The fire road to the swimming hole was quite steep, and I lost at least one beer along the way. Several large cities around the world blend tame and wild elements within the same boundaries. Portland, where I attended university, is certainly one of them. Its park, within a 15-minute bike ride of the city centre, covers more than 5,000 acres and offers some of Portland’s best cycling. Sydney, where I now live, has similarly impressive attractions. Yesterday, I visited Warragamba Park, just outside Penrith, after a morning of work at the Richmond campus, where I also caught up with Nathan.

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.