Day 11: summer in Sydney-town

It’s not yet officially summer, but today is an eager forerunner; one of those days that can’t be arsed with officialdom and has decided to get this show on the road anyway. Sydney in summer, if you’re cool with warm temperatures, is a kind of paradise. The beaches are breathtaking and plentiful. Many Sydney-siders live literally steps from the sand or, like me, about a ten minute bus ride away from a dip in the crystal crashing waves. Parks fill the city and are breezy hives of healthy activity: jogging, strolling, Frisbee throwing and horse riding. Like I said, a bit like heaven (or my idea of it anyway). Over the last year or so too, due to some well-timed local law changes, a spray of neat little drinking establishments have popped up in various cool spots in the eastern suburbs. Chilled hangouts with good tunes, great cocktails, nice styling and far fewer tables than the foul drinking barns that have usually dominated Sydney’s bar scene. Coolness. For whatever retarded reason though (laziness mainly), I have sampled woefully few of these cool little joints. In a perhaps ironically timed move, considering my current stance on the main offering of drinking holes, I have decided to change this, starting tonight. Or last night actually. Last night I visited a pleasant little hidey-hole called Sticky. It’s been around for ages so it’s embarrassing I’ve only discovered it now, but it was cool. It was dark and comfy with an artist’s attic feel to the décor, and the nice boys at the bar concocted me a series of mocktails so tasty that I really didn’t feel like the poor puritan cousin to my Campari quaffing pals. And my sparkling mineral water was free. Nice one. Love youz all. So tonight, as the evening will be a balmy one, I thought I’d try another. This evening my watering hole of choice will be The Pond (sounds delicious!), a somewhat Swedishly styled, leafy indoor outdoor place, rumoured to be sponsored by a beer which I can’t remember (not that I would have been drinking it anyway). It seems the perfect city complement to my day at the beach. (Although if I’m going to look presentable, I’d better do something about these ocean-induced hair flicks.)

P.S. Does anyone else think the word “mocktail” is laughably outdated and crap? No wonder nobody wants to drink them. I currently have a small team (of two, including me) working on an alternative that doesn’t make it sound like you’re drinking a flamingo called Don Johnson. Any suggestions, hit me up!