Monsieur's Maps · No. V
The other side of the world, and somehow still a neighborhood. This is the Sydney I keep — the sails on the harbour, the fig-shaded gardens above the water, and the ocean pool at the end of Bondi where you swim in the cold salt while the waves break over the wall.
Sydney Opera House
The sails on the harbour. I don't even need to go in — a drink at the Opera Bar, the ferries crossing, the light on the shells.
Botanic Garden
The Royal Botanic Garden wrapping the harbour — Moreton Bay figs, shrieking cockatoos, and the best free view of the sails in the city.
Mr. Wong
Cantonese in an old warehouse off George Street — the roast duck, the yum cha, and a room that hums till late. Book ahead.
Barry's Martin Place
The bootcamp in the middle of the CBD — jet-lagged and blinking at 6am, but it sets the whole trip right.
Capella Sydney
The new grand hotel in the old Department of Education building — a glass-roofed courtyard, a Roman pool, and the best bar in the CBD.
Art Gallery of NSW
The gallery above the Domain — the old sandstone courts and the new Sydney Modern wing, with a flat white in between.
Jardan
Australian furniture at its most quietly beautiful — the sofa I'd ship home if I could. Worth the detour to Surry Hills.
Bassike
Organic-cotton basics the Australian way — the perfect grey tee, the easy trouser. Paddington's finest for dressing simply.
Venroy
Resort menswear out of Bondi — the linen shirt and swim shorts that make you look like you belong on the harbour.
Bondi Beach
The one everyone knows, and rightly — the crescent of sand and the cliff walk south toward Bronte.
Bondi Icebergs
The ocean pool at the end of the beach — laps in cold salt with the surf breaking over the wall, then breakfast on the terrace above.