Our Hop-On/Hop-Off Tour actually only had two stops for us. After spending a few hours at the area around the Sydney Opera House, we finished that loop and boarded the second bus that took us to Bondi Beach, a crescent of sand reminiscent of Laguna Beach surrounding bright blue water with modest waves. Surfers shared the water with families and college kids.
Best Fish Sandwich Ever at Surfish!
From many terrific bistros and restaurants, we selected the Surfish Cafe, a patio restaurant on the edge of the sand that looked just right. I ordered a fish burger, and while we waited, we soaked up the atmosphere on the beautiful beach. When I noticed others who came after us getting their orders, I double checked, and sure enough they had failed to start my order. To compensate, they loaded my plate with complimentary French fries. I'm not sure if they were overcompensating or if all their sandwiches are like mine, but it was filled with lots of terrific vegetables and, served on a giant ciabatta roll, turned out to be the best fish sandwich I've ever had.
Wes takes backpack for a dip.
We waded out in the 70-plus degree water, but I can't say we did too much else. Bondi's beach scene isn't much different from Southern California beaches, where you can shop, eat and drink at cafes, play in the water, bake in the sand or just check out the beautiful bodies. What more can I say without going totally off subject in my own stream of consciousness that drives some to distraction? Bondi is an Aboriginal word meaning noise of water breaking over rocks.
After riding the HOHO bus back into Sydney, we stopped at a pub on the corner by our hotel so we could scope out the Underground, which happened to be the name of the bar advertising Happy Hour on the window. The Friday crowd of city workers drank beers to celebrate the end of a work week. We sat with a guy with a who looked a lot like western actor Sam Elliott, mustache and all. Instead of being the local Australian we thought, we soon learned he had immigrated from Serbia.
The beer bar wasn't exactly what Julie had in mind, so we returned to our hotel and asked the desk clerks if they knew of a good happy hour. One recommended Blackbird in Darling Harbour, which he said was a short walk away.
Darling Harbour from HOHO Bus.
We had seen Darling Harbour from the tour bus, where we learned a little about its history. Originally a working commercial port, Darling Harbour had become derelict by the 1980s when a redevelopment was proposed. Now instead of abandoned buildings, drunken sailors and hookers, there are bustling businesses, students and urban professionals, with drink prices keeping them from becoming too drunken and propriety stopping public debauchery. In addition to restaurants and shops, there's an IMAX theater, the Sydney Aquarium and Australian National Maritime Museum, among other attractions, and little trains to take you between them.
View from our table at Blackbird
We arrived at Blackbird's second floor perch just before happy hour prices ended, and we enjoyed sipping our drinks at a table with a great view.
When we returned to the hotel, we watched a little Australian TV, and we found THE LIBRARIANS hilarious. It dealt with the female leader of a quirky staff of librarians who was moving her mother to a retirement community, which resonated deeply with Julie. I could definitely see an American version of this going over as well as THE OFFICE.
After riding the HOHO bus back into Sydney, we stopped at a pub on the corner by our hotel so we could scope out the Underground, which happened to be the name of the bar advertising Happy Hour on the window. The Friday crowd of city workers drank beers to celebrate the end of a work week. We sat with a guy with a who looked a lot like western actor Sam Elliott, mustache and all. Instead of being the local Australian we thought, we soon learned he had immigrated from Serbia. 
