Right (Left?) of Way

So I have had quite a conundrum going the last few days walking around Sydney: which side of the street do I actually walk on? Now, this is not as trivial as it sounds. I'm lanky and full of odd angles, going against the flow of traffic isn't just inconvenient, it's downright impolite to elbow someone on the sidewalk!

So as some of you know, Sydney, being part of the Commonwealth and a former British colony, has roads designed for driving on the left. This extends to other modes of transport as well; the bicycle lane is on the left, and they even signal with their right arm as opposed to left. As a natural extension, one would assume you would also walk to the left, pass to the right. For me, being a boorish American, this doesn't come naturally and often I find myself walking on the right side of the right hand sidewalk. However, when I notice this, or feel myself walking against the flow of pedestrian traffic, I immediately switch over.

So far though, this hasn't made me any less of an obstruction to the walkways of Sydney. Some of this is could be the fact Sydney is populated with many tourists and foreigners like myself. Some of this could be attributed to the numerous one-way streets and irregular roads of old Sydney (given it's an "Old World" city). Some of it could just be that people don't actually pay attention to this kind of mundane detail like I do.

There is this one bridge going from Darling Harbour, the part of town I'm currently living at the hotel, and Pyrmont, the part of town where Google's office is located. This is where the phenomenon is most acute. Each morning, I have found myself to be like a salmon going upstream, beset in a current of angry Sydney-siders. I walk on the right, notice I am doing so and begin walking on the left, but to no avail as it is equally against the flow. This bothered me to no end until today when I realized I was focusing on the wrong pattern entirely. You see, Pyrmont is a mostly residential neighborhood. Darling Harbour is around the Central Business District, where most of the south shore financial institutions are located. I am not going against traffic because I'm a foreigner, but instead it's because in the mornings and afternoons, I am doing a reverse commute.

QED.

Anyways, there's really no point to this post. Just felt like writing something.

Oh, and it sure does feel good to be working in a city again. Walking to work is pretty sweet. Walking to work and doing lots of people watching is even better.