Commercial Park, ended up being a stop for lunch and coffee at Grounds of Alexandria (a really cool restaurant in an old warehouse which has a massive garden and farms its own vegetables). We wandered the site for a bit (there are other things in the old warehouse complex as well. As I have described, I think the title of the tour was a bit of a misnomer - there didn't seem to be very many things completed along the way.
 |
| Part of the complex housing Grounds of Alexandria. |
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| Kangaroo salad redux. |
We ventured down the street and went into a sketchy side door, up a few stairs, and then down a flight into a tiny, narrow, dark basement which was already teeming with people (and by teeming with people I mean only 30 or so can fit in the entire place...). It turns out the place was called Grandma's (which made the 50's decor make a bit of sense). We found a narrow gap at the bar and ordered our drinks - the selection was quite nice, but the prices made me dizzy (I had heard drinking in Sydney was hard on the stomach - I just didn't realize it was $17 for a cocktail hard). I decided on a knickerbocker, and was quite content to sip it and socialize with my coworkers. For the price I was actually quite satisfied, though will be happy to see New Orleans prices again! After about 45 minutes Cindy and I headed out of the bar (where there was now a massive line queueing to get in) and crossed the street to Town Hall train station. She headed off to her train, and I was left a bit perplexed as to which platform I needed to go to to get the train to Sydenham. I am usually good with trains and navigating my way, but I have to admit the station is a bit overwhelming at rush hour when you don't know which line you need to take. I made a few mistakes, and did quite a bit of walking up and down (the platforms are on different levels and only connected by the main concourse at the top) but I finally found my platform (with a bit of help from the Internet on my phone). I suppose the problem is there are four lines that service that direction, but it seems from my searching that only one stops at the correct station at rush hour. At least that is my story...
I made it to St. Peters and had a quick walk to Kylie and Candice's house. I came in to find Sal and Rick already there, and it turned out it was only to be the five of us. We had a nice evening with some dinner, conversation, and drinks. It was actually also a quite productive evening as I got Candice to cut my hair (she does Sal's, so I trusted her). We called it a night pretty early as we were all tired from a long week, and Sal, Rick, and I shared a cab back to Newtown. I was home and in bed by midnight.
This morning I woke up, had some breakfast, and started in on my essay. Overall it hasn't been too bad going, and hasn't taken that long (considering at least half of the day was wasted procrastinating). I will finish up tonight and be ready to start in on architecture (separated by a bit of grocery shopping) tomorrow. All in all, I would say a fun and productive weekend.
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