In which Shane visits The Big City

I’ve been up in Auckland since Monday morning on business – I am here to meet-n-greet all the key players on my team in the company HQ here. So, this is going to sound pretty negative on Auckland, but keep in mind that I am here on business and don’t really have time to explore the town (kinda like my experiences in Vancouver!). Suffice it to say that Auckland has underwhelmed me. I would describe it thus: it’s a city about a third Seattle’s size with similar weather (I have a minor issue with that) and geography (lots of old volcanic hills and waterways about), and all of the character of central Vancouver (and anyone who knows my thoughts on Vancouver knows that is not meant as a compliment) without the modernity or proximity to Whistler that Vancouver has. The architecture is a little dated, I think, without the gleaming new condo skyscrapers of Seattle and Vancouver, although there are a few iconic structures – the Ferry Building, Sky Tower, and Britomart come to mind. Walking around on Monday and Tuesday night, the city was sadly very quiet; not many people about in the CBD after 8pm. Even at lunch hour, there wasn’t quite the hustle I found in Seattle. The food has been a bit uninspiring, although I cannot weigh in on the local microbrews as I have yet to try any.

Now, there was a positive note to my visit here – last night I went out to the suburb of Newmarket for my first foray outside the CBD to find the Adidas store for their weekly run. Newmarket seems like a nice area, maybe along the lines of Cherry Creek in Denver (I can’t think of a similar area in Seattle). Lots of spendy boutique shops and entertainment, you know the type. So I was a block from the store when the runners got past me – I know, shocking that I would be late, eh? I followed them around on neighbourhood streets around Newmarket and Mount Eden, but I haven’t a clue where we went. There were a lot of runners – probably 30-40 I would hazard – although I didn’t get a chance to chat anyone up since I missed the beginning and was rather breathless along the run on account of the hills and length (12k) and my poor shape. Still, it was the high point of my trip.

On an unrelated note, did anyone watch CNN this morning (sorry, have to have something on when I am getting ready in the morning!)? Granted, it was CNN Europe, but they spent a good 6-8 minutes talking about the new format of Facebook and the controversy that it has caused – looking at some poor cub reporter’s new Facebook page and interviewing some Facebook users who don’t like the changes. Talk about 8 minutes of my life that I will never get back!