Summer in Sydney means ... Dover Heights, Latteria cafe, Reschs

What does Sydney mean to you?

An efficient public transport system; cheap toll roads; abundant parking; affordable housing; a reasonable cost of living; cyclists riding next to the cycle lane built in their honour; $15 schooners of beer that are never poured properly … No wonder people think Sydney is the greatest city in the world. Oh, and that Harbour goes good, too.

Earliest/first memory of summer in Sydney?

Coming from Newcastle, where I was living at the time, for the one-day international between Australia and the West Indies at the SCG on New Year’s Day 1996.

I was sitting in the Bill O’Reilly Stand, directly square of the wicket, when Michael Bevan hit Roger Harper for four runs off the last ball for victory. I’ve never heard a crowd roar like it since.

When the weather gets hot I …

I get hotter. I know: like that’s even possible.

First place you take visitors?

Messina. Then the pub. Then Messina again. Then Dudley Page Reserve at Dover Heights on sunset for the spectacular views over the city.

Favourite cafe?

Latteria on Victoria Street. Opens at 5am, great coffee and the bacon-and-egg rolls are so addictive I’ve banned myself from eating them.

Secret spot you escape to?

The trees near the NSW Police Wall of Remembrance in the Domain are a great place to throw a blanket and chill. Not many people seem to use the space compared with other areas of the Domain.

Best summer food?

Is Resch’s a food? No. OK, watermelon: the fruit and the Vodka Cruiser.

I know it’s summer when I smell …

The stench of fear coming from my opponent at the other end of the ping-pong table.

My favourite summer song is …

Summertime by the Sundays.

Worst thing about summer?

You need to get to the beach at 4am these days to mark out your postage stamp of space on the sand before the crowds arrive. Then people stand on top of you. And are loud. While you’re trying to read. And. It. Is. Really. Annoying.

My closest bolthole is …

Newcastle – a city that’s changed so much in the past 20 years but retains strong working-class values.

Guilty pleasure?

If humming through summer to the pop rock of Daryl Hall and John Oates is wrong, I never want to be right.

What should change – and what should stay the same?

Too many rules, too much security, too many sniffer dogs, too much guilt and shame heaped on people having a good time. I am an adult, allegedly, and would like to be treated as such.

Since moving to Sydney 23 years ago, what I’ve loved most is that it’s unashamed and unapologetic about who it is. We don’t worry what Melbourne or Brisbane or Adelaide is doing, as much as they like to pot-shot us, because we’re too busy enjoying the most stunning city in the world.

Never lose the attitude, Sydney.

Summer in Sydney is a series where Herald staff reveal the best – and worst – of our city in the hotter months.

A cultural guide to going out and loving your city. Sign up to our Culture Fix newsletter here.