North American Adventure: Part Four – Baltimore and Washington D.C.

September 29, 2012 by Brad

After spending three days in New York with two other colleagues we parted ways and I caught the Amtrak from Penn Station to Baltimore. The train ride down was a highlight of the trip. On the three hour journey we passed through five states: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. I was a little disappointed to not get off the train in Philadelphia as in early planning for the trip I was going to spend a few days there but as it turned out I saw more than enough other places in my adventures.

North America Adventure: Part Three – New York City

September 2, 2012 by Brad

After AAAI finished two friends and I travelled from Toronto for a few days visiting New York City.

We flew into La Guardia at midday on Saturday and caught the bus from the airport to Manhattan. Our first bit of fun came when, in a little bit of traveller confusion, we failed to get off the bus at the right spot to change to the subway. So before we know it we are a little bit lost in the middle of Harlem.

North America Adventure: Part Two – Niagara Falls

August 5, 2012 by Brad

I spent the last day in Toronto visiting Niagara Falls which is about two hours south-west of the city.

After some debate about how to get there we settled on catching the train – which is what I wanted as I love trains.

The train from Toronto was very impressive. Double deck, nice seats, and power outlets for every seat. After about an hour we had to change to a bus to complete the journey – which again was double deck and very impressive for public transport.

North America Adventure: Part One – AAAI-12 in Toronto

August 3, 2012 by Brad

Last week I was in Toronto, Canada attending the 26th Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) Conference. Toronto was a great experience and is a rather interesting city.

I flew out of Sydney on Air Canada direct to Toronto with a very small layover in Vancouver. This is my first trip outside of Australia/New Zealand and I wasn’t 100% sure what to expect. It turns out a 13.5 hour flight, 1 hour layover, 4.5 hour flight is a very long time.

Bondi in Winter

July 14, 2012 by Brad

I spent this afternoon soaking up the mid-winter sun at Bondi Beach.

Below are a series of photos of the beautiful day.

Photos from 18th Biennale of Sydney

July 8, 2012 by Brad

I spent yesterday at Cockatoo Island exploring this year’s Biennale of Sydney.

My favourite installation was of a Chinese classroom where some of the desks had animations projected onto them telling a story.

Below are a few photos, however, the Biennale is best experienced in person. It is free, and runs until mid September.

Photos from Vivid Sydney 2012

May 31, 2012 by Brad

Vivid Sydney is on again and once again it is a spectacular display of lights and fun.

Como Bridge Walk

May 19, 2012 by Brad

Around Sydney there are a number of short urban walks. One such walk is the rail trail over the Como Bridge from Como to Oatley.

The walk is a train lover’s dream. The walk runs parallel to the train line for about 1.5km, and the views of the Georges River make for a very idyllic setting.

Below are some photos of the walk that I took this morning, I even scored a wave from the driver of a coal train.

Adventures in Tāmaki Makaurau and the Waitakere Ranges

February 25, 2012 by Brad

I have recently returned from a visit to Auckland. While I was there I went on a few planned – and a few unplanned – adventures. The photos below are from tramping at Fairy Falls in the Waitakere Ranges, visiting Piha Beach, tramping above Mercer Bay also in the Waitakeres, visiting Karekare Beach, walking around One Tree Hill, visiting friends in Albany, and going to Western Springs Speedway.

Photos: T20 Australia vs India

February 2, 2012 by Brad

Last night I went with a group of mates to the T20 Cricket International between Australia and India at ANZ Stadium Olympic Park.

The event was really fun and there was a carnival like atmosphere there. The game itself was great, despite India being very much off form. Below are a few photos from the night.