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Written 10 January 2009

Day five in Sydney, the first Saturday. A chance to kick back? Hardly. We have gotten to celebrate reaching a couple of goals, on time I might add. Yesterday we got our apartment. Today I am resting more assured that we will have all the necessities when we move in on Monday. There is still a good deal to do tomorrow, however.


Photo 1: balcony view south, towards downtown. Some buildings just east of downtown are in the distance.

Each tour of the neighborhoods had made us decrease our radius from the hospital considered suitable for living. Before my trip to Sydney at the end of November Ana had made an excellent list of houses and a couple of apartments within a maximum of an anticipated ten minute drive. In retrospect, that seems like a drive from a county away. First, ten minutes estimated on a Google map ain’t ten minutes big-city style. My guess is that the main thoroughfare past the hospital was not expected to handle the daily traffic it takes these days. While this area is nothing like Manhattan, it is far more congested than, say, North Dallas. Maybe the best comparison would be Austin. The roads here are fairly narrow and the undulations of the terrain lead to winding roads. When people are packed together, they have little room for others of different pace or knowledge of the area. You better have a plan when you hit the roads, keep your mind on it, and execute.


Photo 2: the view west, directly across the street. The nearest building the Royal North Shore Hospitals dialysis center. Middleground: the new research center and medical school library. Brown building in distance: the inpatient hospital, i.e., workplace. Commute time: four minutes, with traffic.

Another factor in shrinking the search was expense. Everything costs a good deal here. And the more we have hassled with making purchases to get settled in, the more we think about having to sell or give it away in just a few months. The beauty of it is that it keeps the contrast between need and want fairly clear. We aren’t going to rough it, but I also don’t think we will be hanging any Rembrandts on the walls. Or perhaps anything more than family photos, for that matter.

Photo 3: balcony view north. High-rises in distance is Chatswood, the upscale district of the city, proported best schools, etc. In between, the offices of two of the city's television stations, the main highway northward.

Maybe we will decorate by fate, searching only for huge bargains, or be okay with putting up nothing whatsoever. Point being that we finally decided on a place right across the street from the hospital complex. There are several apartment towers that oppose the huge grounds of the hospital. Our place will be lined up just a few hundred yards from the inpatient and surgical building, the hospital proper. Call should be pretty good. Additionally, the train station is even closer, due south about 200 meters. And the station is not just a platform and a ticket window. The tracks mainly travel above ground throughout the city, but it is very much a Metro layout and system. As a result, the “station” is placed amongst high-rise buildings and covered with a layer of commerce. An open-air plaza is right over the tracks, and the perimeter is lined with restaurants of quite a range. Of course, Mickey D’s is there, but there are a couple other fast food places indicative of the ethnic diversity of the city, a fresh fruit market, a very good restaurant with low lighting in the evenings, good wine it seems, and great coffee also served at a walk up counter. There is a pharmacy, a newsstand, and a grocery store. With everything so close and convenient, it is worth a little more to be in this area.


Photo 4: the view from the south balcony looking westward. Train tracks below and out of view (the train is electric, nearly silent). About 3 miles away: Tasman Sea.