So, I’ve been in Sydney for five days now. It’s not that I haven’t wanted to update the travel notes with my thoughts, but I’ve had some writer’s block because, well, I’ve taken to the city so comfortably — like a duck to water, one might say — that it reminds me of home. And I certainly wouldn’t blog about NYC on a regular basis.  I’ve stepped into Sydney so easily, in fact, that I almost feel like I do actually live here.

I go to the grocery and the tailors and the post office, grab morning coffee at a little shop down the street, walk or ride the public bus everywhere… My shopping jones is back in full force, and makes me seriously question why I would bargain with a shopowner over a $2 blouse in India, and yet weigh the pros-and-cons of a $200 dress in Australia. I have people asking me for directions, and half of the time, I can actually give them.

Though my days here feel unusually usual, it’s in a good way. Plus, there are certainly some non-traditional highlights. I’ve taken a cool tour of the Sydney Opera House, for instance, had my very first sailing lesson, and caught the ferry over to Manly Beach for its famous ice cream (named because, yep, when settlers came they saw the native aborigines and pronounced them to be very “manly”). Sidebar: unfortunately, no one told me which ice cream shop was really the famous one (a la Ray’s in NY), so I had to try several. It happens.

I keep myself busy during the day with these kinds of things while my friend and fabulous host, Amani (living in Sydney, but formerly of Brooklyn and DC fame), is on the job. In the evenings, we catch up over fantastic dinners and cool live music in the city — a little acoustic guitar, a little percussion, a little piano — at both underground and prominent locales.

Today though, my local Sydney sidekick was able to escape the banking grind and join me for sun and brunch at Bondi beach (one of the most well-known beaches in Sydney), as well as a picture-taking mission through the botanical gardens. Tonight is more Sydney nightlife, and the weekend holds a trip to a local nature/animal reserve before driving out to stunning Hunter Valley to enjoy the local varietals.

One of the things I like most about all of this is that it just confirms my instincts. Within an hour of arriving earlier this week, I’d added this place to my short list of cities that I could potentially call home. Sydney is easy for me — easy to navigate, to understand, to savour. It’s a bit like New York Light with its urban city feel, though it wins extra points for the gorgeous, immense greenery and unexpectedly nice people (especially cab drivers). The laidback aura and breathtaking, all-around coastline doesn’t hurt either.

Think San Francisco, with entertaining accents and quirky words and phrases, like “drink driving” and “good on you!”. No worries, though — I haven’t started saying “mate.”  Yet.

Sydney Opera House

Sunset from the Ferry

Night Sounds

Climbing Trees in Botanical Trees