Day 307: Surfing Lesson in Manly — Date Night!
Super fun day today! Finally had an excuse to ride Sydney’s famous ferries. Considering all the coves and bays inside Sydney Harbor, it’s no surprise zippy ferries are the preferred way to get around — and see this city.
Our destination was Manly Beach in the north — we had a surf lesson at 11! — but to get there we had to ferry into the CBD then catch another, longer ferry back out to Manly. And then walk 15 minutes.
It couldn’t have been a lovelier schlep.
And thanks to Teddy’s brilliant navigating we made it to our lesson at Manly Surf School on time.
I’d booked a private hour-long lesson mainly for Willa, but added Teddy and finally James to join. The three of them suited up and headed to the water with adorable Chilean surfer instructor Tomas (from Valpo!) and his sidekick, a sweet freckled local high school sophomore named Abby.
They had a thrilling hour in the tiny waves. Teddy had decent luck getting up, while Willa and James just had a blast getting pushed around the surf.
Compilation video coming soon
(Lobsy and I watched/took pics from the beach)
In Brazil and South Africa the instructors would let them cruise on their own, but here the instructors never released their vice grip on the back of the boards. I think this must be some law/regulation (see end of post — Australia is crazy for laws and rules and regulations).
Speaking of — how crazy is it that Willa has surfed in Brazil, South Africa and Australia, all in one year, at the age of 6 and 7? I’m living this crazy life experience too and even *I* am jealous of her. She has no idea.
Meanwhile, James reported to us later that while he was in the water with Tomas, James told him that “his parents” thought the food in Chile was “disgusting.” Thanks for throwing us under the bus, dude!
After we dried off and walked up the beach. We passed lots of surf safety school kids’ classes, sunbathers, cool houses, sea swimming pools and more.
Finally arrived at a lunch spot recommended to us by locals whom Greg Waldorf had intro’d to us via WhatsApp. Never met them but their recs were spot on!
Lunch at the Boat House on Shelly Beach was awesome. Willa has “discovered” hamburgers.
Lobsy and I had this delicious rose sangria thing.
This feller was sitting next to us.
Once again wondered: Who are all these people on a Friday at lunchtime at the beach?
We also thought this guy seated near us looked like Uncle Harlow in 30 years:
Got popsicles afterward.
These poses James strikes fascinate me. I now have a folder of pics on my phone where he’s serving up Blue Steel. If he’s giving me a goofy grin, I say to him, “Look normal,” and he changes his entire body language and facial expression to this brooding Zoolander vibe. I don’t know where he learned that, but as a constant photog this year, I kind of admire/appreciate his ability to just turn it on. Not everyone can do that! More in Misc below.
After lunch, we sat on Shelly Beach and soaked up the vibes while the kids played in the sand. Our main observation: Everyone we’ve seen on a Sydney beach so far this trip is insanely fit. We find ourselves staring slack-jawed at every single human who walks by. It’s…crazy. More than LA. Men and women. No slackers, no cellulite. Everyone looks like they’ve just showered up from Tonehouse and gotten dolled up for Coachella.
I left them all on the beach and Uber’d to get my hair highlighted. This was the fifth time I’ve had my hair done this year and by far the “most” I’ve had colored. Andreas, my guy in NYC, advised me to let my roots grow (“roots are in”) and just get a few blonde foils in the front every once in a while. (Fun fact about Andreas in the Misc.) That’s worked so far but something got lost in translation today and I got an actual half-head of highlights. I guess it was going to be okay here in the land of blondes. Feels nice to be lighter again. Pics to come. Didn’t get any today.
Everyone reconvened back at home around 6:30— the gang had ferried back to Rose Bay for some late afternoon romping at Lynn playground with “interchangeable blonde Sydney kids in school uniforms” (Lobsy quote). James came back with these god-awful strawberry/burn/rash injuries from getting dragged along the underside of the now-infamous zipline. Screamed in the shower, poor guy.
Teddy and I got ready for a date night! This is probably the 10th night all year we’ve gone out without the kids.
It was very tame, but fun. A bus boy at the Rose Bay Hotel bar steered us downtown to some cocktail bars — including the Barber Shop gin bar down a back alley and the Old Mate’s Place speakeasy, hidden upstairs in a nondescript office building.
By 10 we were beat and Uber’d home with Anthony, an Italian-Australian who regaled us with stories about his Sicilian family and life growing up the son of fruit-stand owners. Had lots of great advice about what’s in season right now and how to properly cut a mango. I don’t think we’ll ever forget his voice/accent. So charming and hilarious.
What a fun day!
MISC:
RULES! Australia has So. Many. Rules. It’s just all laws and regulations and do this and don’t do that. I’ve never seen anything like it. Two examples:
- This hilarious sign from the ferry. “If you do the wrong thing!”
2) These uber-stingy cocktail pours.
You know how in the US the bartenders will raise bottles up high above a glass and just pour until they feel like stopping? No no no, that does not happen here. Painstaking measurement, miserly little portions. It’s hard to tell from the photo but that’s a very small pour. Bartenders have to precisely measure out little thimbles of regulation-sized liquor into each drink lest someone imbibe too much and do something naughty!!
Here are some of my favorite James “Zoolander” shots from the last few months. Maybe I should become a momager when I get back:
Last thing, about my hair stylist Andreas back in NYC. He owns his own salon in the West Village but as of two years ago, became Anna Wintour’s personal hair person. So every weekday morning he has to be at her house on the upper east side at six am to style her hair. I cannot wait to see that man again. Andreas! I’m coming for you!!
