Day 2

Lets start with a couple of things I have already learned about Sydney
1. Burger King is actually Hungry Man - same logo, same food, different name
2. There is absolutely no way to find a small latte for under 5 bucks
3. "Large" = US small
4. Dryden's Books is BALLIN
5. The Mac store is amazing for free internet and no one will ever bother you
6. Everything at McDonalds is at least 3 bucks, minus the ice cream which is a .50 cone.
7. Starbucks doesn't give out free Wifi
8. 8 hours of walking makes your feet hurt and your back burnt
9. Pedicures cost a HELL of a lot more than they do in LA - I can pretty much guarantee I won't be getting one for the next five months
10. Don't believe apt ads - as pretty as the pictures may look the apt can STILL be in shambles.
11. Aussie rain is amazing!
12. Breakfast is Brekky and a medium is a middy
13. Pies (filled with like chicken/beef/ect) are the official food of Sydney, and they are DELICIOUS
14. Nothing is cheap, nothing is free, welcome to Sydney!

There, now I've written one new fun fact for every mile I walked today and yesterday combined!

So, this morning began with me walking to the first apartment I scheduled to look at. It was about an hour walk from my hostel so I took off at 9 with high hopes for what looked like a cute little house. On the way I stopped by an small bakery where I got what was literally the most delicious chocolate croissant I have ever tasted. Who knew croissants could taste so good? When I got to the place lets just say I was quite underwhelmed. Now, I know my means and I know that I won't be staying in the lap of luxury while I live in Sydney, but DAMN, seriously? The place was a hot mess. Dirty, messy, disheveled, I could keep going, but I think we all grasp the point. I am going to see two more places tomorrow and I think those will be good. Hopefully one of them works out because I really don't want to but stuck in House #1. After that failed (an hour walk for a 3 minute showing) I decided to wander around again. The apartment was in Surry Hills so I explored Surry some more and then I headed out toward Darlinghurst and Paddington. On my travels I found the Jewish History Museum, a random film crew shooting a movie, the local Hospital and the Supreme Court House. From there I traveled over to Potts Point and Kings Cross which were both nice places to walk through. I logged a few food place I want to try as well as a couple bars with fun/cheap happy hours that include POOL! From there I headed back toward Hyde Park, where the Australian Museum is and can I just say, I am SO EFFING excited to work there. It looks AMAZING. After drooling over the museum architecture I decided to walk through St. Mary's Cathedral (which is absolutely stunning) and then stumbled upon the Sydney Art Museum so I decided to take a few hours and visit. There were a TON of exhibits, some I liked more than others, but overall it was wonderful, Shantel would go CRAZY. After, I walked over to the Royal Botanical Gardens. Boy 'o boy, I could have easily spend hours and hours in there looking at all the plans and animals. I saw a TON of bats hanging upside-down, enjoying sleeping in the sun. There were some weird looking birds, and they had an entire area for endangered plants that was cool to look at. One thing easily noticeable though, SPIDERS. And I don't mean like little spiders, GIGANTIC spiders with black and yellow striped legs that spun yellow webbing. They were insane, and they were everywhere. I had to walk underneath one once and I was so sure it was going to pounce on me the moment I was under it. But luckily, I made it through unscathed and happy as a clam. From there I caught a glimpse of the Opera House and was determined to see it before I turned back to the hostel. So I walked, and walked, and walked a bit more and before I knew it there it was! Beautiful and shiny and MOBBED by tourists just like me. I walked around it, went inside for a bit and decided that I was required to see at least one show before I left. After, I had a nice view of the Harbor Bridge and saw a couple interesting street performances. Finally, I was ready to return to the hostel. I walked back and on the way got a dinner pie from the local pie shop. Delish. The rest of the evening was me reading and relaxing, setting up work for Wednesday, meeting my new and hilarious hostel mates (3 Melbourne boys, Rory, Jay, and K) who I really liked, and going out for my first night life experience in Sydney with those boys which was really really great. Day 2 and I'm already loving Sydney, enjoying the accents, and navigating the streets - I walked the whole day with no map and never got lost. Win.