According to Travel & Leisure, it's the most beautiful city in the world and you know . . . I'm inclined to agree. And nobody knows beauty like I do . . .
Sunday
4:30 pm
If you go all the way to Sydney you have to visit the Sydney Opera House and the best way to see it is to attend a performance there. While you will have options, may I recommend seeing the Sydney Symphony Orchestra play Dvořák’s Violin Concerto in A Minor, Op.53 featuring the incomparable Karen Gomyo and Rachmaninov’s Symphony No.2 in E Minor, Op 27? Excellent, though I could have done with a little less of the former and a little more of the latter. Oh yeah, the conductor didn’t use a baton, which I found quite odd as I thought that's why they got into the biz in the first place.
Immediately after the last note, while the conductor was taking his bows, the couple in front of us bolted for the door. It reminded me of my Father bolting after the last out of the ballgame, "Gotta beat the traffic.”
Monday
5:05 pm
Walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge.¹ Built in 1932, it is a through arch bridge that after the Sydney Opera House is the iconic image of Sydney. I then ended up in Wendy's Secret Garden, which is a verdant little nook in the Lavender Bay neighborhood. From there I worked my way under the railroad tracks to City Lookout from Milsons Point which is located just east of the aforementioned bridge.
If I were you I'd take photos as you walk with the hopes of combining the best angle of the harbour with the best angle of the sun.
5:45 pm
Almost directly under the bridge is a small section of the bow of the HMAS Sydney that is part of a memorial to that ship and its successor. A memorial that only a WWII nutjob would appreciate.
6:57 pm
Due to the issue I had at check-in (see below) the hotel manager personally called on me and offered his apologies. He then asked if he could do something to make it right, to which I tentatively replied "Ok?" To which he gave me a bottle of wine and his card. So if you visit the Four Seasons Hotel Sydney (not a typo) in the near future, reach out and I'll give Howard a jingle.
7:07 pm
The Missus wanted to "dine in" and there was no way I going all the way to Sydney to eat room service. So inspired by the newly received Rothbury Estate Shiraz Cabernet, I googled "best pizza in Sydney" and I was off to Zia Pina for a takeaway Margherita.² It's a quaint place that looks very Italian though I should have been concerned when they gave it to me in a generic box that said "Best Pizza in Town." Actually, though it wasn't bad and far better than anything I had in New Zealand.
Tuesday
8:24 am
A very early caffè americano at The Grumpy Baker. The idea was to coffee at a place called Diggy Doos, but due to vague directions and even vaguer signage, we ended up here.
9:00 am
In an effort to attain a greater understanding of the Sydney Opera House, a $30 USD tour was most definitely in order. Our tour guide Cameron, did a fine job explaining the finer points of the design and construction of a project that was completed ten years late and 1,357% over budget.
As an engineer myself, I found it interesting how, the architect, Jørn Utzon designed it as a series of complex concrete "shells" without understanding how they would be constructed. It was then up to engineers to figure it all out. But then when it's all said and done, Utzon wins the Pritzker Architecture Prize, architecture's highest honour, and no mention is made of the engineers who provided the actual solution.
Unfortunately, Cameron was not an Australian, but a Texan. He did a fine job, but I didn't come all the way to Sydney to get a tour by a guy who sounds like Matthew McConaughey.
Also he pretty much toured areas I had previously toured when I previously attended the place (see above). He had mentioned that there is an extensive basement beneath the stage with an elevator that is used to change sets, and it would have been nice to see that, you know, the behind the scenes/backstage/secret stuff.
10:25 am
In 1810 a bunch of convicts carved Mrs Macquarie's Chair out of sandstone so the Governor of New South Wales' wife could sit in it. Now tourists sit in it and have their photos taken.
11:24 am
I thought I got the whole Australian meat pie bug out of my system in Melbourne, though when I heard that Tony Bourdain ate one in Sydney, I did what needed to be done. Harry's Cafe de Wheels, sells perhaps the most famous meat pie in the world, so I walked in the footsteps of the Master and bought a Curry Tiger Beef Pie (w/ mushy peas, mashed potatoes, and a literal volcano of gravy) and a Bundaberg Ginger Beer. Then I watched Mrs. ARR enjoy it all in (almost) the exact spot Tony Bourdain did back in 2012.
12:30 pm
In an effort to effect an even better photo of the Opera House, a trip to Manly Beach was effected.
With the exception of LA and SF, which use an app, every mass transit system I've ever transited requires you to buy some sort of card or ticket to board. Purchased from a machine, an agent, and/or a 7-Eleven. Not Sydney though, as they have apparently cracked the code: you tap your credit card on the turn style card reader, wait for the affirmative green light, and voilà you are riding mass transit, in this case, the F1 ferry to Manly Beach.
Followed by some #AARBeerOclock views of the Tasman Sea from the Miami Rice Rooftop bar.
3:02 pm
Executive Time
6:15 pm
After crossing meat pie off the Australian culinary to-do list, next up was fish and chips. As two of the three best Sydney fish and chips restaurants were located just up George Street from our hotel, a critical decision was required. However, as soon as I heard that one of them was the Fortune of War, the oldest pub in Sydney (est. 1828), the die was cast. It didn't hurt that upon arrival there were two open seats at the moderately busy bar.
Traditionally made with cod, though in Australia fish and chips are usually made with flake or in our case, flathead. Besides the required chips, ours came with a small salad and a trio of sauces (ketchup, tarter, garlic aioli). Mrs. AAR gave it all a "B", and I'm inclined to agree. All washed down by Swan Draught.
7:15 pm
A bad after-dinner gelato at Messina on Circular Quay
7:37 pm
Then stopped by the neighboring Australia The Gift to review all the possible tchotchkes for the folks back home.
Wednesday
10:05 am
Mrs. AAR couldn't stop raving about how the chocolate croissant she ate yesterday was "the best ever!" So back to The Grumpy Baker for another one and a lamb meat pie. Unfortunately, the second time around it wasn't near as good, though she did mention that the meat pie was the best ever . . .
11:30 am
After touring the Museum of Contemporary Art Sydney, there was not a single piece of art I could connect with. One of the galleries consisted of four zebra stripe-painted walls and neon lights that resembled ice cream cones. It was a good example of what the place was all about. The tour guide stated that it should remind me of Times Square and consumptionism. I agreed, though at that exact moment wished I were actually in Times Square, as trust me on this, it is far more interesting.
1:45 pm
After exiting the museum, I noticed just across the street an art installation far more compelling and artistic than anything I had just inspected, a bronze statue of Captain William Bligh. Yes, that Captain Bligh, the man who was the impetus for the most famous mutiny ever conducted. Apparently erected to "restore the proper image of a much maligned and gallant man."
The statue isn't that restorative though as it depicts a stern Bligh with arms crossed, as a little less gallant and a little more bossy.
2:00 pm
This may have put me in a nautical mood (or in a mood to see men wearing funny-looking hats), so we were off to the Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel, home of Australia's oldest pub brewery.
The restaurant mentions that "Everyone must do their duty" and mine consisted of a pint of Nelson's Blood³ and "potato wedges, sour cream and sweet chili (v)."
3:25 pm
I was hopeful that Sydney had done me the favor of segregating all the crap, or should I say "rubbish," at the Museum of Contemporary Art Sydney whilst placing the good stuff at the Sydney Modern. It was only located 0.6 miles away so I figured I would hoof it over there and see what's what.
En route, I came across an Alexander Calder stabile Crossed Blades. I figured that this was a (very) good omen.
3:51 pm
Completed in 2022, the Sydney Modern is a rambling contemporary structure built into the side of a hill that offers expansive views of the Magic Island Naval Base. The idea being that expensive newly created art requires an expensive newly created building to house it.
A hyper-realistic painting, Friday Night, and another abstract one titled 8-1954 made me realize that there are two types of art in the world. One, which no matter how artistic the viewer thinks it is, clearly indicates that the artist possesses a fair amount of talent, training, and experience. The other well . . . leaves the viewer a bit unsure.
Either way, I was quickly becoming concerned that I might have become so cynical that I couldn't find a good piece of art in the entire joint. It was then that I thankfully realized that there was another building (the South building), that actually contained all the good stuff.
7:52 pm
I was determined to get the best burger in Sydney that was less than 100 meters from our hotel, which left either Betty's or Mary's. En route to inspecting each Mrs. AAR noticed a sign for The Press Room and the next thing you know I'm enjoying a jazz trio in an intimate space, whilst sipping a cucumber gimlet.
After our server readily seconded Betty's, we were off . . .
8:12 pm
Word on the street (and by that I mean TripAdvisor) has Betty's Burgers as the best burger in Sydney. It has a cutesy, feminine McDonaldesque look with maybe one fern too many dangling from the ceiling. The place was closing and the staff a little surly, so we ordered it to go, or should I say for takeaway, and enjoyed it back in the room with a little of The Big Bang Theory.⁴ It wasn't a Fergburger but was still pretty damn good.
Thursday
10:05 am
Well, the rye bread that Mrs. AAR purchased the day before wasn't baked through, so back to The Grumpy Baker. Since we were flying out early the next morning and would not be back this way again, I was hopeful that the rye would be traded in for a long black and a cappuccino, but that wasn't to be. This could be one of those places to get coffee and enjoy . . . the ambiance.
Lodgings
The neighborhood to stay in Sydney is called The Rocks. All the good hotels located here were similarly priced, so a few hundred dollars more got us a very large room and four nights at the Four Seasons ($300 USD/night).
Normally when I travel I don't check my bag as I don't like giving up control of all my earthly possessions and then have to pay for the privilege (e.g. the $230 Fiji Airways charged me). It is much the same when I check into a hotel, as I like to keep my bag at my side.
But since this was the Four Seasons I figured I needed to indulge myself and let the bellman carry the load. Unfortunately, an hour later he still had not delivered it to the room. I went back down to the front desk, where our bags then magically appeared with the bell captain asking if he should send them up. At this point I didn't want to let them out of my sight, so I told him he could immediately send them up with me, or if not, then much like Thanos, "Fine, I'll do it myself." He decided to go with the first option.
After four nights of new sheets every day, daily turndown service, the most luxurious king-sized bed a king & queen ever scrolled upon, and the blackest black-out shades they've ever overslept to, I'm not sure we can go back to staying at a hotel with the riff-raff ever again.
Endnotes: I wanted to provide some very specific details that while vaguely interesting did not contribute to the overall narrative. Perhaps just wait until the end to enjoy.
¹ The Sydney Harbour Bridge was inspired by the Hell Gate Bridge in New York City,
² Why is the pizza Margherita capitalized and the drink margarita not? When a culinary creation is derived from a common name, caipirinha, mai tai, or margarita, then use the lowercase. When a drink takes its name from a proper noun, Manhattan, Negroni, or the Queen of Italy, then use the uppercase.
³ Nelson's Blood is a rather unpleasant nickname for rum, as Lord Nelson's body was preserved in a cask of rum or brandy after the Battle of Trafalgar, though in this case, it's the brand name for a pint of porter.
⁴ For years I kept hearing about The Big Bang Theory, but now after watching it for the second time, it's just not that funny.
Very nice descriptive writing. Enjoyed it thoroughly. Doubt that we'll make the long trip to down under, but I never say never. I, too, enjoy Dvořák....and Borodin.
Thanks for the virtual tour, Mike and Mrs. AAR. Not sure if I’ll ever be making that long trip but I enjoyed reading about it. Glad you’re home safe.