Just recently I had a quick day-trip to Sydney to meet up with an assortment for friends, colleagues and family. I had a lovely time meeting people but also wandering around Sydney's CBD. This is what I saw after arriving there at 8 am and catching the train into the city, alighting at 'Museum'. Since my first engagement was scheduled fro 10 am, I decided to walk around various well-known parts of the CBD. First stop was Hyde Park. I did a selfie and took a nice picture of the impressive skyline.
Hyde Park has a lot of interesting sights, including fountains like this one.
A short distance away on George Street I saw, for the first time, Sydney's new tramway in operation and decided to take a ride.
The carriages are quite swish and modern and I headed to the front to get a similar view to the driver. As you can see, most cars, trucks and buses have been removed from that thoroughfare, leaving behind just pedestrians and the trams.
Alas there was one thing wrong with the system. Pedestrians could walk faster than the trams because of lots of cross-traffic and the slow pace of the trains with their new drivers.
Still, I found it an interesting experience and a foretaste of getting rid of much of Sydney's traffic congestion.
Heading up to Circular Quay I witnessed many familiar sights, the ocean liner and ferry quays, the harbour bridge, and museum of modern art.
It was also interesting to look back from the historic Rocks area - much dating back as far as the early 19th century - towards the city's modern business core, which is home to towering office blocks.
I also walked, for the first time, through Barangaroo, seen here on the left. I guess Dot and I won some of this because the whole district has been developed by the Lend Lease company in which we have a shareholding. After this experience, I took a walk through Martin Place, the very centre of the CBD. I was rather taken with this massive artificial Christmas tree adorning the middle of the pedestrian precinct. Then I headed into the Queen Victoria Building, a massive and rather old, but up-market, shopping centre. It has two magnificent clocks handing from the ceiling.
And there was another humongous artificial Christmas tree.
I think you'll agree that this shopping centre, viewed on the left, is much better crafted than the modern ones. Why did I keep on with my lengthy walk? Well, my 10 am meeting at Sydney's University of Technology was cancelled by most host for private family reasons. We chatted on the phone instead. My next meeting, which I will not report on at length, was with the CEO of Sydney's Centre for Independent Studies. This is market-oriented think-tank that I've supported for 40 years. But it now has a new CEO with whom I wanted to hold a discussion. And that went very well.
After that, I met my Cousin David, who lives in Sydney's up-market Eastern Suburbs. And together we went to a Stock-Broking company, Ord MInnett, through which I trade our Self-Managed-Superannuation-Fund (SMSF) investment portfolio. My long-time advisor was retiring on the day I arrived and I wanted to meet up with, and get to know, his replacement. The meeting went very well and I sold two shareholdings, while purchasing another..
After that, David and I walked around the city for a while before he had to head home while I made my way back to the airport for the return journey.
All up it was a great day out - profitable in meeting up with quite a few people and also, I hope, with financial outcomes!
AS
Hyde Park has a lot of interesting sights, including fountains like this one.
A short distance away on George Street I saw, for the first time, Sydney's new tramway in operation and decided to take a ride.
The carriages are quite swish and modern and I headed to the front to get a similar view to the driver. As you can see, most cars, trucks and buses have been removed from that thoroughfare, leaving behind just pedestrians and the trams.
Alas there was one thing wrong with the system. Pedestrians could walk faster than the trams because of lots of cross-traffic and the slow pace of the trains with their new drivers.Still, I found it an interesting experience and a foretaste of getting rid of much of Sydney's traffic congestion.
Heading up to Circular Quay I witnessed many familiar sights, the ocean liner and ferry quays, the harbour bridge, and museum of modern art.
It was also interesting to look back from the historic Rocks area - much dating back as far as the early 19th century - towards the city's modern business core, which is home to towering office blocks.
I also walked, for the first time, through Barangaroo, seen here on the left. I guess Dot and I won some of this because the whole district has been developed by the Lend Lease company in which we have a shareholding. After this experience, I took a walk through Martin Place, the very centre of the CBD. I was rather taken with this massive artificial Christmas tree adorning the middle of the pedestrian precinct. Then I headed into the Queen Victoria Building, a massive and rather old, but up-market, shopping centre. It has two magnificent clocks handing from the ceiling.
And there was another humongous artificial Christmas tree.
I think you'll agree that this shopping centre, viewed on the left, is much better crafted than the modern ones. Why did I keep on with my lengthy walk? Well, my 10 am meeting at Sydney's University of Technology was cancelled by most host for private family reasons. We chatted on the phone instead. My next meeting, which I will not report on at length, was with the CEO of Sydney's Centre for Independent Studies. This is market-oriented think-tank that I've supported for 40 years. But it now has a new CEO with whom I wanted to hold a discussion. And that went very well.After that, I met my Cousin David, who lives in Sydney's up-market Eastern Suburbs. And together we went to a Stock-Broking company, Ord MInnett, through which I trade our Self-Managed-Superannuation-Fund (SMSF) investment portfolio. My long-time advisor was retiring on the day I arrived and I wanted to meet up with, and get to know, his replacement. The meeting went very well and I sold two shareholdings, while purchasing another..
After that, David and I walked around the city for a while before he had to head home while I made my way back to the airport for the return journey.
All up it was a great day out - profitable in meeting up with quite a few people and also, I hope, with financial outcomes!
AS
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