L&L Archives: Sydney, Day 5

From the L&L archives (February, 2023)

Then

I started day five by taking an Uber to Paddington, a neighborhood tucked between Sydney’s CBD and Bondi Beach. I’d passed through it earlier in the week on my way to Bondi and remember thinking, I need to come back here. When I saw they were having a market, that sealed it.

Paddington Market was a simple craft and gift fair. There was food, clothes, jewelry, ceramics. I bought a ring I didn’t need but wanted, and then had one of the best bánh mì sandwiches of my life, which immediately put me in a very good mood.

After the market, I started walking down Oxford Street and let myself window shop aimlessly. The wrought-iron balconies reminded me of New Orleans, and I fell for the neighborhood almost instantly. The colors, the buildings, the storefronts; it was aesthetic overload in the best way. Every window felt intentional. Every street felt styled.

I kept walking. And then kept walking some more and somehow, five hours passed without me noticing.

Later that evening, I hopped on a bus to North Bondi for dinner at Totti’s. It was already packed when I arrived and very clearly the place where all the beautiful people go. I ordered the spinach pasta with pistachio and an affogato and felt very content with my choices.

When I finally made it home, I stopped at the store to grab throat lozenges because I could feel a cold coming on. A small but very real reminder that even the best days don’t come without minor inconveniences.

Now

I still have that ring I bought at the market and it has become my most treasured jewelry piece. I wear it every day. There was nothing particularly planned about buying it, it just felt right in the moment. But now, when I catch it on my hand, it brings me back to that year of travel. More than anything, it makes me feel proud. Not just of the places I visited, but of the year I created for myself and the fact that I actually followed through. It was the happiest year of my life.