Goodbye 2009, The Adopted Version

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 10:30:00 +0000

The best balcony in Sydney for viewing the fireworks.

I had always been very lucky on New Year’s Eve here in Sydney. The first year, I had a friend who owned an apartment on one of the piers beside the Harbour Bridge. The views were spectacular. Last year, I decided to be a little creative and boarded the train I estimated would cross the bridge just as the fireworks began, and it worked perfectly. This year, I decided to do something a little different and once again ended up being very, very lucky.

New Year's Eve 2008

Thu, 01 Jan 2009 10:30:00 +0000

Last year I had a very special New Year’s Eve on one of the private piers next to the Harbour Bridge (arguably one of the largest displays of fireworks in the world). I had great food, good company, and jaw-dropping views. A friend was not in the country this year, so I had to find an alternative.

Fireworks debris was falling around the train.

My first plan was to try and go into one of the parks on the north side, thinking that somehow the view would be better. I quickly realized that I wouldn’t be able to get into the city until pretty late, and all the parks would likely be filled up. I pondered for a little while, and we came up with an idea: the train. Last year I noticed that the train still crossed the bridge while the fireworks were going off. I looked up the schedule, checked for delays, and at 11:03, caught the train. I was scheduled to arrive at 11:55 and thought I would simply wait on the platform, but the driver had other ideas. The train left the CBD very slowly and began crossing the bridge at midnight. It is hard to describe what the view is like, but it was nothing short of spectacular. While last year I had a holistic view of the fireworks, this year I had a close-up view from inside the train. Fireworks debris was falling around the train.

Fireworks on Kelvin Nicholson

Goodbye 2009, The Adopted Version

New Year's Eve 2008