Saturday, February 17, 2018

Woolloomooloo

Trip date: February 2017

It was hard leaving Hayman Island but the upside was I had three more days in Sydney! Gail and I had rented a very cute Airbnb in the Woolloomooloo neighborhood, which besides being a great location is also pretty fun to say!

It was easy to walk down to the wharf that first night back to browse the various restaurants. We chose Otto and had a very nice dinner outside on their terrace. Sitting outside in February... ahhhh!

Gail and I both spent the next morning working from the coffee shop on the corner with a couple of flat whites. Flat whites are what everyone in Australia drinks; I couldn't tell you exactly how they differ from my typical latte but they are delicious!

After ditching the laptops we headed out for a nice long walk from our 'hood to Circular Quay and then over to The Rocks, a cute area with lots of shops and restaurants.

We stopped for a glass of wine and took in the scenery before heading to the ferry landing and catching one of the cute boats to Manly. The ferry ride was gorgeous and Manly has a lot of activity going on.
We walked down the main street, the Corso, past lots of shops (many of them selling men's swim bikinis known as Budgy Smugglers!) The Corso leads straight to the beach where sunbathers, surfers, and swimmers all share the sand and the sea.
Our lunch table at The Pantry gave us a great view of it all. Add in some cold rosé and delicious fish and chips, it was a great stop!

After lunch, we grabbed a quick mani/pedi and then Uber'd over to Mosman to spend the evening at Dave & Rachel's. Some friends of theirs came over and we had a great night drinking champagne and eating pizza. As you do!

The next morning, after Gail and I got some work done at our coffee shop, we walked to Willie's apartment in Darlinghurst. It's a very nice neighborhood and not very far from Woolloomooloo. The three of us Uber'd to Bronte Beach where we started one of the most stunning walks I have been on!
On the 3km walk, we passed incredible views of the sea, surfers, rock formations, and stunning homes. We arrived at Bondi Beach and headed to the terrace at Icebergs for a spritz before going downstairs into the swank dining room for a fabulous lunch.
The dining room looks over the stunning oceanside pool which is open year around. It doesn't get much prettier than this view! Paired with a decadent lunch, wines, and friends... a slice of heaven!

Fueled by a bit of wine, we did a little shopping in Paddington before Gail and I returned to Woolloomooloo to pack. Ugh, my 3 weeks in Australia was quickly coming to an end. But not before we headed back out with Willie for cocktails at The Barbershop. Which you enter, you guessed it, from an actual barbershop.
The bar is dim and offers a huge list of gins. Our cocktails were great and even though The Barbershop hasn't made it onto The World's 50 Best Bars, I much preferred it to The Baxter Inn.

We had a really lovely last dinner at Felix Cafe, a cute French bistro with outside tables, down a little side street in the CBD.  The entire day was just super fun and a great way to wrap up my trip.
The next morning we checked out of our Airbnb and made our way to Rachel's, who would be driving me to the airport. Gail and I walked down to The Beach House at Balmoral Beach where we had some lovely breakfast and flat whites while getting our morning work done.
Rachel drove me to the airport where I checked into the Quantas Business Class lounge to do a bit more work with a glass of champagne. The trip had been so much fun, and I obviously just scratched the surface of Australia. But not to worry as I already have a list started for the next trip!

It was an easy trip home, comfy in my Quantas pj's on the 747 with a spacious 2-2 seat configuration. I experienced major delays once in SFO but nothing like my trip over!

Thanks for a great time Australia!

All Sydney photos here

Other posts from this trip: 
The Longest Way to Oz
An American Down Under
Meet Up in Melbourne
Yarra Valley Wine Tasting
48-Hours Gold Coast
Welcome to Fantasy Island

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