Boppin' in "The Wood"

facial or karaoke in Burwood

beautiful old brick apartments - notice the window in the middle of the second building

We live in Surry Hills.  It is a trendy neighborhood with shops, cafes, young people with dogs or babies, and hipsters aplenty.  It is close to the city center with lots of easy access public transport, and bike lanes. In a word - ideal.  The only trouble is the cost.  We really can't afford to buy a house or even a flat here.

Our friends who also just moved here from the US live in a suburb called Burwood (or as they say, The Wood).  They really like it there.  Being new to this city, I am curious to see what other people's lives are like around the various, close-in suburbs.  We had dinner over at their cute, Victorian, house last Saturday night and were able to see a bit of the night life on the main drag.  Then I went back on Monday afternoon to go shopping with Nicole.

It was 45 minutes from my door to the bus, to the train and arriving at the Burwood main street where the station is conveniently located.  $5.80 round trip.  There are cafes and shops, parks and beautiful brick homes.  The main difference, besides the more suburban streets with yards, is that the businesses and the population are primarily owned, run, and frequented by either the Chinese, Korean, or Lebanese neighbors of the Burwood community.  Apparently, one end of the strip is Asian, and the other end is Lebanese, with the train station smack dab in the middle.

We didn't go down to the Lebanese end because we were on a mission - a mission of Cute.  Nicole and I discovered that we both love the kitchy, silly, cuteness of shops like the famous Morning Glory.  There is an MG in The Wood, but we didn't make it past the smaller, local one called H for Home.

We were like silly 12 year old girls gasping over the cuteness of everything from note pads to slippers to false eyelashes to fruit baskets.  We spent about an hour perusing the crammed shelves and aisle ways.  Most people would say "yes, it is cute, but I don't really need another cute pocket mirror." We, however, said "I actually do want and need this cat journal for my happiness and sanity."  I am not sure exactly what the combination of factors was, but I haven't had that much fun in a while.

Nicole in her cute bunny apron

After that, I was spent (in more than one way), but I wandered deliriously through the Korean clothing store, ate a green tea and red bean bun at Bread Top, and checked out the graffiti and side streets behind the train station.  We decided that next time we would try out one of the karaoke bars.  I was back in Redfern Station and able to walk the 20 minute walk home before dark.

I think most people in Sydney like the neighborhood they live in and they find it hard to imagine living anywhere else.  I guess this is because there are so many many suburbs, each with its own ins and outs related to shopping, transport, and people.  Once one has one's routine down and everything figured out, it is hard to switch to something new and start all over.  But, in the end, I don't think there is much difference in quality of life from one to the other burb.  There are a few dodgy exceptions, but overall, there are loads of fun, livable neighborhoods.

What else:
We had David's colleague here for a few nights.  She brought us some delicious wine from Shingleback and we took her out to fabulous Japanese food at Toko.
I went to another embroidery class, turned in my two stitching assignments and got excited about learning (of all things) cross-stitch.
Valerie went on an overnight class trip to Canberra and visited many of the spots she hadn't seen since she was there at age 6.
I am off to Christchurch for a week.