Windy Welly
June 3, 2013
First off the Queen can suck it! It is her birthday today and everything in the CBD (Central Business District) is closed. Everything!!! On my way to a highly recommended Irish Bar near my hotel my choices for dinner and drinks were Subway and one sushi place. Even McDonald’s is closed! No pharmacy, no Pita Pit (yes, they have Pita Pit), no nothing.
I ended up at the Leuven Belgian Beer Cafe. They were a decent choice because they have No Surcharge. Restaurants and pubs are allowed to apply surcharges to your bill on public holidays which is kind of a rip. This place is semi-busy at the dinner hour. I guess when it comes to “location, location, location” the CBD on a holiday or weekend day isn’t the place to be.
On TV is this interesting game where women are playing some type of basketball only the basket is just out there all alone with no backboard. The women wear cute feminine outfits – skirts and tank tops – unlike the women of the WNBA that pretty much wear the same uniforms as the men of the NBA. Getting the ball down the floor to the hoop seems similar to US basketball only when they get there they stop and very steadily shoot the ball from a standing position. There is no dribbling, only bounce passes and chest passes, and no jumping. Even when one player tries to block another player’s shot they just get up on their tip toes and stretch out really high with their arms. The teams were the NSW Swifts vs Adelaide Thunderbirds. Netball turns out to be quite entertaining!
Next stop was to find a place with WiFi so I could check in with family and start planning my days here in Wellington. I found Foxglove overlooking the wharf.
Room Dividers at Foxglove
I only wish it was daylight so I could see the beautiful city along the water. Since every place was nearly empty I felt awkward just hanging around taking up space. I found out The Fringe Bar was having a comedy show so I grabbed a cab to Cuba Street.
I thought this area of town might be a bit more hopping but not so much. The streets were empty and most storefronts were dark. The comedy show was a hoot and the venue was so cool. Very dark and small with big leather couches in separate seating areas and a small stage for performances. Rumor has it that the guys from Flight of The Concords show up there and play unannounced gigs. That might be the coolest surprise of all! I will be sure to swing by there each night just in case Bret and Jemaine decide to show up.
Flight of the Conchords
Like OZ most restaurants and pubs have self serve water stations but more places here have table service. And I’m getting really used to “the price being the price”. Meaning: here when food or drink or a sweater or a pack of toilet paper has a price listed that is the final final price. There is no tax added on at the end like in the US. And they don’t have to deal with silly pennies. 5 cents are the lowest denomination coin they have.
I’m digging the exchange rate here. I got $100 out of an ATM and was only charged $82.51 from my account. Of course, things are SO expensive here that it all washes out. Very similar to Sydney prices in all things I’ve seen so far.
Here is what my hotel room at the Rydges Wellington looks like. Very cool!
This is the tiniest toothpaste I’ve ever seen! It is smaller than my chap-stick!! Just about the right size for Janie.
Tiny Toothpaste
This is the view from my room. I shook my head every time I looked out the window. I couldn’t tell what it was advertising for.
Windy Wellington – this photo was actually taken in Sydney and only kind of describes how windy it is in Wellington. This umbrella would have been even more useless in Welly. But I loved every minute!
Blow me East. Blow me West. I like lots of wind!
K. Dana Morris 