Childhood dreams. Everyone has had one, or more. Dreams change though.

From once being blissfully content with exploring hidden laneways wafting with caffeine and the familiarity of suburban life redolent with that eucalyptus scent after the rain falls, I’ve since had dreams of tracing history through shifting dessert dunes and finding mythical cities behind mirages, to dreams of afternoon strolls through avenues of heady rose gardens and evening strolls post-theatre in twinkling lights, and even to discovering new places at altitudes and on latitudes rarely traversed. While I can’t pinpoint my precise dream now, I can say with the greatest certainty that NYC never crossed my mind.

Have you followed the path to NYC?

New York – with its toy-like marigold taxis, where each street block is littered with a forest of skycrapers and trash alike, where sneakers are more commonly worn than stilettos, where a local New Yorker is a rarer sighting than an Australian cafe – no, it was never my dream. Being here now, it feels very much like one. And I’m neither sure that I want to be here, nor if I want to wake up, and return. Return to what? As the days go by, I see life in New York as I see its streets. A city built on a grid of long roads. Roads that get blocked, roads that detour. A city of endless possibilities. One can take Broadway – the road that stretches the entire Manhattan from north to south – or one can cross east and west, or even go off-grid. And why not? Take that path not in guide books, follow that lane not mapped. We did it once and found the tangiest strawberry and creamiest vanilla bean ice cream at the foot of Brooklyn Bridge. So, New York, I never dreamt of you, and I am still not sure of you, but with no expectations, comes surprise, so New York, I challenge you to surprise me.

Dessert adventure checklist:

• ☑ Dessert destination: Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory (1 Water Street, Brooklyn, NY).
• ☑ Budget: $.
• ☑ Sweet irresistible: Ice cream.
• ☑ Must-eat: Strawberry ice cream that does not taste like Benadryl.
• ☑ The short and sweet story: Ice-cream for those sunny #SundaysinBrooklyn.