Newtown, Old Town
"Ghost Valley" was written in chalk on the pavement, reminiscent of "Eternity" in other parts of Sydney not too long ago. This was Newtown in Sydney on a rainy, windy and chilly night. The suburb is a unique haven of the blending of cultures, lifestyles, demographics, cuisines and village life. Many encountered scurrying in the rain are twenty something in age, but the range of bright and sunken eyes, glee or obsession, smartly dressed and down trodden, did make me wonder, what in Newtown attracts all this wide range of all sorts to gather here, not just for a meal, but also for a browse in a bookshop, do some late night wardrobe shopping, enjoy a chill out time at the cinemas and more.
The character of Newtown along its main thoroughfare of King Street can be decided by the nature of business or operation of the shopfront or facility. In the evenings, schools tend to be in the shadows, restaurants are brightly lit and everything else can be in between. We spotted an old familiar name of Prasits in a Thai restaurant on the side leading to Wollongong - and I recalled the excellent quality of food served in the nineties from a well done two-storey place along Crown Street in Surry Hills in inner city Sydney. This Prasits encountered at the end of the first decade of the new millennium was different - the food served tended to be sweet but still had a down-to-earth approach to customers like the original Prasits.
After a quick dinner, and when the bite of the night air had arrived outside, we amused ourselves with casual drop-ins to check out heritage hand me down pieces, sip organic coffee at a trendy joint, feel the atmosphere in the Kiwi Burger Fuel outlet and admire glassed up displays of knick-knacks and clothes. The bricked-up side roads, alleyways and lanes added to an old London town charm, but what stood out were the modern concoctions of bookshops, poster retails and bright coloured shoes from the likes of Platypus. In the passing human traffic, we encountered buffed up gym guys, lesbians proudly holding hands, office workers going for retail therapy, babes-in-the-arms of parents, Asian students, matronly types venturing out from other suburbs and middle aged couples who seemed to be on their first dates after the children have flown out of the nest.
I sensed an increase in the number of hairstylist shops along King Street. The cinema hub with surrounding cafes and book shops still thrived in vitality, and so was the human traffic coming out of the rail station. May be every type of European and Asian cuisine is represented in Newtown. If one can find street side parking, one is considered blessed. Many patrons of the businesses there do live nearby within walking distance. Newtown may have an old town feel but it has accommodated new trends and possibilities since the mid-nineties, adding to its continuing economic revival. The suburb may truly be a microcosm of the larger entity called Sydney. Tattoo parlours, old self-help laundries and quick takeaway cafes are giving way to fancy concepts. It may lack the night clubs, bars and music joints available in competing suburbs of Paddington and Darlinghurst, but you never know - Newtown's character even changes between day and night, and who knows what actually goes on in the hidden so-called ghost valleys away from King Street.
The character of Newtown along its main thoroughfare of King Street can be decided by the nature of business or operation of the shopfront or facility. In the evenings, schools tend to be in the shadows, restaurants are brightly lit and everything else can be in between. We spotted an old familiar name of Prasits in a Thai restaurant on the side leading to Wollongong - and I recalled the excellent quality of food served in the nineties from a well done two-storey place along Crown Street in Surry Hills in inner city Sydney. This Prasits encountered at the end of the first decade of the new millennium was different - the food served tended to be sweet but still had a down-to-earth approach to customers like the original Prasits.
After a quick dinner, and when the bite of the night air had arrived outside, we amused ourselves with casual drop-ins to check out heritage hand me down pieces, sip organic coffee at a trendy joint, feel the atmosphere in the Kiwi Burger Fuel outlet and admire glassed up displays of knick-knacks and clothes. The bricked-up side roads, alleyways and lanes added to an old London town charm, but what stood out were the modern concoctions of bookshops, poster retails and bright coloured shoes from the likes of Platypus. In the passing human traffic, we encountered buffed up gym guys, lesbians proudly holding hands, office workers going for retail therapy, babes-in-the-arms of parents, Asian students, matronly types venturing out from other suburbs and middle aged couples who seemed to be on their first dates after the children have flown out of the nest.
I sensed an increase in the number of hairstylist shops along King Street. The cinema hub with surrounding cafes and book shops still thrived in vitality, and so was the human traffic coming out of the rail station. May be every type of European and Asian cuisine is represented in Newtown. If one can find street side parking, one is considered blessed. Many patrons of the businesses there do live nearby within walking distance. Newtown may have an old town feel but it has accommodated new trends and possibilities since the mid-nineties, adding to its continuing economic revival. The suburb may truly be a microcosm of the larger entity called Sydney. Tattoo parlours, old self-help laundries and quick takeaway cafes are giving way to fancy concepts. It may lack the night clubs, bars and music joints available in competing suburbs of Paddington and Darlinghurst, but you never know - Newtown's character even changes between day and night, and who knows what actually goes on in the hidden so-called ghost valleys away from King Street.
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