JEMS Sabbatical, Part 1: Sydney
Thursday 12/27: SMF > LAX > en route to SYD
Farewell kisses and hugs to the kitties! Off to the airport for 3:20pm flight to LAX. A bit delayed but no matter given the 4+ hour layover, spent in the United Club. Adult beverages, food, work for Mr. E and reading and family phone calls for me. Then... success! Mr. E's upgrade to Polaris Business Class comes to fruition! We play human Tetris once on board with two other couples and a single so that the couples can all sit together. Decent dinner and nice wine, some movies, then lie-flat seats and real pillow and snuggly comforter to stretch out and rest during 14+ hour flight.
Friday 12/28: Lost Day over the South Pacific
Time travel is weird.
Saturday 12/29: Welcome to SYD NYE 2018!
Quick unloading and eKiosk for border control before waiting for Big Blue at baggage claim and catching our usual train to the City. Slight oops - Opal cards for public transit can't be shared since you have to "tap on" and "tap off" each time, so no option to pass back and forth to each other over the turnstile, unlike in Chicago. We learned the hard way...
Ride train all the way to Town Hall Station and then pull our bags just a few blocks to the Meriton Kent Street. We're a bit too early but gain access to Arrivals Lounge on 15th Floor, which is just down the hall from the Recreation Area, so I head over for a swim workout and shower while Mr. E enjoys some coffee. Then it's his turn for a short swim while I read, and our apartment is ready around 1pm.
Unpack and settle in. Marvel at the amazing 54th floor views over Darling Harbour, Parramatta River, and west of Sydney. Mr. E doesn't venture too far out onto the balcony...
Then off to the Opera House to pick up our tickets for New Year's Eve, admiring the holiday decorations along George Street and Christmas Tree on Martin Place as we strolled towards the Harbour.
Lunch along the way at Sushirap in Regent Place for yummy poke bowls and some grocery shopping at Woolworth's on the way back to stock up for the week. I also got sushi there for dinner, and Mr. E procured a pizza from Assembly Bar at Regent Place nearby for his meal.
He found a music video channel on our TV playing the Top 100 videos of the 80s, which provided some awesome musical accompaniment for the evening. However, we're still curious to know the criteria for selection and ranking, as we didn't always agree with the numbering and felt some important 80s musical contributions were conspicuously absent. And really, Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer" as #1...?!
Farewell kisses and hugs to the kitties! Off to the airport for 3:20pm flight to LAX. A bit delayed but no matter given the 4+ hour layover, spent in the United Club. Adult beverages, food, work for Mr. E and reading and family phone calls for me. Then... success! Mr. E's upgrade to Polaris Business Class comes to fruition! We play human Tetris once on board with two other couples and a single so that the couples can all sit together. Decent dinner and nice wine, some movies, then lie-flat seats and real pillow and snuggly comforter to stretch out and rest during 14+ hour flight.
Friday 12/28: Lost Day over the South Pacific
Time travel is weird.
Saturday 12/29: Welcome to SYD NYE 2018!
Quick unloading and eKiosk for border control before waiting for Big Blue at baggage claim and catching our usual train to the City. Slight oops - Opal cards for public transit can't be shared since you have to "tap on" and "tap off" each time, so no option to pass back and forth to each other over the turnstile, unlike in Chicago. We learned the hard way...
Ride train all the way to Town Hall Station and then pull our bags just a few blocks to the Meriton Kent Street. We're a bit too early but gain access to Arrivals Lounge on 15th Floor, which is just down the hall from the Recreation Area, so I head over for a swim workout and shower while Mr. E enjoys some coffee. Then it's his turn for a short swim while I read, and our apartment is ready around 1pm.
Unpack and settle in. Marvel at the amazing 54th floor views over Darling Harbour, Parramatta River, and west of Sydney. Mr. E doesn't venture too far out onto the balcony...
Lunch along the way at Sushirap in Regent Place for yummy poke bowls and some grocery shopping at Woolworth's on the way back to stock up for the week. I also got sushi there for dinner, and Mr. E procured a pizza from Assembly Bar at Regent Place nearby for his meal.
He found a music video channel on our TV playing the Top 100 videos of the 80s, which provided some awesome musical accompaniment for the evening. However, we're still curious to know the criteria for selection and ranking, as we didn't always agree with the numbering and felt some important 80s musical contributions were conspicuously absent. And really, Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer" as #1...?!
posted by jms | 8:40 PM
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