Sydney Sunshine

Do not miss the beach walk from Maruba beach to Bondi beach. If you have climb the Sydney harbor bridge. If you don't have take the ferry to Manly beach and see the majestic coastline the CBD as you drive away. Take off your shoes and walk on the grass in the Bitanical Gardens. Whatever you end up doing will be the best thing because you will look around and be in Sydney among other Sydneysiders.

Quick Tips:

Visit a beach. Shop at the Queen Victoria building. Walk down Oxford street. Take a ferry. Have fun.

Best Way To Get Around:

The public transportation is great. Busses are easy to catch and you just buy a ticket when you board. Trains run under and above ground they are also convenient and fast. If you not only want to get there but want an education, take a cab. If you are lucky the cabby will be a weathered Sydneysider and want to talk, tell you about his city, where he was from, and give you the detailed tour of what you pass. Then again you can always walk.

I have never stayed there because when I lived in Sydney I had a house. None-the-less I have heard the greatest, best things about this hostel. It looks fabulous from the outside. The location is perfect; although it is not located on a beach it is close enough to any type of public transport to get anywhere. There is a cafe in the lobby that looks good but the hotel is close enough to make grabbing a cheap bite at the local brekky places easy. I have heard that the staff is great at the hostel, and they can book tours anywhere in Australia for you. They know about the tours and which guides to go with. The hostel is safe and clean: the two most important things that hostels should be.

I was a waitress and a patron of the coolest restaurant in Sydney. Cafe Sydney located in the customs house on the 5th floor, is a new addition to the up and coming trendy scene. A place with great people, amazing food, excellent ambiance, wonderful waitstaff, and did I mention the view? Oh yea, the view. There are not enough adjectives to describe the unobstructed view that you get from sitting outside on the balcony, looking over the harbor with the bridge to your left and the opera house to your right. It does not get better than this in Sydney. The New Year's Eve tickets to this hot spot were sold for $2000 each ($1300 US). It was a spectacular spectacle. Definately book reservations at night and for the weekends. Sometimes they are closed for functions. For lunch you may be ok to just walk in if it is nice weather and the outside is open. If you do not get a chance or the Cafe is booked, there is Que Bar downstairs which is owned by the same pepole. A very good afterwork crowd gathers here to drink in the style only Australians can acheive.

A small cafe slightly to the north side of Coogee Beach, but still with a good beach view if you are facing down street. The best breakfast ever. Amazing omelets, salads, or real meals. Try any of their specials; they will all be great. The staff is very helpful and lots of fun, maybe a little transient, but they are fast and efficient. Go there any time for lunch, breakfast, or coffee. They are closed by 5pm so for dinner you may try something else. Definately do not miss the owner, Louis. He always wears a black t-shirt and ponytail.

The bridge climb is a three hour experience. The first hour is spent going through an extensive training session about what the bridge looks like and how you attach yourself to a harness, with a caribenner that rolls through a steel chord. (You kinda have to see the contraption to understand how it works, but do not worry; when you leave the training session you are already an expert.) Then you climb. It is wonderful and amazing to be climbing this great monumental historic structure. You are not allowed to bring a camera. (Actually you are not allowed to bring anything onto the bridge) but they take plenty of digital pictures and you get a complementary group photo. Then you can purchase any of the others that you may want.

The only tip is if you climb in the morning be sure that you did not drink too much the night before because they breath test you before you climb. The best part is that everyone wears funky gray suits over their clothing when they climb.

The building is located in Circular Que (key), next to the harbor bridge and across form the Opera house. The exhabits change regularly. When I was visiting it was a Cindy Shereman show on the top floor, with the middle floor given to different advances in kitchen cuttlery, and the bottom floor to new and up comming Australian artists. The staff is nice and very helpful. There is wine tasting every other Thursday and some Sundays. Call to find out hours and dates of tastings. The museum closes early certain days and there are student and senior discounts. If you are there during the day and get hungry, stop and have a delicious lunch outside at the cafe and look dreamly at the opera house, or your fellow diners. A very cool place for business lunches and great people watching.