On the Street - Hall Street, Bondi

Cafe Chic

All set for the weekend?

I know where I'll be headed for my eggplant and haloumi Shakshuka fix tomorrow....Cafe Shenkin in Erskineville baby.  Oh and please have one of their gooey chocolate Babkas - don't say I didn't warn you.

Lots of bike watching on that sunny corner too.....

Laneway Cafe Chic

So we love the guys at Room 10 - best laneway cafe in Sydney in my humble opinion.  Not only do Dan & Dan ride bikes (or so they say...) they also look damn hot in their ibikeSYD t.shirts.

I made taller Dan wear the lady urban bike shirt and he did a spectacular job of camping it up. (sorry Dan, too good not to blog..)

They are also one of our Sydney t.shirt pick-up spots so when you order a shirt online, just indicate cafe pickup, save on postage and go visit the Dans.  You should order the breakfast rice - just do it, it will change your life - don't say I didn't warn you.

They're also getting some grief at the moment with their DA Approval so have been forced to remove their outdoor seating - ridiculous given that the other eateries up the street are operating as normal and wait, isn't there supposed to be support for cool urban laneway cafes?
Not sure how to help them at this point but we're working on a plan...... might involve deckchairs...

And yeah and their cafe is popular with hot chicas on hot bikes too....

Bondi Bike Cafe Bliss

I love doing the school drop-off as I get to spend time blogging in Katipo on Bondi Road aka coolest cafe bar in the 'hood.

Not only do they do a mean latte and lemon/yogurt cake but the owner Ben, together with brothers Marcel and Francis have a passion for fixing up old bikes.  Every day there is a different one hanging up with the vintage film posters.

Watch this space for news of their upcoming auction.  If you're in the market for a fixie, a chopper or a vintage ladies step-through, you won't want to miss this!!!

Cycle Style, Bake Sales and Bicycles

Plans for this Saturday's Cycle Chic Sundays ride have taken over my life lately so before I get on with the final preparations, here is the latest from Sydney.

Last weekend I had the pleasure of spending time with Joyce from Cycle Style Australia.  She was in town for a few days doing some research for her stint as guest blogger on the Design Files - very exciting to be featured in her Sydney roundup today. She has also written about some great Sydney cycle destinations so check it out!
Of course we spent our time looking for cycle chic on the streets of Surry Hills, (what really, I hear you say)..... and we weren't disappointed!

       

[l. Lisa & that Bullitt / r. Anna and her retro pink Repco Traveller]

[Taylor Square chic - Matt & Anna]

[Anna & Ronan doing a lap around Taylor Square before heading off down Bourke St]

           
[l. Remy outside his Bourke St cafe Remy & Lees /
r. Molly & Kit from Three Point Turnz blog and their yummy bake sale to raise funds for
Joy Ride - 10 bike babes riding from Melbourne to Brisbane]

       

[l. Chris and his red racer / r. Matt from the Bicycle Film Festival]

Cycle Chic Sundays Does Surry Hills!

Fast becoming my favorite 'hood, Surry Hills is home to a ridiculous amount of cafes, restaurants and bars.  It's also home to two of my favorite bike hangouts - Tokyo Bike and Remy & Lees Cafe.

With the (slowly) emerging cycle way down Bourke Street it's becoming somewhat of a bicycle mecca so Cycle Chic Sundays feels the need to ride.  It's time to show the anti-cycle ways brigade that we not only mean business but we are good for business, dammit!  Please show your support and JOIN US.

We will be starting at Tokyo Bike who will be riding with us and also have their resident mechanic on site to give advice and simple maintenance.  There will be plenty of time to take a test ride or get your tires pumped and if you're new to Tokyo Bike, have a look at their site - they totally rock Japanese cycle chic.
From there we will cruise slowly down to Remy & Lees for a coffee and cake pit stop and then do a nice leisurely loop around to Crown Street finishing up with beers at the Beresford Hotel.

This is not a long ride and we have one simple aim - to be slow, be stylish and be seen.
So frock UP, bring your friends and let the good times roll.

WHAT: A leisurely ride through Surry Hills with eating, drinking and shopping en route.

WHO: Anyone who favours style over speed.  

WHERE: Meet at Tokyo Bike at 1 Mary's Place at 1pm, finishing at the Beresford Hotel

WHEN: Saturday September 11 from 1 to 3pm and on.......

Please RSVP your interest/attendance by leaving a message here or head to our Facebook page.  Cheers

Cycle Chic Sundays Sydney - to market to market

Well we experienced almost all four seasons in one day last Sunday for our Cycle Chic Sunday ride.
What's up with that ??

The day started with what we optimistically assumed was the first day of springtime so we made our way up to Jeds cafe for some brunch, popping in to say hi to Alex at Miljo en route.  The lovely Clare from Trails of Two Cities met us there for a final ride before she heads off to NYC for adventure ! Great to finally meet her, check out her cool blog.

We barely had time to cram in a latte and a berry muffin before the sky turned deep grey and just made it to the market in time amidst a sand storm and gusting winds as the rain started.  I've never seen so many people running in the opposite direction - like a bad disaster movie....

We hid out undercover near the sausage sizzle until it stopped then managed to cram in a bit of stall browsing before the rain started again.

By the time it had cleared we had disbanded, soggy and vintage free.  Sadly not so chic this Sunday...
roll on Summer !!!!

     

     

     

[Miss Clare, Miss Allana, Miss Annalouise and Miss Kerry]

My solo ride home, however, was one of those perfect rides, just me, my bike, late afternoon dappled sunshine and no-one to hear me sing out loud to the tunes on my iPod.  Good times.
I never get tired of shots like these.

    

And we're off....

We could not have asked for a more beautiful day.   The day before the June Solstice (Winter anyone ??) and the sun shone down in Sydney for our inaugural Cycle Chic Sundays ride.

We ambled from Rose Bay to Bondi Beach, stopping at Miljo to try on some of their cute Swedish clogs and check out the Marimekko cups, had a quick latte and delicious brunch bruschetta at the Shop & Wine Bar on Curlewis Street and then on to the beach.

Not sure why the sight of girls in dresses and heels on bikes caused such amusement but the positive comments and smiles from locals and tourists alike was worth every cent !

Thanks to my ladies for sharing this first ride - we're already planning the next one - bigger, bolder, brighter and with more wheels and heels !!!

(l-r Miss Megan, Miss Sonja, Miss Allana, Miss Saskia & Miss Bronwyn)

There will be more photos posted on flickr over the next few days.......

Here comes the sun

Finally, a few hours of sunshine in old Sydney town and it's like everyone is back out of hibernation.  It didn't last the full day but while it did there were happy faces out in Bondi.  I took Inge down to Jed's for a breakfast quesadilla and a latte and happily we watched life go by with an old skool reggae soundtrack and the faintest smell of the ocean breeze drifting in the warm air.

One of the things I love about Sydney is the cafe culture.  The nonchalant upturned milk crates outside inner-city haunts that burn lines on your arse if you sit too long.  The million new artisan bakeries with organic breads and pies that seem to be springing up on every street corner and the crazy little cafe/bookshops stuffed with piles of books you always buy but never seem to have time to read.