The city makes me excited to stand up on top of a large skyscraper and sing. I like the techno music soundtrack to my life while I’m in a city. It’s inevitable every time I’m in a city. There is always great techno music. It symbolizes an integration of futuristic synthetic beats, the rhythm of blood pumping through the body, and dance. Its like the music is drumming on to keep all the people in the city bustling along with their lives to contribute to the ever-increasing skyscrapers that surround them.
I heard great techno on the streets. The amplifiers played the beats and men painted in white hummed through didgeridoos and clapped boomerangs together. I also heard techno in Blue 36, the bar on top of the Shangri La skyscraper in Sydney. I expected my father to say, “This music is terrible.” But he didn’t. I think in the city people just accept the sound of the future because that is the official soundtrack in the city.
It makes me excited, I feed off its energy, and it also begins to tire me out. I still crave it though. I forgot that I craved the pulse of modernity. I’ve always known that I liked cities even though at this time in my life I couldn’t live in one permanently. I think I could live in one, I would just want the conditions to be right. Like a place near a park, a place high enough up to see a majority of the city from my bedroom window, and enough money to afford a modest entertainment budget. Those requests are out of budget now for sure, especially the view request. However, at least I know what I need to be permanently happy in a big city.
Sydney was incredible. A really amazing modern city with great individual touches. I love the integration of water into the city through the use of the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Its as if the city gets to look at itself over the two sides of the harbor. And there is plenty to enjoy! The south side of the harbor is very accessible to the public for hanging out at the outdoor cafes, visiting the Opera House, taking pictures, walking the Botanical Gardens, seeing some art, and shopping. There was so much going on while we were there: free art shows, street musicians, night time laser light shows with interactive exhibits, constant boat traffic, constant bridge traffic, gorgeous sights from the top of the bridge and level 35 of the hotel, famous quotes on metal man holes through out the harbor walk, women poshly dressed to go to work, grizzled Aussie men doing all sorts of trady work, international visitors snapping pictures, children in prep school uniforms traveling via public transportation, interesting stores, and the smells of delicious foods.
Sydney in two days was a pure delight. I could have used more time but I’m happy to have enjoyed so much in so little time. I’ve been contemplating how to get at the ‘urban high,' in the future. I almost despised city life. The traffic, smell of smog, the loudness, the miserable looking people, the dirty roads, the poor city planning, people that aren’t interested in you, and the high cost. New York City is just around the corner from me and it would be easy to get to.
Sydney has renewed my faith in the human institution of city life. I remember now the spark of having a high concentration of people in an urban environment. Culture, music, variety, intrigue, art, food, fashion, words, and the future. I owe Sydney a thank you for that and for reminding me that I’m next door to most populist city in the world.
