Day 9: Exploring Darling Harbour

With one day to go before the conference started, I had a little time to at least become familiar with the Darling Harbour area, which is where I was staying.  I woke up to amazing weather.  The harbour (yes, I will spell it this way because that is how it is spelled here) looks beautiful here.  That's probably because it is beautiful!

The breakfast choices at Plate caught my eye, and the friendly server was an added bonus, especially after my rough morning where I requested to change rooms because my internet speed was so bad (FYI, it never really improved!).

I ordered the breakfast wrap, which was filled with egg, cheese, tomato and hash browns.  It was wonderful and it even came with a nice salad.  This was a great second start to my day since the first start really sucked.

Here is the convention center, which was the location for ICD 2012 (International Congress of Dietetics).

Cute fountain right out front.  Kids seem to always be playing in this.

Then I walked around the harbour and over around, getting some exercise and sun at the same time.

That was it for my morning.  In the afternoon I checked in to the conference and did some organizing in the room before my roommate arrived.  I had a room reserved and no plans for a roomie, but the opportunity presented itself and I was happy to share my room (and cost) with a fellow RD.

After we got settled in, we headed off to find some dinner.  We looked at some of the restaurants along the waterfront in Darling Harbour, and picked Blue Fish.

Can't go wrong with a drink!

Diane got the Whale Ale...and I don't blame her.  Too cute!

I ordered the Pure Blonde.  It was so good that I even ordered a second (and then regretted it halfway through!).

One of Diane's friends that joined us for dinner ordered the halloumi cheese, which I love, so I was happy to have a sample.

I started my meal with a nice side salad.  

For my meal, I ordered this nice fisherman's platter.  It had everything on it...and it was really good.  It even came with a scallop still in the shell.

Diane had the Moreton Bay bugs, which look like a lobster/giant shrimp.  I saw it on the menu the night before and assumed it was really a bug.  I was so glad she ordered this so it could be explained to me.

I was really impressed with the meal I received for the price.  We are in a touristy area with lots of food options, so I expected higher price for less food.  I was definitely pleasantly surprised.

Then it was off to bed because I had to be at the convention center at 6 am to help set up a breakfast.  Now you see why I regretted that second beer half way through!

QUESTIONS: Have you ever heard of Moreton Bay Bugs?  Do you have a harbor area near where you live?