A Wondering Ending to a Wonderful Trip: Sydney

As my plane flew over Sydney preparing to land, I couldn't believe just how big this city was. Though I knew this was Australia's biggest city, I wasn't prepared for it's sheer size. Unlike the CBD of Melbourne which could be walked in an hour tops, walking around Sydney was not an easy task. Even the CBD is divided further into districts, most with being at least a ten block radius. The bus and rail lines that runs through the city is as intricate as any I've seen and travels to all corners of the suburb, once you figure out which line to take. There is a free bus that loops the city but ends at 3:30pm which hardly leaves one time to really use it. The city moves at a speedy pace, which is pretty impressive considering the laid back nature of the Aussies in general. As with all major hub cities, it lacks a personal and intimate touch, that made Melbourne so lovable. In the mist of all this chaos, walking around exploring the city as a tourist is really quite exciting however as each corner brings about something completely new. Another interesting point about the city is the overwhelming Asian population, as almost one in five people here are of Asian decent. So unlike in the states where it maybe uncommon to see Asians working in McDonalds or driving the bus, here it is quite the norm.
When it comes to specific spots of interests in the city, there really isn't one to mention. Obviously most people come and makes a visit to the famous opera house. Since it's situated on the edge of a harbor, views of it can be seen from all the surrounding bays. At night as it lights up, the illuminating bridge behind it helps create a captivating skyline, enhanced furthered by the dramatic colors of the sky.


As a lover of cityscapes, this is fast climbing my list of top three favorites. Another aspect of this city that is very well thought out is the strategic placements of parks all throughout the neighborhoods, which helps to slightly eliminate the cold feeling of the vast payment streets.
My choices in food here has been rather interesting. After the last few days in New Zealand eating nothing but seafood, I felt myself craving asian food and rice in particular. Luckily finding quality Asian food here was an easy task, and I even managed to find authentic Japanese, which is always difficult in Philly. However, I couldn't bare to leave the city without having oysters one last time, especially since Sydney's is said to please any seafood lover. So for lunch one day I went to Cyren restaurant alongside the harbor where I was able to sample not only the Sydney Rock Oysters but also kangaroo meat. The oysters where good, but not the stars of the dish. Instead I found the pawns to be much better, as even the head contained abundant flavors and meat. As for the kangaroo, some said it reminded them of venison but for me it tasted more like beef as I didn't find it gamey at all. It was nice to try but really nothing special.





As this trips comes to an end, what better way to spend the last night but at the opera house bar overlooking the opera house on one side and the bridge on the other. Up close the opera house has a striking resemblance to sea shells both in color and patterns. The shape is really quite unique which makes one wonder how engineers concluded that this was the design for the optimal sound effect. Perhaps above all, the most amazing aspect of the city is how it's able to draw millions of tourists yearly with only an opera house!


Rating
Atmosphere: There's no mistaking that you are in a huge metropolitan city when you arrive here. In fact for people that's been to NYC and London this city is quite similar. However, there's something alluring about it that makes me prefer it over the other two.
People: For a city on the go, I expected people to be rude and standoffish. However on the contrast most where really polite and eager to help. This quality really added to the experience of the city and made what would have been just a mediocre city remarkable.
Food: Finally decided to give up on finding authentic Aussie food. Instead I opted to try what the city was best known for, it's seafood, which was pretty good but don't think qualified for best I've ever had. Aside from that all the Asian dishes I had was delicious and despite the initial sticker shock once I realized that it included tax and tip, it made it all that much the better.
Beauty: This city had me with its skyline. In fact I traveled eight thousands miles to see it in person, and it was worth every penny. People often ask why I find the need to take a photo of the landmarks myself when I can just settle for a postcard. The simple answer is because it's not mine own and I haven't experienced it with my own eyes, which is really the point of it all is it not!
Cleanness: Not quite clean but wouldn't say it's dirty. It's one of those aspect of the city that doesn't really stand out one way or another, at least not enough to comment.
Overall: Sydney reminds me of NYC where Melbourne is more like Chicago. However both are better than their counterpart in the states. A part of me wish that I had grew up here instead of in the states!

Scale 1-10: 8