Today’s dream wasn’t particularly interesting, but what was interesting was the realisation when I woke up that it was set in a constructed “dream city” that’s remarkably consistent across dreams. I have been building this “city” in my mind over many years and thousands of dreams. It’s the city where most of my dreams are set. I feel I know this city almost as well as the real city that I live in, and it is so detailed it is very realistic.

The layout of the city superficially resembles Sydney and yet is different in many ways. For example, the area north of the city, where my dream was based today, is somewhat similar to “North Sydney”, but the shops and cafes are all different. It has a more “village” atmosphere, and the streets are curvier and hillier, reminds me of San Francisco. It extends all the way down to the waterfront, which is a dockyard. The docks get a bit seedy at night, and yes I have “walked the docks” (Black Adder reference) because there are some good restaurants here.

There is no Harbour Bridge, instead there is a complex set of multi level criss-crossing bridges similar to Tokyo. The waterfront area south of the harbour reminds me of the Seine in Paris.

South, the city is dense and gothic, a bit like Manhattan. There is a large multi level department store with a huge toy level (Level 3) with toys filling up the walls. All the shopping centres are interconnected, like Singapore, with a complex network of escalators and there is a huge mirror somewhere where I often gaze at a reflection of myself. The theatre district is also here, as well as many fine restaurants, many of which I have frequented.

Further south, roughly where Sydney Chinatown is, is a run down area full of old shops. I have sometimes cycled down the streets which are quieter, and caught a bus from a stop next to a large field.

Obviously, all this detail wasn’t from one dream but aggregated over many dreams. I spent a happy time exploring this city when I woke up from my dream, because I was still in a half asleep state but lucid, so I was able to move around in the dreamworld at leisure.