Three-Day Weekend.

Hi Everyone!

So Abrye, Matt and I are headed off on an Australian road trip adventure this weekend. (There's a public holiday on Monday, so it's a three-day weekend!) We're hoping to make it all the way to Byron Bay, but willing to play it by ear depending on weather/drive-time, etc... It's going to be a wild ride. Daniel, my friend from work, made me two AMAZING mix CDs: (1) Greatest Hits of Kylie Minogue and (2) Best of Great Britain. They are going to be the best pump-up and singalong jams.

Just wanted to let you guys know I'll have limited internet access for the whole weekend. If something majorly important comes up, mi numero is +61 0424979784. Call collect...? Hehehe.

And oh -- I realized I haven't let you all know my new address yet:
(I moved in this week -- updates to come!)

Sara Smith
31 Taylor Street
Darlinghurst, NSW 2010

Love and miss you all mucho mucho.

Lucio's Pizzeria.

It's pretty ridiculous that so many of my posts revolve around food, but this one sincerely deserves a post all on its own. Abrye and I met up with Matt and his friend Jono to see the weird Joaquin Phoenix documentary, I'm Still Here. (It is a ridiculous flick -- like next level. If any of you have seen it, please send me your thoughts via e-mail.) Afterward Abrye and I were going to just grab a quick bite for dinner, but Matt convinced us to go to his favorite Italian place with "the best pizza in Sydney." It obviously took a lot of convincing.

Now, the photos don't really do it justice. Just imagine incredible red wine + proscuitto/cheese + slow-cooked octopus + 3 pizzas (four cheese, diavola and potato) + the most epic chocolate volcano cake ever. Yummmm. I wanna go back for more. Like, now.

Wooohooo Beachtime.

Well, people. It's finally, finally here! We went to Bondi Beach on both Saturday and Sunday this weekend. So gorgeous.

I also realized that now I'm never going to get anything done on the weekends anymore since I'll just be rushing to the beach. No joke about it. It makes me feel so alive. :)

SATURDAY:

-Shared a bacon/avocado burger at Moo Burger with Abrye. It was deeeelicious. Partly because we were starving to death and partly because well, it was a damn good burger. (Popsicle -- I'll take you here as well.)

-Met up with Sarah + Matt. We sat on the south side (so we could scope out the surfers). It was so lovely out and nice to just lay in the sun. Lots and lots of people came out for the warm weather.

-Dan met up with us on his lunch break from North Bondi Italian.

-We ate yummy popsicles.

SUNDAY (no photos, sadly):

-Got a glimpse of what summer (tourist) season will bring -- it took us like an HOUR to finally get on a bus and get to Bondi. Every bus was crazy packed.

-Once we finally got to the beach we met up with Kate + Sim + Amelia who had already settled on North Bondi. We just laid and listened to music and enjoyed the sun.

-We went to Bondi Burito for lunch and gorged ourselves in nachos. Freaking amazing.

Double Rainbow in Sydney.

I can't take credit for this picture -- Matt took it from his office overlooking the harbour on a rainy day. We forced him to e-mail it to us so we could share it with the world. Isn't it incredible?! And from an iPhone as well. Crazy cool.

North Bondi Italian.

This is legit one of the best Italian restaurants EVER. Not kidding. And you all know how I feel about Italian food. Yummm.

This place is so fancy/posh that it doesn't even take reservations, so we were so fortunate to have a hook-up through our friend Daniel -- he's a chef apprentice there and got us a beautiful table right on the patio. You can't tell in the pictures, but we're looking directly over onto Bondi Beach at night. Gorgeous. The waves crashing + delicious grapefruit cocktails + cheesy lasagna + shared entres + endless desserts = heaven on earth. I'm not kidding about the desserts. Since Daniel made all the ice cream, gelato, etc. etc. from scratch, he wanted us to try it all. Read: ordering like, six desserts. I had no complaints, obviously.

Countdown to Summerrr.

On Matt's first weekend in Sydney we headed out to Bondi Beach. It was the first time I've seen everyone out and about -- playing beach volleyball, surfing and gettin' their bronze on (haha). Matt and I could not believe how many beautiful people there were all at one place at one time. Like, wow oh wow.

I almost don't want to take any more photos of Bondi until it's full-swinging beach weather. I can't even wait!

These guys were crazy monkey-acrobats who would do ridiculous flips off of a bouncy ball buried in the sand. I dared Matt to go join them (he used to be a gymnast), but he didn't accept. I'm going to wear him down for sure though, and he'll show those Aussies what's up. P.S. This guy never actually made it into the pants. But he got damn close.



More ridiculously delicious food from Bondi Pizza Bar. Dadda -- I can't wait for you to visit so I can take you here. It's tourist perfection. Yum.



Matt with a little snack at Bondi. He looks right at home, don't you think?

Woohooo Updates

Hi my lovely people. Soooo...I've seriously slowed on my daily snapshotting. We all knew it would happen. I'm trying to stay shutter-happy, but it's hard when you actually feel like you're living somewhere, rather than just a tourist. But don't you worry -- I'm going to work actively to keep documenting. These are the memories, people! (Betsy - get the movie reference?)

Buuut since work is usually pretty slow, I have tons of time for blogging Monday - Friday. Isn't it crazy how you can keep even better updated on my life when I'm all the way around the world!? :)

So, as always, here are some bulleted updates (mostly for Mom/Betsy) about my non-photographed happenings:

• Amadeus is going really, really well. I got my first paycheck (wahooo planning a weekend trip soon!) and I really like everyone who works here. People are so friendly and frequently stop by to chat. Highlights of some workdays are: (1) sneaking Tim Tams while I prepare tea + coffee for meetings, (2) closing this creepy cupboard door that mysteriously opens on its own, (3) answering dozens of sales calls a day, (4) shooting the ish with Peter, our courier guy who took two weeks to realize I'm not Australian and (5) gchatting, facebooking and blogging. It's a pretty sweet setup, but I'm thinking about trying to get a second evening job to make some dolla dolla bills. We'll see if I actually get around to that. Haha. Sarah says she may be able to hook me up as a hostess at Summit (a revolving bar with one of the best view in Sydney -- what whaaat?)
  
• Surry Hills BBQ with our new friend Morgan (Harvard grad I mentioned previously from the bookstore + cafe). It's such a small world, because he's actually good friends with two kids from Logan, my alternative school in Denver. He played rugby with Mike Manco-Johnson and was in Romeo + Juliet with Alexandra Palma. Freaky small world, right? The BBQ was in this little townhouse that the birthday boy, Ollie, had renovated. Reeeallly cool place. There was a garden in the back, with an herb garden growing in an empty bathtub. Bets -- take note for your future garden. I feel like you're going to be a gardener...
• Matt and I met up with Hannah + Matt (Fuentes) at the Cricketer's Arms for a quick drink. It's a local pub that's kind of hidden around the corner, but the back patio is calm and beautifully lit with multi-colored light bulbs.
• We got free tickets to a stand-up festival at the Comedy Store in Moore Park. It was a very random Thursday evening, but I definitely giggled and enjoyed the evening. The openers included a guy wearing Gene Simmons make-up and a guy who looked exactly like Weird Al. I almost thought it really was Weird Al. The headliner was an American dude who was all about self-deprecating, Jewish and homophobic-ish jokes (fyi -- he was Jewish and verrry metro-sexual). He was surprisingly smart + witty about it all, but somehow I still felt like withholding laughter when he stepped too far over the edge made some sort of statement in the universe. Haha -- even though that's completely ludicrous. All in all a great night, though... Put my AMST-395 Stand-Up Comedy as Social Anthropology class to good use. Oh, American Studies minor...
• Fruit + Granola + Yogurt is my new favorite thing in the world. Sarah Speers and I went to a lovely breakfast at this place on Crown Street (didn't catch the name) and it was seriously like, breakfast of life. I felt so alive all day long.
  
• We're starting to realize Sydney is a smaaaall, smaaall world. First, that Morgan dude knows people I know in America. Second, this guy we met at a happy hour is close friends with my roommates (I found out because there's a picture of him on our bulletin board). Third, a picture I put up on facebook of a guy I met at a bar got lots of commentary because he (a) went to college with my friend Twez, (b) went to uni with my friend Kieran (who's British) and (c) hit on my friend Sarah when she was out like, two nights before. It's actually a very tiny social scene. I can't believe I'm already running into people I know out-and-about, and I've only been here for five-ish weeks.
• Planning trips to Melbourne, wine country and SURF CAMP. Livin' life to the fullest.
  

xx. Love you all.

Mr. + Mrs. Harkenrider

Matt got to Sydney this week. Hip Hip Hooray! He's already moved into our sharehouse, looking for jobs + checking out the social scene. It's so nice to have a familiar face and someone to dance to Kylie Minogue with. :)

My dream for him is to work part-time as a spin instructor, get some legitimate internship to fluff up his resume and have some wild international romance. I think it's definitely feasible. We also plan to convince as many Troy Toners to visit us as possible.

People were legitimately staring like he was proposing. I would be so lucky! Hehe.

Darling Harbour is Matt's new favorite place on earth. Obviously.

Chipotle Cravings.

I seriously think Hulu and Chipotle are the two things I miss most about the States. Other than family + friends, obviously.

This fake Chipotle (at Mad Mex on Crown Street) just doesn't hit the mark. Familia -- can we have steak burritos for Christmas dinner? Great, thanks.

Bullet Points.

Helloooooo, everyone. Much has happened. Here are some recent highlights:

• After my super-emo week, I feel like the guy upstairs is sending little random acts of kindness my way. Exhibit A: I was given a huge doughnut at work that was left over from a meeting. Seriously, hand delivered. Yurm. Exhibit B: Today a man sitting on a curb (possibly homeless, eerily resembling Santa Claus) just looked up sweetly and said, "You are a lovely lady." It's the little things that make my day. :)
  
• MATT HARKENRIDER arrived this week! He's going to move into the same share house with me and we are going to take "Mr. and Mrs. Harkenrider" to the next level -- internationally. Wahoooo.
• I had a full-on sleepover at Abrye's house in Eastwood. It was so lovely. She saved me some dinner, we played with the kids (the kids climb on me like monkeys and little Abby tells me "you look like a boy." HAHA. I'm not kidding, but they are still precious). There was actually a huge storm that shook the house and lightening struck sooo very close. The power went out for a few hours so Aubs and I played shadow puppets for like, a half hour. Then we headed out to the neighborhood mall to see the movie The Other Guys. It didn't change my life, but it was freaking hilarious. Dadda -- totally your sense of humor. Go see it for sure.
  
• Twez and Louise invited us over for a little dinner party. They live in an awesome apartment in the CBD, complete with balcony and a big screen. We watched some random American TV shows (including the movie Entrapment. Random, I know) and ate pumpkin + cheese pasta. Seriously, pumpkin is so good. But the best part of the whole night?? We played Jeopardy together. Like, paused and discussed and made it into a competition. And guess who won Final Jeopardy?? YOURS TRULY. Can you believe it? I've never felt so smart in my life. No joke about it. Might be the peak of life for me.
• VIP tickets to Thunder from Down Under. I need to do a separate post about this, but it's not suitable for most audiences. It. Was. Ridiculous. And something I can only justify by knowing I want to squeeze every last zest out of my life. HAHA. I'll do a full report, but the best part of it all? The following morning we had brunch with the main guy...who brought his father along. His FATHER. I couldn't make that up. They are actually both lovely, lovely people.

All and all, life is good. Feeling SO much love from you all. Keep the e-mails comin'. Hehe. xxo.

Festival of the Winds @ Bondi Beach.

I'm just gonna let these pictures speak for themselves. It was AWESOME. Just imagine: tons of families, hundreds of kites and beautiful Bondi Beach. We arrived a little late and missed most of the showstoppin' kites, but were grateful to get there just in time for the jellyfish (or octopus?) kites to settle.

P.S. Abrye and I may have run skipping down the hill singing a relevant song from Mary Poppins. Just sayin'.

Rugby + Russell.

To be perfectly honest, I really couldn't follow anything in this game. Our Australian friend Dan made a valiant effort to explain the rules to us, but it's still kind of a huge mystery. I was definitely more excited about the foolios around me shouting "bloooody wankers" (read: a bunch of drunk men and Abrye. HA.) and scarfing down meat pies. It was the Rabbits vs. the Dragons. Exotic mascots, yes? And it was hilarious to hear these big fat Australian men cheering for "THE BUNNIESSSS!"

So, did you know that in Australia there's (a) regular Rugby, (b) Rugby League and (c) AFL -- Australian Football League. I was going to do some online research to post up here about each one, but you guys don't reeeeally care, right? Good, thanks. Haha. Dad (and other potentially-interested parties) -- if you really wanna know, I'll look into it.

What you should care about is the fact that I saw Russell Crowe on the jumbo-tron. That's right. Russell freaking CROWE. Ultimate Australian celebrity sighting. Now I just need Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman. I'm gonna let Mel Gibson slide...

Even More Bulleted Updates.

It's a strange thing -- I'm definitely starting to feel less like a tourist and more like I actually, well, live here. Schwaaaat? Haha. I mean, I do my laundry + run errands + go to doctor's appointments + meet friends for drinks. It's just funny when you realize that you can actually feel like yourself no matter where you are in the world.

• I finally got my free manicure with the girls at the Chamberlain Hotel! Woot. I'm so sophisticated. (Even though the second the manicurist saw my nails she goes: "awwww such cute little nails!" HAHA.)
• I found my new favorite cafe with free internet -- the Ampersand Bookstore & Cafe. They make brilliant cappuccinos (complete with foam art) and there are three small and uneven levels of books with big comfy chairs and an old-book smell. I think the ladies at my neighborhood cafe may get jealous, but sometimes you just need to move on to bigger and better, yaknow? Haha. Plus, Abrye and I met an adorable Australian boy there who just graduated from Harvard. Alli -- his sister was your same year, and he wanted to play the "name game," but to no avail. :(
  
• Matt Harkenrider is moving here in like, a week. Unbelievable! I'm so excited to show him around and have another American friend here.
• People keep complimenting my accent, which is such a funny concept to me. And none of them think I talk too quickly. How funny, right? I'm such a motormouth. Also -- I've gotten that I look like Brittany Murphy like eight times since I've been here. Not sure how to respond to that one...
• I may or may not have partied with some cast members from Thunder from Down Under. And we may or may not be attending the show with comp tickets later this week. I mean, all in the name of exploring "authentic" Australia, right? HAHA.
  
• Abrye and I were invited to an Aussie Girls' Dinner Party in Newtown -- complete with gossip, wine and wayyy too much pizza. We were so thrilled when Hannah (Matt's friend) invited us.
• We went to a totally touristy restaurant in Bondi called Bondi Pizza Bar, which should have been overpriced and had stupid-small portions. But to our pleasant surprise, it was DELICIOUS and had huge portions. We're talkin' (a) prosciutto, pear and onion pizza and (b) overcooked pumpkin, goat cheese, onion and tomato salad. All eaten overlooking the ocean. Life is damn good sometimes.
• I found my new sharehouse in Darlinghurst. Wahoooo! I was so relieved to find somewhere so quickly. I'll be moving in during the first week of October. It's basically going to be "Sydney Summer Camp," because I'll be living in a room with three girls (I get the top bunk to start...yuck), but it's super duper cheap and only two blocks from where I'm living now. Phenomenal! There's a back patio with a BBQ, a nice TV and large living room and tons of international housemates. And plus, I won't have to buy bedding, kitchen stuff, go to a laundromat, etc. Will post pictures once I'm settled next month. Stay tuned.
  

My New Seven Grand.

Shady Pines Saloon is an underground bar in the alleyway behind American Apparel on Oxford Street. It's debatable whether it's supposed to be shortened to "Shady Pines" or "the Saloon." I've heard both. It came highly recommended to me from Sally Henderson (my adorable Aussie girlfriend from London who is currently traveling throughout Russia, but sent me a thorough "Sally's Guide to Sydney" e-mail). The place has only been open six-ish months, but it's already an incredibly popular spot. So we met up with Abrye's friend Matt Fuentes who is actually such a regular that he helped us cut the long line with a just a sticky note from the owner to the bouncer. Only a smiley face was drawn on it. Haha.

Once inside, we had delicious fresh apple cocktails and whiskey sours. As well as whiskey shots out of a cowboy figurine (not kidding). And Mamala + Popsicle-- don't you worry, this was spread out over several hours! :)

But the best part of the evening was hob-nobbing with the owners (Jason the studly bald guy and Anton the ADD curly-headed kid). The whole night I was thinking that the feel reminded me of one of my favorite LA bars -- Seven Grand. So when I asked Jason if he'd ever been to LA, he said "yeah -- I was actually inspired by a downtown bar for this place." And I go, "Schwaaat? Seven Grand!?" Amazing! Can't believe I had to go all the way across the world to find a bar just like my neighborhood joint from downtown LA. Go figure.

NEWTOWN.

I think Newtown is a seriously underrated neighborhood of Sydney. It's hardly mentioned in the travel books, but it's such a vibrant and fascinating area. It's pretty gritty -- dirtier streets than the CBD, a really diverse population (read: kooky people) and lots of street art. There are cool little vintage stores, record shops and every kind of ethnic cuisine you could imagine. I feel like this is definitely a place that I'd show people around if they wanted to see the "real Sydney."

Abrye and I spent a day wandering around/window shopping/eating. We had lunch at a place called Twelve (next to a table of seven Aussie schoolgirls from the neighboring performing arts high school - they were noisy. Haha). I had chorizo pizza and Abrye had yummy pancakes with ricotta. Delicious. Even better? The Sophia Loren shrine up on the wall and the little hot air balloon decorations. And the best? Huge open front doors so you can people-watch. Perfection. I'll definitely be back.

But the highlight of the afternoon was visiting the Newtown Public Library. We just hung out on comfy pillows and read books/magazines until they closed. Seriously -- I can't stop talking about how awesome libraries are. I'm never going to get over it. Spread the word.

Recent Happenings.

Hellooooo! Here are some quick bullet-point updates for my nearest and dearest:

Sorry there's a lot of text, everyone. I know Mamala will appreciate it, though!

• I have become obsessed with Summer Heights High. For those who have never seen it -- please YouTube immediately. It's this hilarious Australian TV show written by Chris Lilley where he plays three different characters at an Australian public school: (1) Jonah -- the troubled kid from Tonga, (2) Mr. G -- the flamboyant/self-absorbed theatre teacher, think Waiting for Guffman and (3) Ja'mae -- the spoiled private school girl on exchange to Summer Heights High. It's seriously, GENIUS. I've watched all eight episodes already and I may go back for more.
• We found two cheapo BYO (means "Bring Your Own" so you can bring alcohol and drink to enjoy with dinner) on Stanley Street. First, Sushi on Stanley, was Christina's recommendation and has avocado/tuna mini rolls for just $2 each. As mama would say, I might "turn into a sushi" from eating there so much. The second is Bill and Toni's, which was Vince's top-notch recommendation. I ate my full plate of lasagne and the family feel was so genuine and adorable.
• I've been drinking like, gallons and gallons of English Breakfast tea. It's almost like, gross. Haha. I don't know why America hasn't woken up and jumped on the electric tea kettle bandwagon. Also, I have absolutely no self control when it comes to Tim Tams (Australian cookie). It reminds me of my Cadbury obsession whilst in London. It might become a problem.
• I took out and read two graphic novels from the Newtown library: The Master and Margarita and I Like My Job. (Seriously -- libraries are so incredible. Free books! It's amazing.)
• I'm obsessed with Katy Perry's new songs Teenage Dream and Firework. Listening to them on repeat. It's kind of embarrassing, but such good sing-a-longs. Need to steal bandwidth and download her newest CD. And Sara Bareilles. Top of my to-do list.
• Last Saturday was a slow and rainy day (the first time I've used my cute red umbrella!), but I met up with an Australian friend of Katie Marcheski (next door neighbor from CO) named Kathryn. She's such a sweetheart and wants to take us girls out to a place called Symbio to cuddle koalas and pretend to box kangaroos. Can't wait. We met at this delicious cafe called Four Ate Five (the address of the cafe is 485 Crown Street. Cute, huh?) and then strolled around window shopping in Surry Hills. (So far I have only bought one pair of practical sneakers while I'm here -- my shopping addition is SO under control! Proud of me...?)
• Oh. And the biggest news? I haven't chewed my nails since I've been here. I'm such a lady! Abrye, Sarah and I are planning to go to the Royal Chamberlain Hotel on Thursday night, which supposedly has free manicures if you buy a martini. Sounds like the perfect reward.
• Met an American guy named Matt Fuentes (through Abrye) who's been working in Sydney for a while. He definitely knows his way around and has the most GORGEOUS view from his Surry Hills apartment. (Once I know him better I'll be a nerd and ask to take a picture from his balcony...haha.) Literally -- you can see the Harbour Bridge and Opera House from his massive floor to ceiling windows. It's stunning. He also took me to a place called the Local Taphouse where I was able to get some good beer -- the only place I've been able to find a hef. My favorite!
• Most importantly -- I started my regular reception shifts at Amadeus. I'll do a big post with pictures of the office/friends/etc. once I'm more settled and not the new and confused loser-receptionist. Though, many people have stopped by to see the "new office totty," as Daniel described. I think that's a good thing? HAHA.

Blue Mountains.

The Blue Mountains are a must-do tourist attraction in Sydney that are about a two hour train ride out of the city. Abrye, Alex, Sarah and I ventured out for a day of sightseeing. And though the mountains aren't quite as "blue" as they claim (and they've got NOTHIN' on the Rockies), it was quite a lovely day. See facebook album for more pretty images...it takes so long to upload on blogger. I'll just share a few here. :)

Highlights:

• Three Sisters Rocks. Of course, I was very excited for this considering the Smith family has tres sisters. Not as impressive in person as I'd hoped, but still quite a sight. The valley itself is hard to capture in a photo, but it's astronomically large and deeper than the Grand Canyon!
• Lots of cockatoos flying around. Don't they look like they have mohawks? Badasses of the rainforest. Haha.
• The rainforest walk was nice and relaxing. Dardick found a tree branch to act like Tarzan/George of the Jungle and we did a little talent show in the Rainforest Room. Nice times.
• Luera Cascades -- insanely long waterfall. The walk down to the bottom and back up again was all the stair-mastering I'll need for a year. Maybe I worked off the Krispy Kreme doughnut that Abrye and I ate waiting for the train...maybe?

Abrye's Birthday: Cupcakes, Children and Chaos.

So, Abrye turned 23 during her first couple weeks in Sydney. As an au pair for an adorable little family in Eastwood, she got a proper celebration complete with sprinkled cupcakes, a very high children : adult ratio and lots and lots of chaos.

But don't you worry -- after the kid-friendly party we went out for dancing + fun at World Bar. It's a pretty international crowd with DJs in Michael Bolton t-shirts, Will Smith's Miami bumpin on the dance floor (Abrye's request) and drinks out of teapots.