why drive when you can walk?!
(cc)
(this is an entry from several weeks ago, prior to moving to Manly – but still gives a glimpse of life in Sydney)
So I have to admit that I feel so lucky to walk to work. There’s nothing like a healthy walk to get the blood a-flowin’, to get the head cleared, to connect to one’s neighborhood and fellow city-dwellers. Prior to being in Manly, we were living in a delightful (!) part of the city……here’s a vignette:
My walk to work is about 40 minutes and takes me through an interesting cross section of town. It’s sort of like riding the #2 bus in Seattle from the CD to Queen Anne – you see it all in 45 minutes.
typical sandstone terrace house
The neighborhood we call home is called Potts Point – and is rather swank. A recently re-discovered area, it is now filling up with yuppies buying up the real estate and upmarket restaurants, shops and markets are sprinkled about. It is a convenient 20 minute walk to downtown and the Botanical gardens, 5 minutes to Elizabeth Bay and marina for harbour-side strolling. I think most considered it “hidden” behind the glare of red light district and thus previously undesirable. I actually have found that in someways it reminds me so much of Paris – the architecture is not parisien at all, but somehow the ambiance is.
one of my favorite art deco buildings
The scale of the streetscape is similar (2-6 storey buildings) with housing above business – and many of the buildings are architecturally significant – ranging from art deco to 50’s modern to a few contemporary. The shops are a range of eateries, grocers, specialty shops and hair stylists – we hardly have to walk far to buy just about anything we might need. And there’s even a French patisserie serving excellent croissant, pain au chocolat and palmiers! (that must have something to do with it…)
actually, I think it’s also the liveliness of the street day and evening – and all the different smells (some pleasant, some not) and sounds that one experiences while strolling down the sidewalk – one really feels connected to the neighborhood. And we’ve recently been told that Potts Point/Elizabeth bay neighborhood is the densest urban area in all of Australia!
Urban indeed.
(this is an entry from several weeks ago, prior to moving to Manly – but still gives a glimpse of life in Sydney)
So I have to admit that I feel so lucky to walk to work. There’s nothing like a healthy walk to get the blood a-flowin’, to get the head cleared, to connect to one’s neighborhood and fellow city-dwellers. Prior to being in Manly, we were living in a delightful (!) part of the city……here’s a vignette:
My walk to work is about 40 minutes and takes me through an interesting cross section of town. It’s sort of like riding the #2 bus in Seattle from the CD to Queen Anne – you see it all in 45 minutes.
typical sandstone terrace house
The neighborhood we call home is called Potts Point – and is rather swank. A recently re-discovered area, it is now filling up with yuppies buying up the real estate and upmarket restaurants, shops and markets are sprinkled about. It is a convenient 20 minute walk to downtown and the Botanical gardens, 5 minutes to Elizabeth Bay and marina for harbour-side strolling. I think most considered it “hidden” behind the glare of red light district and thus previously undesirable. I actually have found that in someways it reminds me so much of Paris – the architecture is not parisien at all, but somehow the ambiance is.
one of my favorite art deco buildings
The scale of the streetscape is similar (2-6 storey buildings) with housing above business – and many of the buildings are architecturally significant – ranging from art deco to 50’s modern to a few contemporary. The shops are a range of eateries, grocers, specialty shops and hair stylists – we hardly have to walk far to buy just about anything we might need. And there’s even a French patisserie serving excellent croissant, pain au chocolat and palmiers! (that must have something to do with it…)
actually, I think it’s also the liveliness of the street day and evening – and all the different smells (some pleasant, some not) and sounds that one experiences while strolling down the sidewalk – one really feels connected to the neighborhood. And we’ve recently been told that Potts Point/Elizabeth bay neighborhood is the densest urban area in all of Australia!
Urban indeed.
posted by Hunter Williams at 5:37 PM
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