A Shoe In ...

Well, I went to Sydney the other day in the hopes of exploring a bit more. I decided to get off at Town Hall again -- that's the QVB -- remember from the other day. This time instead of walking north toward the harbor, I decided to go east toward the park and sort of zig-zag this whole area. And what did I find, besides Santa Claus and his 8 tiny reindeer?

You guessed it -- Shoes! Shooz! Shoezzzzzzzzzz!

Now for those of you who know me, you have to know that I was in hog heaven -- or in this case having a shoe-in -- which is like having a sit-in on heels! I have never seen so many shoe stores in a 8 block square area as here. I actually found one store that had 5 stores on 5 floors -- all shoes ... do you know what that is like for a shoe-a-holic like me? Is there a 12-step program for this or does is just take 12 steps to get to the cash register?

I love Australian men -- cause they obviously like their women in high heels with pointy toes -- bad for the feet but just gorgeous to look at. I saw shoes in every color you can imagine, every heel height from spiky stillettos to squat "Miss Kitty" heels ... from fabric to patent leather and every material you can think of -- with platforms, without platforms -- open toes, square toes, round toes and round square toes, ties-up, pumps, slingbacks, criss-cross -- if you can imagine it -- it's here! Oh, and they also have a lot of normal shoes too ...

Yes, if you can believe I got out of these stores alive and without buying one pair -- well, I have a huge bridge in downtown Sydney I can sell you for just a few dollars! Actually, I did manage not to buy one single pair -- mainly because even the most inexpensive shoes in Sydney are about three times the cost of what I'd pay in the US. I haven't see any pair so spectacular -- yet -- that made me want to part with my hard-earned dollars ... but I have no doubt that before this adventure ends -- there will be at least one pair of Australian heels in my suitcase.

Speaking of shoes, when I checked in at O'Hare, I had the cutest ticket agent that took my luggage and helped me get situated. As we were weighing my luggage -- yes, I was under the limit with both suitcases -- he leaned over and said, "How many pairs of shoes?" I looked at him and burst out laughing and as we giggled together, he told me that it was always the shoes that ended up creating luggage problems for women travelers!

I told him I only had 7 pairs packed -- not including the ones I was wearing and my yoga shoes -- which I had in my carry-on to wear on the plane to keep my feet from swelling (Travel Tip #2) -- which really worked well! He laughed heartily and said he believed that could be a record for the least amount of women's shoes he'd ever encountered! I guess that means I get a gold star -- except I'm not a big fan of gold -- so a platinum star! Yes, I have worn every single pair since I've been here -- but it has been a real challenge! I believe no shoe should go unworn ... no matter how many blisters they cause!

But back to Sydney -- there's no escaping shoe stores in this city -- and you can travel from neighborhood to neighborhood just following shoe stores -- it's a great way to walk your way through the city -- you just have to remember to look up every once in a while so you can see the sights.

On this day -- I decided I would really get familiar with the area that surround the QVB all the way to Hyde Park and so I worked my way from George Street along Market Street to Pitt Street and the very long one block Pitt Street Mall -- yes that's where I found the 5 story building of shoe stores -- then up Pitt to King Street and over to Castlereagh and Elizabath Streets.

Strolling down Elizabeth Street back toward Market, I came upon the St James train station -- which has been there since 1926. It sits right on the edge of Hyde Park and directly below St James Church, for which it is named. Here's the Wikipedia link where you can see a picture of it as it is now, along with its history and construction pictures: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._James_railway_station,_Sydney. The entire area around it is known as St James and it is mildly reminiscient of the St James area of London, where I stayed when I worked on a project there.

Sydney, like Chicago, has a downtown loop known as the City Circle and the six major downtown train stations are on this circle -- besides St James and Town Hall are stops at Museum, Circular Quay, Wynyard and Central -- which is where you can catch every single train line that goes through downtown Sydney and then out into the north, south, east and west suburbs.
Central is like grand central station and hundreds of thousands of people go through this station everyday.

Hyde Park is quite lovely -- not nearly as big as its namesake in London -- but there's no doubt that the British were here, as it has that same beauty and grace that you see in the many parks of London. On a bustling Wednesday afternoon -- there were several hundred people taking advantage of Hyde Park and either reclining peacefully on the lawns or strolling through the greenery, soaking up the fresh clean air that follows a short drizzle of rain.

Speaking of rain -- it's been raining here in Sydney almost everyday since I arrived. That's unusual because they've been in a drought here for a number of years. Thankfully, as a result, it has stayed relatively cool during the day and even cooler in the evenings. Guess I brought a bit of the cold from Chicago with me, which must be why the Windy City is having such a warm winter these last few weeks.

I'm facinated by old buildings and even though Sydney is relatively young as a city -- there are some great examples of 19th Century British Colonial architecture everywhere. Many of the older buildings were constructed from sandstone, which is mined right here in Australia. Town Hall, for which the train station is named, is a great example of the quaint, yet imposing architecture that you'll find dotting the landscape throughout Sydney. Take a look for yourself at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Town_Hall.

Speaking of mining -- it's a big business here in Australia, and like most places around the world -- there's a lot of controversy about it. The country has had its own gold rush and is famous for its opal mines -- chances are, if you wear opals -- they've most likely come from Australia, as about 97% of the world's opals are mined here. I've seen so many unusual ones as I've wandered through the city looking in shop windows and I'm hoping to find something truly unique to bring home. Here's a bit of info about opals and mining in Australia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mining_in_Australia and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opal.

After a full half day of wandering around this area of Sydney and doing what I love to do best -- watching people, exploring the architecture and enjoying people as they live their 'life in Sydney' -- bet you thought I was going to say shopping -- ha! -- I fooled ya' -- I hopped on the train to get off my aching feet and headed home to St Andrews -- just a train ride and a shoe-in away!