Paul and I have been in Sydney for three and a half days. Australia is a long flight and significant time change from North America, so the first day was spent trying to keep ourselves awake until it was acceptable to go to bed. That time kept getting earlier and earlier as the day went on until we found ourselves asleep at 7:30! Luckily we slept until 6:00, so it all worked out.
We've spent the last three days walking around the city centre and suburbs "inspecting" apartments. In that time we've seen a little bit of everything! There are tons of vibrant and trendy areas, as well as a couple bland and seedy regions. We've come across a few really nice apartments, a number of not- so-nice ones - including one that Paul jokingly speculates contained a dead body - and a number of average places. I never thought I would list
oven among my must-haves, but it's surprising the number of studio apartments whose "kitchens" consist of microwaves and bar fridges. Sydney is a beautiful city, but also, as our host reminds us every time we see her, "very expensive!" She's right, a very small apartment is more per month than our 3 bedroom home in Elora was. Since Thursday we've seen 11 places, not including those eliminated by walk-bys. Of the 11, there is one we
love and two others we really like, so we're hedging our bets and applying to all three.
House Hunters style, here are our top picks:
1) The Crowd Pleaser
It has it all! A studio with a central location: minutes to downtown, Hyde Park, the botanical gardens, and the Wharf. A huge rooftop terrace with a stunning 360 view of the city including the Opera House and bridge! Fully furnished and clean.
2) The Character Apartment
A well kept older place with wood trim and updated kitchen. A one bedroom apartment that is similarly well located, but contains less natural light and doesn't boast a rooftop patio! Unfortunately unfurnished.
3) The Modern New Construction
A never lived-in, sleek, one bedroom apartment. Clean, white and bright! A couple blocks from where we're currently staying, so we're familiar with the area. It's close to Central station so easy to get around, but further from downtown. It's also unfurnished and building construction is still in progress.
We're hopeful one of these will accept our application. We'll let you know which becomes our new home or if our status remains homeless and looking! Jenn
During our apartment search around Sydney we have gained a better feel for our surroundings and the different parts of this city. The downtown region in Sydney is called the CBD. (central business district) and the outer neighbourhoods are called suburbs. They are not suburbs in the way we use the term. They are close to the CBD and each have their own unique feel and character. The suburb that we currently live in is called Chippendale, although not because of the dancers. From Chippendale it is about a 30 min walk to the CBD. Each suburb is unique and is known for different qualities of architecture, entertainment, shopping etc. Chippendale is right beside Sydney University so there are students everywhere. We briefly walked through Kings Cross, a suburb that is a little rough around the edges and have toured the beautiful Victorian architecture of Paddington and Woollarha. The other day in Paddington I was taking a picture of a 19th century home with a beautiful iron balcony. As soon as I took the picture the owner of the home, who was walking down the street, started up a conversation with us explaining that this was one of the original residential neighbourhoods of Sydney and that this home was over 100 years old. She was so friendly that she took us down the street to see the cafes and shops in this area. She even took us into a high end (expensive!) butcher shop with meat of all kinds in stainless steal and glass cases. Think expensive jewelry store but substitute rings for pork chops. Even meat has gone designer in this neighbourhood. We didn't explain that Jenn was a vegetarian, and thanked her for the tour. 
Paul
