Sydney, Australia 2019 Day 10

This morning we took the ferry from Circular Quay to Manly. It is an iconic trip which takes half and hour. Even locals get giddy when they talk about it. To get Circular Quay, we took the train to Martin Place, then walked past historic sandstone buildings and terrace houses nestled amongst the ever growing number of skyscrapers. Beautiful. 

We were meeting Jill’s sister, Gay, and brother-in-law, Roy for lunch after a swim at Shelly Beach, which is a small beach part of the Cabbage Tree Bay Aquatic Reserve. The walk from Manly Beach to Shelly Beach is beautiful. The beach itself is not sand but crushed shells. Along the way we spotted a large Water Dragon sunning itself while posing for a snap.

Lunch at the Ivanhoe Hotel was so filling, we opted to just have a nap and no dinner before heading out to the open mic at the Hard Rock Cafe in Darling Harbour.

We took the train from Kings Cross, two stops to Town Hall station and walked 10 minutes to Darling Harbour.  The open mic was very well organized. Angelo, the organizer, opened up with three covers and then I played next. I played four original songs, Cadillac, Cupcake, Pharaoh, and I Play Bass. The sound was excellent as was the response to my songs. We stayed to hear several performers and left as the night was winding down. As we were walking through Darling Harbour heading home, a man ran up to us and asked if I was the one who played the open mic at the Hard Rock. He was so complimentary. It was heartwarming that he took the time to tell me.

Tomorrow morning I am meeting with a woman who is doing a project on the inhabitants of Kings Cross and Potts Point. We arranged to meet at a coffee shop, it will be interesting.