Sydney guide - what is worth seeing?

[mades]

Hello dear members,

i'm visiting Sydney for the 1st time this February and would like to get some recommendations on where to go regarding clubbing and general sight seeing. I'll be staying somewhere in the city (close to Chinese Laundry i was told) and i would like to spend my time as good as possible So if you could pick a few more places for me to visit (clubs or also other places) i would be very thankful.

Thank you.

[unrecogniseduser]

Re: Sydney guide - what is worth seeing?

at least you shouldnt need to take too many changes of clothes with that laundry nearby

[feather]

Re: Sydney guide - what is worth seeing?

I used to live in Sydney and I believe MSer illuminate is from there so he might have a better idea.

I've always loved Surry Hills, Darlinghurst, Paddington, and Five Ways. There's ofcos the obvious stuff like the Opera House, Opera Bar near there, the Rocks which leads up to the Sydney Harbor Bridge. There're a few beaches and bays, I was just at Watsons Bay recently. The obvious beach is Bondi but I recommend going in the morning before the (younger) crowd hits it. I think Manly Beach is another popular one. Potts Points is also nice and it's near King's Cross which is always a laugh to check out.

Newtown is the hippy side of Sydney. Black Star Pastry there does some good pies and cakes, they have a speciality called the Strawberry Watermelon Cake. There's a really nice brunch space called Brewtown that looks like it was converted from an old garage or warehouse, with retail space upstairs.

I'm not a big fan of the city center where George St and Pitt St are. They're kinda tacky. Hyde Park is at the edge and it's nice to just walk through it and sit down for a bit.

Food-wise, Bills is a classic for brunch. People seem to think it's passe and unhip anymore but I was there recently and the food is just as good (and kinda expensive). Go to their location on Liverpool St, not the Surry Hills one on Crown St. There's also Paramount Coffee which served a nice brioche with sour cream and brown sugar on top. I had pretty good Japanese at Izakaya Fujiyama in Surry Hills, another good brunch at Three Williams in Redfern.

Sydney is great for Thai food. Spice I Am is a stewart, Chat Thai opened when I still lived there and when I went recently, it was still packed and I waited for half hour for a table. There're a few ramen places in Sydney these days but I always went to Menya near Haymarket.

For drinks, there's a newish hipster whisky bar called Baxter Inn in the CBD. I like it but you gotta go early. Crown St in Surry Hills is dotted with pubs like The Dolphin, the Clock Hotel, Trinity Bar, East Village. I was also informed of a bar/event space called Under New Management but I didn't make it there.

Shopping-wise I usually go to places like Incu and ASSIN.

While I was there I discovered a website and paper called Broadsheet, seems to be a guide to the hip stuff in Sydney: Broadsheet Sydney

Another older website for Sydney: Two Thousand - Sydney

This is my friend's food blog if you want more food recommendations: A Sydney Food Blog - Jeroxie (loading very slowly for me).

[Illuminate]

Re: Sydney guide - what is worth seeing?

^ Really couldn't have said it better myself...

It again depends on what you would like to do. What you would like to soak up/experience.
In February you might be lucky enough to catch the Chinese New Year festivities, always great food, and the parades a fun day out,

Ok I'll begin with the clubs:
Chinese Laundry is a good place to start for that intimate feel with obviously music you could tolerate. Unfortunately Sydney does have it's fair share of below average clubs. Some other I could suggest would be (mainly playing house/tech):

1. The Spice Cellar @ 58 Elizabeth St, it's located under a heritage building, which makes it pretty cool venue.
2. Civic Underground @ George St, really small venue but a superb sound system, ask Mr. Schwarz.
3. Good God Small Club @ Liverpool St, Really cool trendy place with more of a local indie scene. Very hipster crowd.
4. Mad Racket @ Marrickville Bowling Club, Unfortunately there have been no planned raves for 2014 yet. They announce these things only a few weeks before hand. Hands down the best nights you will ever have, superb DJ's and $4.00 beers, nothing more to ask for. Teir soundcloud pages describes what kind of tunes they thump (Mad Racket's sounds on SoundCloud - Hear the world’s sounds)
5. Oxford Art Factory @ Oxford St, Kings Cross - If you're luck you will be seeing me with Andrew Wetherall on 1st of Feb.
6. The Metro Theatre @ George St, Good place to see some stand up or a band, or even a DJ.

Really that's about as much as I can think of in Sydney, only a handful of places I think are suitable.

Bars/Venues (in addition to feathers list):
1. The Argyle - King St. Wharf (Great views)
2. Frankies Pizza - George St. (Awesome place with top pizza, obviously)
3. Palmer & Co - Abercrombie Lane (A vintage place where they still think it's the 50's. Long lines)
4. Mary's - Mary St, Newtown (Super place)
5. Shady Pines Saloon - Crown St. Darlinghust (Another cool place)

Things to do:
As feather said if you're a city dweller type hanging around Newtown/Paddington/Darlinghurst/Surry Hills is always good. Spot of cafe, see some galleries along the way, have lunch and step into a pub for a beverage or two. Also Carriage Works in Eveleigh is an awesome time to spend a day with art.

I'd advise some things in a to-do list:

1. Visit the STC (Sydney Theatre Company) Wharf.
2. Opera House/Climb the Harbour Bridge.
3. Visit Young Henrys Brewry in Newtown (owned by a very close friend, you'll get some awesome beers).
4. Go to Pittwater
5. Bathe at the Ladies Baths @ Cooge
6. See a foreign film @ Dendys in Newtown
7. Walk from Athol Bay to Chowder Bay (Taronga Zoo to Chowder Bay | EveryTrail)
8. Botanic Gardens in town is pretty nice on a sunny day.

Out of Sydney:
1. Blue Mountains
2. Manly (Have a beer at the 4 Pines)
3. Northern Beaches - great place and some decent sweels (Dee Why, Curl Curl, Freshwater).
4. There are a whole heap of National Parks in and around Sydney (Explore our parks | NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service) Great trekking/cycling/camping if you're into that.

I'll stop here. Any further questions don't hesitate to ask.

[Illuminate]

Re: Sydney guide - what is worth seeing?

I will warn you Sydney is not rated for one of the most expensive cities in the world for nothing. Anything and everything comes with a price tag and a hefty one at that. So prepare your credit card for a work out.

[mades]

Re: Sydney guide - what is worth seeing?

Ooh thank you feather and illuminate for very comprehensive information, i will have to go through your comments carefully couple of times to dig all the useful data you provided I'll be there from 11th of feb till march so if anyone would want to meet with me for a beer or so i'll be more than happy to do it, some of our members are already among my close real life friends. I'll bring over some [ms] stickers to easily identify me

Thank you guys again!

[Illuminate]

Re: Sydney guide - what is worth seeing?

Definitely! You got plenty of time to explore Sydney and more! I think you should check out another city even Melbourne if you can. I still think you can do Sydney easily in two weeks.

[Illuminate]

Re: Sydney guide - what is worth seeing?

Feather when are you in town next? Should drop in for a beer and discuss Digweed programming techniques,

[feather]

Re: Sydney guide - what is worth seeing?

Won't be a while I reckon We'll see.

[nelinho]

Re: Sydney guide - what is worth seeing?

u7tc

[nelinho]

Re: Sydney guide - what is worth seeing?

Australia 2 weeks tops...maybe even duck off to NZ for a week instead.

[Illuminate]

Re: Sydney guide - what is worth seeing?

Yeahp. Agree.

[nelinho]

Re: Sydney guide - what is worth seeing?

bleh

[nelinho]

Re: Sydney guide - what is worth seeing?

LOL...that's all before you get here...

[nelinho]

Re: Sydney guide - what is worth seeing?

iyg