Spontaneity in Surry Hills

So a little while ago, a friend and I were enjoying a beverage on the balcony of the Clock Hotel overlooking Crown Street when this happened:

Surry Hills Marching Band

One of the things I enjoy most about Crown Street is the way the suburb invites spontaneous actions and events, such as a moving marching band, or in another case a Ben and Jerry's icecream van with chalk drawing on the pavement, or even just kids playing football with their mums in the park. What makes it great is that the events, especially in the little square next to the Surry Hills Library, are so visible given the amount of restaurants in the area, and the foot traffic and car traffic passing by. And also the fact that the event in contained in a area usually bordered by low rise terrace houses that are built right up to the street, which encloses the event in what is almost like a room. Other areas off the top of my head that might be similar might be King Street in Newtown, the  promenade next to the sand down by Coogee Beach, or even the patch of grass, walkway and podium underneath and next to the Red Center. 

All these areas have high amounts of foot traffic at certain times, and, with the exception of perhaps Coogee Beach, have an almost "room" or "corridor" like quality where the space is partially enclosed, increasing the relationships people in the space might have with each other. Kind of like being at a party in a house. Certainly I feel like I'm more likely to talk to people if we are collectively sharing in an event while being forced to be in close proximity to each other. Such events might potentially increase the intensity and methods by which members of a neighbourhood interact, contributing to a neighbourhood or suburb that "feels" friendly and where you "feel" like you might belong. I certainly feel very comfortable in places such as Surry Hills, Newtown and Coogee Beach, even more so than I do my own suburb of Maroubra. This is possibly due to the high amount of people my age living in these suburbs, as well as the amount of interesting cafes, bars, galleries, and shops that I could potentially go to that suit my lifestyle. This is potentially why I choose to work in a restaurant in Surry Hills that takes me 45 minutes to get to by bus, instead of a more local job (such as my old job in a bottleshop) that I can walk to in 5 minutes.  Even at this very moment, I am on a break from work enjoying the Surry Hills Library. I guess the way I feel about Surry Hills is one of the many reasons why housing in these areas is in such demand - because people enjoy this type of urban lifestyle. 

Ash