An early riser
It's my second morning in Sydney, and once again I was up just after 6:00. For those who know me well, that should come as a huge surprise, as I am not a morning person.
However, with the combination of the time shift, long days, and the fact that I will have a longer commute and must be in the office earlier than in the States, it seems I am going to keep a different schedule than I am used to. So far, with going to bed at a reasonable hour, it isn't bad. As my days get busier, we will see how this works out.
Yesterday was a very enjoyable and productive day.
I caught a bus from just outside the neighborhood to head over to Sutherland in the morning. Once in the little commercial district around the station (which was bustling at 10:00 a.m.), I popped into the bank and the post office to take care of a few things.
Once the morning errands were sorted, I caught an express train into the city. The ride took about 40 minutes, carrying me past familiar haunts including Arncliffe (where my friends used to live) and Redfern (near where I used to live). I alighted at Central, walking through the grand main concourse and out toward Railway Square and the University.
It was great to be back in a neighborhood I know well; I used to walk the route every weekday from my house to the office at Town Hall. There has been a fair amount of development in the area, though overall things were fairly unchanged.
I headed to the main building at UTS (University Technology Sydney—my academic home for the next few years), which stands across from Jean Nouvel's Central Park, which was completed back in 2014. The building is unique, planted with vertical gardens, with a giant heliostat to provide light to the plants. In the few years I have been gone, the plants have really taken off; I think the building could use a good trim.
The morning was spent at the Uni, getting officially registered. I also stopped into the Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building for a quick tour of the building. I was shown my office space, which I will be sharing with a few other PhD candidates. The office actually overlooks the Goods Line, Sydney's equivalent of New York's High Line and Atlanta's Beltline.
The multi-use trail, which just opened a few years ago on an abandoned rail spur which served the industrial waterfront areas, connects the Uni to Chinatown, Darling Harbour, and toward the CBD. It will be a great resource to have right outside my door!
After the tour, I had about two hours to kill before I had a lunch meeting scheduled with my advisor. I walked up the Goods Line into Haymarket, where Chinatown is. I walked the narrow streets, passing by the restaurant I ate at the first night I arrived in Sydney back in 2012. To say the walk was one down memory lane was an understatement!
From Chinatown, I headed toward the heart of the CBD, walking past some of my favourite places from years past. Ultimately, I headed past Town Hall to the Queen Victoria Building (QVB) the grand shopping arcade I visited my first day in the city, and a place I love to stand and people watch.
The trip took me along George Street, the main street through the city, which is being transformed with a light rail line. Eventually, much of the street will be dedicated to transit and a large pedestrian plaza. It was exciting to see the long-planned changes finally coming together.
However, with the combination of the time shift, long days, and the fact that I will have a longer commute and must be in the office earlier than in the States, it seems I am going to keep a different schedule than I am used to. So far, with going to bed at a reasonable hour, it isn't bad. As my days get busier, we will see how this works out.
Yesterday was a very enjoyable and productive day.
I caught a bus from just outside the neighborhood to head over to Sutherland in the morning. Once in the little commercial district around the station (which was bustling at 10:00 a.m.), I popped into the bank and the post office to take care of a few things.
Once the morning errands were sorted, I caught an express train into the city. The ride took about 40 minutes, carrying me past familiar haunts including Arncliffe (where my friends used to live) and Redfern (near where I used to live). I alighted at Central, walking through the grand main concourse and out toward Railway Square and the University.
It was great to be back in a neighborhood I know well; I used to walk the route every weekday from my house to the office at Town Hall. There has been a fair amount of development in the area, though overall things were fairly unchanged.
I headed to the main building at UTS (University Technology Sydney—my academic home for the next few years), which stands across from Jean Nouvel's Central Park, which was completed back in 2014. The building is unique, planted with vertical gardens, with a giant heliostat to provide light to the plants. In the few years I have been gone, the plants have really taken off; I think the building could use a good trim.
 |
| The main tower of Central Park. I used to walk by the construction site every day on my way to the office. |
The morning was spent at the Uni, getting officially registered. I also stopped into the Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building for a quick tour of the building. I was shown my office space, which I will be sharing with a few other PhD candidates. The office actually overlooks the Goods Line, Sydney's equivalent of New York's High Line and Atlanta's Beltline.
The multi-use trail, which just opened a few years ago on an abandoned rail spur which served the industrial waterfront areas, connects the Uni to Chinatown, Darling Harbour, and toward the CBD. It will be a great resource to have right outside my door!
 |
| Looking north up the Goods Line. My office is on the left, in the building that says "UTS." |
After the tour, I had about two hours to kill before I had a lunch meeting scheduled with my advisor. I walked up the Goods Line into Haymarket, where Chinatown is. I walked the narrow streets, passing by the restaurant I ate at the first night I arrived in Sydney back in 2012. To say the walk was one down memory lane was an understatement!
From Chinatown, I headed toward the heart of the CBD, walking past some of my favourite places from years past. Ultimately, I headed past Town Hall to the Queen Victoria Building (QVB) the grand shopping arcade I visited my first day in the city, and a place I love to stand and people watch.
The trip took me along George Street, the main street through the city, which is being transformed with a light rail line. Eventually, much of the street will be dedicated to transit and a large pedestrian plaza. It was exciting to see the long-planned changes finally coming together.
 |
| Looking South down George Street in the midst of light rail construction, next to the QVB. |
After returning to the Uni for a quick lunch, I found myself with two hours before a meeting at the office, located in the northern end of the CBD. With the luxury of time, I took a long, circuitous walk, which took me through Pyrmont and up to Darling Harbour. I walked past the gorgeous new exhibition center and all of the tower construction which is dramatically transforming the southern edge of the Harbour. It was also funny to walk by the remnants of the old monorail system; as some stations were integrated into buildings, they still exist, even though the track leading from them is long gone.
 |
| The view toward the CBD from the rooftop terrace of the exhibition center. |
From Darling Harbour, I crossed the Pyrmont Bridge back into the city and trekked up toward Wynyard, where my new office will be. I had a few minutes still, so I walked over to Martin Place and sat for a few minutes, before heading to my meeting.
Introductions didn't last long, and there's far more to come in the next few weeks, but I was impressed with the office space. Located on the entire sixth floor of a restored heritage-listed building (keep in mind that in Australia, the "ground floor" is considered floor zero), the office is what you would expect from a slick architecture firm.
As the workday was winding down, I decided to use the last bit of daylight to hit Sydney's most scenic vista: Circular Quay. I wandered up George Street into the Rocks, and made my way along the water to see the Bridge and Opera House. While I have seen each countless times before, it was a nice feeling to end my first day spent in the city with them.
 |
| The obligatory Opera House shot. |
From Circular Quay, I caught a packed train to Town Hall and then made a quick transfer to a South Coast train for the journey home. The train trip lasted longer than expected, due to some technical difficulties, but I caught a bus right when the train arrived and was home before 7:00.
With Janene (my Australian "mum") traveling, Paul and I had a nice dinner at home.
All in all, it was a great start to this next chapter in my life. I covered a lot of ground (I walked about 25,000 steps), got things done, and am primed to dive into things. Over the next few weeks, I will get more settled into a routine and catch up with many old friends.
But, in the meantime, today is a rather relaxing day of a few errands, lunch and dinner with some friends, and getting things situated to spend Thursday and Friday at the office.
Comments
Post a Comment