Chronicling The Blue Mountains

After spending virtually everyday amongst the hectic scene of Sydney’s CBD this past week, we decided a break was necessary. Somehow our “break” turned into a road trip out of Sydney to the beautiful Blue Mountains, with our shift from traffic to trees being a necessary and refreshing change. 

Our first stop was the meticulous village of Leura whose preserved historic streetscape was a vast adjustment to our concrete city. After wandering amongst the small boutiques of the quaint Leura Mall, we ended up at lunch in an authentic village café, overlooking the magnificent Blue Mountains. Although we had a beautiful and relaxing lunch in Leura, there was a somber tone throughout the town as locals are still searching for Gary Tweddle, who went missing there on the 16th July 2013. Every shop window was plastered with his image and description and we can only hope that the search ends soon. The Facebook page dedicated to finding him is linked below, where anyone that has any information should contact them as soon as possible.

Our next stop on the mountainous journey, was Echo Point to visit the iconic landmark, the Three Sisters. The Three Sisters represented a myriad of Aboriginal legends about their formation and are a picturesque example of Australia’s magnificence. We were lucky enough to go on a weekday and avoid too many busloads of tourists, so there was ample opportunity for us to gain the best view.

Not too far away from Echo Point was our final stop, the secluded area unknown to us called, Wentworth Falls Lake. WFL is a small body of water with surrounding mountains, picnic areas and sandstone sculptures, making it the perfect place for us to unwind and reflect before we trecked it back to Sydney. Our drive home was relaxing and a great break from the stresses that awaited us back home in Sydney as our first week of university approached. 

https://www.facebook.com/HaveYouSeenGaryTweddle

Chronicling Pitt Street

Unlike many other Sydney-siders, we love the hustle and bustle of our city and travel a fair way from our quiet hillside homes to be amongst it. Pitt Street is the epicenter of all the action in Sydney, with an array of shops, cafes and people changing everyday, making it one of our favourite places.  

We usually head to Pitt Street to grab a coffee and explore what the day has to offer us and this day proved to offer the miscellaneous occurrences we love. As we wandered from busker to busker, the infamous Blue Man Group took in our local talent and gave us all a good laugh. Their inability to speak makes them cross cultural and generational, catering for the varying humours of the wide audience of Pitt Street Mall. They not only provided the crowd with a smile but even buskers, Joe Moore and Jack Man Friday, with an unforgettable busking experience. 

After all that entertainment, we decided to head to Sydney’s historical Victorian Style shopping arcade, the Strand Arcade. The Strand Arcade houses some of Australia’s most iconic fashion labels and it’s beautiful lacework verandahs make even walking around the building, a beautiful and worthwhile experience.  

To finish off a random day, we headed to Ichi Ban Boshi for lunch, a favourite Japanese restaurant hidden above the busy streets of Sydney in the CBD. Sometimes the wait can be upwards of half an hour, but every minute is worth it with their well-priced meals and huge portions being a favourite amongst locals. 

The beauty of Pitt Street Mall's architecture and people, influence creativity amongst any and everyone that walk amongst it. This is where the roots of Birdseye Chronicles lie and you can find us writing our posts with coffees in hand, in the middle of this crazy shopping strip in our spare time.

Chronicling Newtown + Joe Moore

So, as Liz exited her teenage years we decided to head to Newtown for some celebratory coffees and Thai. After wandering the eclectic King Street from café to restaurant, we decided retail therapy is a must on her 20^th birthday. 

Little did we know, our trip to Topshop turned into us sitting on the floor of Sydney’s busiest shopping strip, Pitt Street Mall, listening to the most amazing busker either of us had ever come across. His name is Joe Moore and his rendition of “Dream Catch Me” was the start of our new artist fascination. After hearing him sing some favourites like Coldplay, to ironically singing Travis’ “Why Does it Always Rain on Me” at the same time that Sydney started pouring down, we were hooked. 

It wasn’t even a question to buy his “Busking EP”and after spending the best $10 we ever have, his version of the Coronas was left on repeat for days. Not only does Joe have the voice of an angel, but he isn’t too hard on the eyes either with his unexpected British accent making girls drop all over Pitt Street. This busker is not only a “karaoke” type; he additionally sings his own personally written songs that make half the artists in existent look inferior. His lyrics are heartfelt, catchy and memorable and once combined with his voice, it’s utter perfection. If you are like us and love his amazing song writing ability/voice/accent/look/smile/everything then you need to check out his Youtube channel to listen to our favourites, “Symphony” and “I’m Not Leaving”. 

Also, check out his Facebook page to keep updated with his “very soon” to be released EP and busking times in the CBD because we have a feeling that when the EP is released, Pitt Street will become one massive crowd for Joe Moore. 

https://www.facebook.com/joemooremusic

http://www.youtube.com/user/JoeMooreMusic?feature=watch

Chronicling Los Angeles + Las Vegas

Jess’ highly anticipated East Coast America trip has come and gone by so quickly, but not without creating a multitude of unforgettable memories and photo opportunities. The initial drive from LAX airport to our first port of call, Redondo Beach, gave a quick insight into the vast displays of culture and people in the city, from the chaotic sixteen- lane highways (eight lanes each direction), to the iconic street names (Rodeo, Sunset, Beverley) and the general hustle and bustle of the entertainment capital of the world. This being the first time in Los Angeles, we definitely sought out the main tourist attractions such as: viewing the Hollywood sign from the Griffith Observatory, Beverley Hills and its array of shopping destinations, the famous beaches (Malibu, Venice, Redondo), Disneyland and probably my the highlight of the trip: the Warner Brothers studio tour, where I let the fangirl inside me escape as I got the chance to roam the streets and sets of some of my favourite television shows. 

We were then off to Las Vegas, where the road trip itself offered breathtaking views of fields of cacti in the desert and prehistoric ghost towns along the way. Geographically Las Vegas couldn’t be in a more random spot, situated basically in the middle of the desert. I believe this place is a definite must for your bucket list, even if you’re like me and gambling and drinking in excess isn’t your thing, (the higher legal drinking age also puts a damper on things) just once everyone should experience this over the top, city of lights. You only have to walk to the next adjacent hotel and you are suddenly transported into a new city. One night we went from our hotel, replicating Venice (‘The Venetian’), then off to Rome (‘Caesar’s Palace’), then finally to New York (aptly named ‘New York, New York’). The shopping was also out of this world and we literally shopped until we could no longer walk. 

After spending a few nights in Vegas and a small fortune, we headed back to the state of California, this time to Santa Monica. The effect’s of America’s financial crisis were most apparent here, and it was heartbreaking to see some of the wealthiest citizens zip past the unsettling amount of homeless people, in their million dollar cars. Up until this point we had had a tight, action packed schedule and it was nice to relax by the ocean and do some of our own exploring which wasn’t so typically ‘touristy’. Here we visited cute beachside cafes, watched an L.A Dodgers baseball game, and drove around the residential areas of Los Angeles, witnessing the architecture and housing styles of decades past. Before we knew it, our two weeks were over and we transitioned from the heat wave that reached 47 °C, back to rainy, cold Sydney. Running the risk of sounding cliche: this was definitely a trip of a lifetime, and Los Angeles, you can definitely expect me back sometime in the near future.