I'm glad I hit up the 99 Cent Store for an umbrella before I left LA because the rain is definitely making itself known here in Sydney. The fringe benefit is gorgeous rainbows that stretch wide across the city. Unfortunately, despite their loveliness, I have yet to discover a pot of gold. I need one because, NEWSFLASH: Sydney is ridiculously expensive.
Now, Los Angeles is not cheap by any definition of the word--a friend from Chicago once described his experience in LA as him being an ATM and Los Angeles was happily sucking all the cash out of him. Sydney is a whole other level of $$$. It's more expensive than San Francisco and New York City combined. It's so expensive that if I lived here, my Coke Zero addiction would disappear because I'd be unwilling to pay $4 or $5 per can--it's seriously that pricey--for it. Hmm...maybe the U.S.
should heavily tax soda. We might get healthier as a result.
Of course, the real pot of gold in Sydney is the beauty of the city. Eventually the sun emerged, which makes for perfect views of the world famous Opera House. Sadly, I'm not just here to hang out and do the tourist thing. I'm here for work since I'm covering Microsoft's
Imagine Cup, which is a student innovation competition. They hosted a press luncheon at the Quay restaurant, which has fabulous views of the Opera House. I'll be spending lots of time chatting with college students about their amazing projects--but hopefully I'll be able to see a bit more of the city.
Comments
More expensive than San Fran and NYC? I can believe it. I guess it's a combination of lousy exchange rate and soaraway local inflation.
Tell us some more about these intriguing student projects.
We only had appetizers so I didn't eat too much--I had to pass on the oxtail stew, but there were some delish desserts being handed out. I could tell it was a pricey place because I couldn't figure out how to get into the restroom. I'll have some stories about the projects soon!