sf 2 oz

I would classify our first four days Down Under as getting “back to the basics.” Figuring out things that we used to just have in the US like a place to live, a bank, a mobile provider, internet plan etc. It’s a bit humbling to start from scratch on all of these at once (while jet lagged), but we’re getting it sorted out day by day!

At the end of the week we’ll no longer be holed up in a hotel room (woohoo!). We’re moving into a furnished loft on the Finger Wharf in Woolloomooloo, which we’re pretty excited about. We only had to sign a 3 month lease, which gives us some flexibility if we decide to move to a different suburb (aka neighborhood) or want a place with a deck/outdoor space. The wharf is in the heart of the city, right by the Domain and Botanical Gardens -- great running turf for me -- and it’s a short walk to Potts Point which is filled with buzzing cafes and conveniences like the grocery store, dry cleaning, newsstands etc.

Signing up for a bank account was surprisingly easy -- we basically just needed our passports. We’re both looking forward to making EFTPOS purchases with our very own handy cards. Yes, that’s Australian for making debit purchases with ATM cards!

Given we don’t have a kitchen yet, we’ve had to do some eating out. Oh darn! We’ve been hitting up some BYO restaurants and have had some great Thai, Chinese and pizza. This morning we enjoyed breakfast at the renowned Sydney eatery called Bills, which was founded by celebrity chef Bill Granger. I’d heard a lot about this place and it did not disappoint - I had sweet corn fritters and Mike had the ricotta hot cakes. It’s probably a good thing that Bills is not close to Woolloomooloo…