Surry Hills
With the exception of four years in Brisbane, I spent the first thirty years of my life in the country: Lismore, Bourke, Renmark and Wagga. When my career brought me to Sydney, I was really excited.
As I knew I didn’t want to live too far from work, I drew a “walking circle” (old style protractor) around Ultimo, that reached out to Glebe and Pyrmont, but I quickly settled on an apartment in Surry Hills. And even though I’m a country boy at heart, Surry Hills has pretty much become “home”.
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Sydney Sights
I noticed there was a lengthy queue outside Messina, on Crown Street, Surry Hills today.
I had just been to the post office and was looking for somewhere to grab a bite to eat. Despite my hunger, I stopped to take a photograph.
In Sydney, if there’s a queue, it must be good.… Read the rest “Sydney Sights”
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On The Street
“It’s pretty confronting”, a friend and I concluded about our (separate) experiences of visiting the red-light area of Amsterdam. As you walk around Amsterdam there are half-dressed women in shop-fronts offering themselves to (often) groups of men. I don’t have an issue, at all, with sex work as a legitimate form of employment, but sex work doesn’t come without its problems, including drug abuse, exploitation, and (sometimes) slavery.… Read the rest “On The Street”
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Sydney Streets in Surry Hills
“I wish there was more live music”, someone said over lunch today. A group of us were at the Carrington Hotel, a pub on Bourke Street, Surry Hills. I had the prawn linguine and it was excellent, by the way, though there was maybe a little too much chilli.
We were chatting about today’s “Sydney Streets” event, the second such event in Surry Hills.… Read the rest “Sydney Streets in Surry Hills”
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How to vote
I pre-polled at the last federal election, as I worked on election day for the Australian Electoral Commission. It was an enjoyable and fascinating “behind the scenes” experience at Sydney’s Town Hall. https://jamesobrien.id.au/2019/05/vote-one-eurovision/
Working on polling day in 2019 I have a vague idea I might have pre-polled at the previous election too.… Read the rest “How to vote”
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Village Voices
When people you know have near-death experiences, you tend to be a little more “honest” in your communications with them. You tend to be more willing to share the thoughts, feelings and experiences you’ve had.
After years of living in Surry Hills, I thought it was finally time to share with my family a few “horror stories” of city life.… Read the rest “Village Voices”
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Surry Streets
Chatting with a friend down the street this morning, and we were trying to remember the last time Crown Street was closed to traffic for an event. We concluded it was sometime in the early 2000s. It was before the Surry Hills Festival moved to Ward Park and the Shannon Reserve.… Read the rest “Surry Streets”
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The Laneway Solution
There’s a problem with the laneway near home which has caused me a lot of grief. It’s the laneway I’ve walked through at least twice a day for the last twenty-five years.
At first, there was a problem with people pissing in the laneway. More recently, there was a problem with litter.… Read the rest “The Laneway Solution”
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The Daily Commute
“You’re in early today” one of my colleagues commented to me this morning. “Not that early”, I told him, telling him that in the last eighteen months or so (during COVID), I’ve gotten into a fairly good routine of waking early, doing a few hours of work, and then taking a break for a morning walk, breakfast, and some of life’s pleasures.… Read the rest “The Daily Commute”