A New Girl in Newtown

Wednesday morning, I woke up with enthusiasm because the girls and I had planned out a fun-filled day of activities ("There's so much room for activities!"). We started with a trip to the Rip Curl store down on Market Street, where we found Nick, one of the instructors from Surf Camp. He gave us our free t-shirts and hats as promised. Afterwards, we traveled down George Street and made it to our next stop: Paddy's. This has become my favorite place to buy fruits & veggies (9 white nectarines for $1.50!!) and it never disappoints. We stocked up for the next two weeks. I also treated myself to a new pair of sunglasses because I stepped on my others and they broke -- this is why I can't have nice things.

We got back to the apartment and got some homework out of the way, then rewarded ourselves with tanning on the rooftop deck. The weather was perfect. 

In the evening, we joined our class on (Un)Popular Culture for a tour of Newtown - an town known for its hipsters, gays & lesbians, graffiti, and endless amounts of thai food. You can find people from all walks of life there - it's extremely eclectic. It's about a twenty minute walk from our apartment. King Street is the most popular street and the one we started on. Our professor led us through and down side streets, pointing out some wild street art along the way. 

Apparently, graffiti will be left untouched by other artists if they feel it is good enough to stay. Otherwise, it will be covered with other art; however, an artist will only cover it if they feel that their own work is better than what is underneath. Some of the art we saw has been there for several years, and some was brand new. I could smell the fumes from fresh paint on the side of one building. 

By the time our tour was finished (around 8:30), I was starving. We stopped at an authentic-looking thai place and, naturally, I ordered vegetable pad thai. I guess we weren't stuffed enough because we indulged in gelato right after. Every day should end with gelato.