We left this morning in a hurry - I wanted to stop on the way out and get a coffee at the cafe downstairs; but I keep forgetting that they aren't open on Saturdays! Joe dropped me off in Neutral Bay and then he headed over to Manly in the rental car. We had 7 apartments lined up to view for the day.
I really wanted to get my moneys worth out of the rental car after we had to pay $145.00 for parking to get it out of the parking garage (have I mentioned yet how expensive this city is?), $30.00 for petrol and $150.00 for the car itself... Whew.... This is insane!!
I had almost an hour before I had to be at the showing so I walked up to Military Rd and stopped into a little cafe for a flat white and some brekky. Look at this beautiful beautiful coffee! Really, I can't say enough about the incredible coffee here - Even the Seven Elevens have espresso makers behind the counters. We bought a press pot; but I can't wait til we get our container and I can start using our espresso maker again...
I really wanted to get my moneys worth out of the rental car after we had to pay $145.00 for parking to get it out of the parking garage (have I mentioned yet how expensive this city is?), $30.00 for petrol and $150.00 for the car itself... Whew.... This is insane!!
I had almost an hour before I had to be at the showing so I walked up to Military Rd and stopped into a little cafe for a flat white and some brekky. Look at this beautiful beautiful coffee! Really, I can't say enough about the incredible coffee here - Even the Seven Elevens have espresso makers behind the counters. We bought a press pot; but I can't wait til we get our container and I can start using our espresso maker again...So, after I sat, read my book and ate I headed back down to view the apartment only to find that the viewing had mysteriously been cancelled... So annoying! I walked over to my next viewing and made it there about an hour early. There was a nice place in the sun where I could sit and read and it was quite warm and lovely. I saw three units in this particular building. One was for sale and not for lease; but I had a look anyway. It was a one bedder with no windows that was being sold for $430,000.00.
Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! Crazy!
The other two apartments were really nice and both had gorgeous views onto a little cove with sailboats floating in it. The first place was huge and nicely redone except for the bathroom which was a rather unfortunate room. The second place was much smaller but had a nice bathroom! Ugh.. So, I trudged on to my last viewing and at this point I was tired and thirsty and hungry. It was a steep uphill walk so I was cranky by the time I saw the last place (which was sort of a dump) and ready to go home.
Joe picked me up and we regrouped at another cute little cafe (they are everywhere) and had sandwiches. The first place he had seen was a winner; but the other two were pretty bad. So, we decided to fill out applications for the nice one he saw and for the big one with nice views and unfortunate bathroom that I saw.
We had to have the sucking money pit rental car back by five so we hurried off to return it. We opted to walk the 3.5 km back to our apartment instead of getting a taxi - walking here is really very pleasant. I think I walked at least 2 km between viewings this morning which means I walked over 5km today. That's strange to me coming from a place where driving was absolutely necessary.
On the way back to our apartment we got sidetracked and decided to see the new Twilight movie. We sat in a sleek, ultra modern little lounge and had a couple drinks before our show started. It was weird to see that the theatre was much larger and nicer than the ones in the States! The seats were nicer than even the VIP level seats at the new Florence Cinema. It was also weird to see trailers for movies opening at the end of July that we have already seen in the States!
We stopped at Woolworth's on the way home and I bought a hair straightener to replace the one I left in my mother in law's fridge (loooong story)!! I had to buy some Mentos on the way out - I am loving all the different flavours here! The grape ones tasted nasty for the first second and then they tasted like Concord Grapes - Yum. The Citrus were all nasty and I haven't tried the Cola ones yet - they scare me a little!!!
Missing everyone tonight and I can't wait to get settled into an apartment of our own!
Posts
The sticker shock of living in Sydney is pretty bad at first. But pretty soon you'll just get used to the fact that everything just costs more here!
Sorry the apartment search isn't going too well. Hopefully you'll find just the right place soon. Happy 4th of July!
Might want to check out http://www.goget.com.au/ we use them all the time. $8/hour or $68 for 24 hours (including 150k). You pay per k on the hourly rate, but petrol is always free.
I've heard that our coffee shit's on the Americans. Gloria Jeans has THE best coffee. Ever!
Sydney is always going to be extremely expensive to live in. And by the sounds of it, you're right in the actual CBD, so you are going to pay through the nose.
Hey, happy 4th July! :o)
@ Jenny - Thanks! I just keep thinking that there are hundreds of thousands of people who have moved here before us and who have made their way just fine! We aren't really celebrating the fourth today - I think it wouold just be depressing :(
@ Mike - Thanks! I was talking to one of Joe's coworkers on Friday and they recommended that service as well.
@ Ute - Yea, the coffe here is great; but I don't think I would use the term "shits on the Americans". Personally, as an American myself (who would love nothing more then to be drinking a cup of not so good American coffee if it meant that I were home in America visiting my family) I find that pretty offensive. There is a lot of things that the Aussies do that are truly sub-par to the US; but I am trying to just learn them and live them and not make derogatory comments about them. It would be nice to have the same attitude from the other side.
So sorry to offend. It wasn't intended.
As I'm sure your constant critisism of our country and it's difference to yours isn't too.
Ute - I'm not going to delete your last comment although I am sorely tempted. It bothers me that you would post something on my personal blog that makes it sound like my whole blog is spent criticizing Australia. On the contrary, I spend much of my time talking about how much better things are here. The coffee, the theatres, the weather, the views etc. There are things I am struggling with - the laundry, the driving... It's ok for me to talk about how I am struggling to adapt; but it would certainly be crossing a line for me to say something like "American laundry shits on Australian laundry".
So, if you don't like it, don't read it; but you don't get to make me out like a bad person.
As I said before..My initial comment was never meant to offend... I guess you just don't 'get' the Australian-ism.
Something else I guess you will need to adjust to. The way we sometimes say things.
Oh well.
No problems.
OOOPS!!! Oh Mimi, I'm afraid this is something you and Joe will have to get used to here...Australians tend to take the mickey out of everything and everyone - including themselves. Believe me, you will know when someone here is REALLY being offensive! Please don't take us too seriously - I understood Ute's comments for what they were, and they weren't meant to upset you. Again I am reminded of my American friends who stayed with us for just two weeks, and it took them all of that time to figure out our direct way of saying things! By the time they left Oz, they were laughing at us as much as we were laughing at them!
Well Gina, I probably did overreact in the first place and I'll have to get used to the way things are here. Maybe it's just easier when you can see someone's face? I always find it harder to see the true meaning behind something via text and not a real interaction. So far the Aussies I've talked to have had a really sarcastic and biting wit which I like :)
I guess I just got really irritated when she came back and said that I constantly criticized Australia - Guess it just got my knickers in a twist since I am trying so hard to be fair and not bad mouth anything :(
Ah, another night owl, I see! As I said, don't fret over things like this - I don't think Ute meant that you constantly criticised Australia, because you certainly don't! And if you do find something you don't like, well this is your blog - you say what you bloody well like! Don't worry about trying to be fair - most Aussies like people to be honest.
Keep smiling!
I wanna know why on earth you put your flat iron in the fridge, let alone left it there! It's such a key ingredient to beautifying ones self each day. Silly girl.....please, do tell the story!
Ok Missy - so, I straightened my hair right before we left for the airport the morning of our great departure. I decided to take my straightner with me, even though the extra voltage here would prob fry it or melt it in a week. It was so hot from being used and I knew it wouldn't cool off in time to pack so I put it in the fridge and left the cord hanging out so that I would remember it. Needless to say, in all the excitement I forgot it. Our first call back to Mom was full of laughter on her end as she described coming home to find a cord coming out of her fridge and then finding my straightener in there. She was crying she was laughing so hard!
One of the first things I have had to get used to with Australians is the concept of "taking the piss out", which Gina called "taking the mickey out." It's something you don't see much in the Southeastern US at all, but they do it a lot in the Northeast, and apparently Australians do, too. It's not meant to offend. It's just the way people interact in Oz. Another thing that can be hard to adjust to when moving from the Bible Belt to Australia is the constant curse words. It's just the way it is. My favorite Aussie friends have routinely called me a "cunt" and made fun of all sorts of things about me, and about America, but once you show that you can take it and dish it out as well, it's almost like passing a test of sorts. You have to adjust to it, or you'll never really understand what people are saying to you in Oz. It isn't just a way of harassing Americans. It's how they talk to each other.