The Rocks ... and a coat

There's a neighborhood in Sydney, on the other side of the passenger dock area from the Opera House, called the Rocks. It's an old neighborhood that has been reinvented into a fun and funky area. There are some good restaurants and some great shops. (Not even a week down here, and it's "shops" not "stores".)

Here is the funky christmas "chair tree", which has some connection with a charity (see sign in photo):



Here's a view of the Harbor Bridge from the Rocks:



An excellent tourist information center is located in the Rocks; I was even introduced to a reptile there:



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A friend of mine has taken up riding (horses ... what were YOU thinking?) and asked me to get him a particular Australian brand waterproof riding coat and hat. A little web research unearthed two shops that carry the clothing line; they are both in the Rocks. I found the first store, and the propreitress was extremely helpful. She showed me that the sizes were smaller than USA sizes, and insisted she needed the chest size before she would sell me a coat, because she wanted it to fit properly. She was also very helpful regarding the hat: she informed me that the particular style requested had a soft (floppy) brim, and might not be suitable for riding. But this raises questions: is the brim stiffness more important than the chin strap? It was a bit tricky putting her directly in touch with Bob, since she didn't get email in the store, and I didn't have Bob's phone number. Luckily, she was able to pop into the neighboring shop and use their computer, and also luckily, I knew Bob's easy-to-remember email address. To make a long story slightly shorter: she and Bob eventually connected via telephone and she is mailing him the coat (because she didn't have the right size in stock). GREAT customer service.