Through Dad's Eyes: 21 A Taylor Street, Darlinghurst, NSW

The unit that Jeanette arranged for us was a 2 story row house in a neighborhood of similar buildings, along with some larger apartment complexes. The row houses in this area are in the range of 150 to 175 years old, made almost entirely of brick and the fronts abut the sidewalk with a small patio area out the back (accessible only from inside the unit). The downstairs consisted of a small living room, dining area and kitchen. Behind the kitchen and next to the patio area was the only bathroom. Upstairs there were 2 bedrooms separated by a narrow hallway. By American standards the place was tiny for a 2 bedroom townhouse: Total square footage was about 760 square feet (67 square meters); the living room was 150 sq. ft. (14 sm); the kitchen/dining area 210 sq. ft. (19 sm); the upstairs bedrooms were 120 sq. ft. each (11 sm) and the bathroom 60 sq. ft. (5.5 sm). An absolutely treacherous stairway without a railing lead from the downstairs area to the bedrooms. It seemed incredibly steep and I feared waking up in the night, having to use the bathroom and taking a tumble down the stairs; or worse, having Candi slip or fall as the individual stairs were a highly polished hardwood. The unit had been recently updated and remodeled. The flooring was hardwood in the living areas, carpeted bedrooms and tile in the bathroom. The patio area had a small zen garden with a little goldfish pond cut into the wood deck. The kitchen and bathroom had been fitted with euro style cabinets, appliances, sinks and hardware and was fully stocked with linens, towels, dishes, cutlery, pots and pans. There was built-in fridge, dishwasher and combination clothes washer/dryer contained in a single unit, the likes of which I had never seen before. The combo clothes washing unit wasn't particularly efficient, especially with the drying part, but sure beat whatever the alternative might be. The unit had a metal roof and when it would rain, especially at night, the falling rain tapped out a soothing rhythm. The photos I included below were taken with my Droid (Verizon) which was useless on this trip because I didn't have the required "V" chip installed. At this time I had Robin's mobile phone for communication purposes. The unit had no telephone but did have FoxTel (the equivalent of Cable TV). There was no heating or air conditioning built in. Heat, which we needed on the chilly mornings, was supplied by a portable ceramic heater that was surprisingly efficient. If it became too warm we just opened some windows.