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Brisbane through Oct 2
2019-10-02 19:20Sep 30: Finally got to the Brisbane Botanic Gardens. Not the park in the CBD, which used to be the gardens, but the ones out west, 56 hectares of plant exhibits. The bus route was wonky -- 30 minute headway? so I took an Uber, which wasn't that much faster in the end. "Your car in 4 minutes" was more like 8 minutes, a common ridehail failure.
Visit was fun. Tropical dome, small Japanese garden, well labeled bonsai exhibit, giant bamboo... the further part of the park got confusing though, no signs out there, I even worried about getting back in time.
Saw my first live artichoke plant in the Kitchen Garden. I'd never thought before about where the artichoke actually grows.
I chatted with some employee while we waited for the bus back. I asked about age of mobility; he said his parents didn't trust him out to "go to the city" until 17, but at around age 7 he was walking to school and hanging out with friends until dusk.
Oct 1: had some Indian lunch. It was a bit creepy: no one else there at 12:20 PM, lights out... I tried it anyway but checked reviews, which were good. But I saw that Google says it's only open for dinner, maybe that's why no one was there... I uploaded some photos of the menu, and drew the owner's attention. Food was decent in the end.
Walked around the park 'gardens' again, then tried the QUT art museum. Accidentally first found the William Robinson gallery, a small museum devoted to just one artist, who is still alive and working. Weird. The paintings were interestng though, in the 10 minutes I had before closing time. More so than the actual art museum, which is given over to a couple of modern artists..
Oct 2: I'm in a new place for a week, on Kangaroo Point. As the ibis flies I'm closer to the CBD than I have been, but practically I'm further; no good transit on this tongue of land. There's a bus stop right outside the building but the bus is like every 40 minutes; my best on-the-fly option would be a ferry!
Walked around. Timed that a traffic light was indeed 2 minutes before I could walk. Nearby blocks are 1 by 6 minutes by foot -- 6 minute walk long! Eek. A school zone was posted as 40 kph, or 24 MPH; I think the default road speed is 50 KPH, or 30 MPH. So similar to the US, but shocking compared to Japan, where 30 KPH is a typical street speed.
I saw another postman on an ebike. I forget if I'd mentioned seeing one before.
For all the car orientation -- long signal times, wide roads, my last place and this one were both right by highways or busy roads though at least here I'gm facing away -- gasoline is AUD $1.70 per liter, or $4.29/gallon. I guess that's not hugely expensive, Japan was more like $5/gallon, but what's the US now, $2.50?
Visit was fun. Tropical dome, small Japanese garden, well labeled bonsai exhibit, giant bamboo... the further part of the park got confusing though, no signs out there, I even worried about getting back in time.
Saw my first live artichoke plant in the Kitchen Garden. I'd never thought before about where the artichoke actually grows.
I chatted with some employee while we waited for the bus back. I asked about age of mobility; he said his parents didn't trust him out to "go to the city" until 17, but at around age 7 he was walking to school and hanging out with friends until dusk.
Oct 1: had some Indian lunch. It was a bit creepy: no one else there at 12:20 PM, lights out... I tried it anyway but checked reviews, which were good. But I saw that Google says it's only open for dinner, maybe that's why no one was there... I uploaded some photos of the menu, and drew the owner's attention. Food was decent in the end.
Walked around the park 'gardens' again, then tried the QUT art museum. Accidentally first found the William Robinson gallery, a small museum devoted to just one artist, who is still alive and working. Weird. The paintings were interestng though, in the 10 minutes I had before closing time. More so than the actual art museum, which is given over to a couple of modern artists..
Oct 2: I'm in a new place for a week, on Kangaroo Point. As the ibis flies I'm closer to the CBD than I have been, but practically I'm further; no good transit on this tongue of land. There's a bus stop right outside the building but the bus is like every 40 minutes; my best on-the-fly option would be a ferry!
Walked around. Timed that a traffic light was indeed 2 minutes before I could walk. Nearby blocks are 1 by 6 minutes by foot -- 6 minute walk long! Eek. A school zone was posted as 40 kph, or 24 MPH; I think the default road speed is 50 KPH, or 30 MPH. So similar to the US, but shocking compared to Japan, where 30 KPH is a typical street speed.
I saw another postman on an ebike. I forget if I'd mentioned seeing one before.
For all the car orientation -- long signal times, wide roads, my last place and this one were both right by highways or busy roads though at least here I'gm facing away -- gasoline is AUD $1.70 per liter, or $4.29/gallon. I guess that's not hugely expensive, Japan was more like $5/gallon, but what's the US now, $2.50?