Before I get into the details of my first day in Sydney, I should mention that getting there from the USA is no joke. I live in the Orlando area in Central Florida, and to give my body a break I made the decision to fly to Los Angeles and spend the night there before continuing on from LA direct to Sydney. I had a good night's sleep, and the Westin LAX extended my check-out until 5pm so I could relax as close to my 10:30pm departure as possible. I flew on Qantas airlines, and they were able to put me in a bulk row so I'd have more leg room, and in an aisle seat so I'd have an easier time transferring to an aisle chair for trips to the bathroom. The flight attendants were absolutely amazing, and while a 14-hour flight is always uncomfortable at some point, both legs passed more quickly than I anticipated.

Arriving and getting through the Sydney airport was pretty easy.  My scooter wasn't waiting for me at the door of the plane, so I had to be taken in a wheelchair to the baggage claim area where my scooter eventually arrived. Getting through customs and immigration was a breeze. When I got outside, much to my surprise there were three wheelchair accessible taxis waiting! I never have such good luck in the United States.  I will say, however, that taxi drivers might be picky about what mobility device you have. Their anchor systems are designed for power wheelchairs or manual wheelchairs, and if they can't find good anchor spots for your electric scooter, they could deny you a ride for safety reasons. Fortunately, I had no trouble, but these laws were pointed out to me by one taxi driver.

Half an hour later, we arrived at my hotel, the amazing InterContinental Sydney.  Despite arriving early, they gave me a key to the executive lounge to wait for my room, and I was able to enjoy a wonderful breakfast on the 31st floor with an incredible view of the harbor. My room was ready about an hour later, and it was perfect. The bathroom was large, with plenty of grab bars and a very comfortable roll in shower. The bed was low enough that it was easy for me to get into, and there was ample space to roll around in my scooter.  I only stayed in my room long enough to drop off my bags. In order to ward off jet lag, I knew I had to keep moving and push through the drowsiness until that evening. I got a great city map from the concierge, and headed out to explore the city.

Downtown Sydney is incredibly wheelchair accessible. The sidewalks and the roads are in great shape, and while there are several hilly areas, they are manageable.  Most of the places I passed had flat entries, and oddly enough the only inaccessible stores I saw were "convenience" stores that had a step to enter, LOL.  My first visit was to the Museum of Sydney, which was located one block from my hotel.  The museum was built on the site of the country's very first Government House in the late 1700s, and you could see the outline in differently colored tiles of where the original building stood.  I took a free guided tour, which detailed the highlights of the city's history.  It was a quiet day, and one member of the staff took the time to expand upon the information the tour guide provided to us. It's a small museum, but it had some very nice displays and was very easy to get around.

After the museum, I headed back to my hotel room to recharge my scooter battery and watch a bit of the World Series. I was so excited to watch the Cubs win, even if it was from 9000 miles away! Then at 6 PM, I met up with a friend of a friend for a windshield tour of the city.  Over the next two hours, I think he showed me every square inch of Sydney! We must have gone through at least a dozen neighborhoods, and briefly drove through the famous Bondi Beach just after sunset. Granted, I couldn't see all of it since the sun wasn't out, but it was much smaller than I expected and reminded me a lot of Fort Lauderdale. Afterwards we had a late dinner, and I was so grateful that I was able to stay awake until 11 PM.  I slept like a rock until 8:30 AM the next morning, and was ready to go, jet lag free!

Although my hotel was fabulous, eating there was very expensive. Like most things in Sydney, actually. So I decided to venture out and find a local place to eat and wound up at Piccolo Me a few blocks away from my hotel. They had several good selections for breakfast, or "brekky" as the Australians call it, and was a perfect spot for people watching during the morning rush hour.  Afterwards I headed a few blocks east towards the Royal Botanical Garden.  This area seemed to be the Sydney equivalent of New York City's Central Park, and was a lush open area of green grass, several beautiful monuments and small historic buildings, and hundreds of native plants and flowers to appreciate.  There were a few spots on the pathways that had steps, but there was always a way to get around in my electric scooter. There was also a beautiful pathway along the seawall that bordered the harbor and led all the way to the opera house. I took advantage of some spare time before my tour to take some photos in the harbor under a cloudless sky.

At noon, I began the first part of my Sydney Opera Secrets Tour with the Australia in Style tour company. They offer several options for "no steps" tours, so I was looking forward to seeing the Opera House with no obstacles. The history of the building is a fascinating one, and I got to hear it again in the most unique way possible later that day; more on that in a bit. We saw several of the concerts halls, a rehearsal space, and the areas underneath the stages where they haul the sets up using large moving platforms.  Towards the end of the tour we got to see something really neat — a close-up of the tiles that make up the world-famous roof of the upper house. They're made of a particular Japanese ceramic that is self-cleaning, so every time it rains it washes any dirt off the roof.  After this part of the tour, however, was when the real magic happened. I met up with a veteran of the opera world named Marie Claire. She has been coaching singers at the Sydney Opera House for years and was good friends with the opera legend Joan Sutherland before she passed away five years ago. Marie Claire and I sat down to talk about her amazing experiences and listen to her fascinating stories before taking a behind-the-scenes tour of some restricted areas in the opera house, like the areas where they prepare the wigs and the stars apply their makeup before shows.  Afterwards, Marie Claire asked me if I had planned on attending that night's opera on the front steps of the opera house, which would be a retelling of the history of the building. I told her I didn't think I could get tickets, so she offered to give me her staff discount and helped me get a ticket for that night. I couldn't believe it! I would be seeing not only an opera at the Sydney Opera House, but on the front steps under the stars! I couldn't wait.

After the tour, I rushed back to my hotel to meet with another friend of a friend and his family for lunch at a local restaurant. It was so great to have yet another personal perspective of life not only in Sydney, but as Australians.  After lunch, I recharged my scooter for a bit then headed to the opera house for the show. Because I bought my ticket late, I was in the last row but still had an amazing view of the performance on the front steps. This is easily one of the top experiences I had during my stay in Sydney. It was a beautiful night, and hearing the history of the opera house told in this unique manner was absolutely incredible.

I got a bit of a late start on day three since I was out late at the opera the night before. However, it was another gorgeous day and I headed out the two blocks from my hotel to the wharf where the Manly Beach ferry was located. It didn't take very long for me to find it, it was very easy to buy tickets. As soon it was time to get on the ferry, the crew put out a wheelchair ramp and it was very easy for me to board and get an outside spot for the gorgeous view of Sydney Harbour as we were leaving. The ride from Sydney Harbour to Manly Beach takes about half an hour, and it's the best way to get amazing views of the harbor bridge and the opera house without paying for a harbor tour.