A Rainy Autumn Night and Sunny Summer Day

I'm sitting, baking on my front porch.  The weather has been quite tropical today with a mix of a heavy dose of sun and humidity.  The breeze every so often offers some respite, but the afternoon sun is making this update a bit toasty.
Last night Hannah, Abs, and I ventured down to Circular Quay on the train to celebrate Abs' birthday.  It drizzled as we got off the train and were treated to the Harbour and the Bridge in all their splendor from the platform.

Harbour Bridge from Circular Quay train station.

We wandered around the Quay and finally settled on a restaurant by the ferries.  It was unremarkable, though not bad - the company was the most important part of the meal.  I did use the meal as an opportunity to try VB (Victoria Bitter), the most consumed beer in Australia (not Foster's - Foster's is not "Australian for beer" as the ads would like you to believe).  It was not bad like I had been led to believe by many who discouraged me from trying it, thought I am not swearing off Abita for it.

My first Victoria Bitter.

This morning I went on a bit of an exploration through Newtown, Camperdown, and Erskineville (the the southwest of where I live, away from the city).  It was a pleasant (albeit a bit warm) walk and I got to see more of the residential fabric of turn-of-the-century Sydney.  The most striking thing is how much the neighborhoods of Sydney remind me of the residential areas of New Orleans (though with some hills).  The architecture and streetscape is of a very similar scale, and the houses are of a similar architectural style and vintage.  There is more stone and brick in Sydney, whereas in New Orleans the houses are wooden, but the detail and ironwork are quite similar.

Sydney or New Orleans? (Sydney, clearly).

I walked a bit through Victoria Park (the park adjacent to Uni Sydney) and sat and chatted for a bit with a friend this afternoon.  The shade of a tree on the grassy slopes overlooking the park and back toward the Uni provided the perfect setting for a relaxing afternoon.

Looking across Victoria Park toward the tower on the hill at Uni Sydney.

Tiffany and I did some shopping around 2:30 for the party we are throwing for Abs this evening.  We did a bit of cooking and then settled in to watch a movie and rest a bit.  Soon we will start some dinner and then settle into the weekend, which promises great weather.