Sydney, Australia

Sydney (5 days, 4 nights – Nov. 7-11)

Where to Stay
The key to visiting Sydney is staying in a central location near the Sydney Harbor...known as the Circular Quay (pronounced "key"). The Quay is the central area the hotel. Guests pay big money for the location of the Hyatt for it sits right on the harbor, near the Sydney Bridge and all rooms have a view of the Sydney Opera House. We highly recommend NOT staying here for it's very expensive.We did enjoy the experience in the lap of luxury...but we were there to see Sydney. There are plenty of other hotel options in the general area that are far less expensive.

What To Do
The Rocks
The Rocks is the oldest most historical part of Sydney...and where the Hyatt is located. This area is also quite expensive. I think I paid $1 a minute to breath. There are a lot of boutique shops and restaurants...along with a few historical buildings including the first English jail. We'd recommend spending a half day in the area to soak up the location which is very similar to Boston.

If you are in Sydney in November, make the effort to go to The Rocks Markets By Moonlight which is an evening outdoor festival very similar to an arts/crafts/wine/music festival in California. Generally there are signs posted everywhere promoting the big musical act that will perform that night. Dee Dee and I ended up having a cheap Greek dinner there that night and listened to the live music for a while. That night, Ian Moss performed. Apparently he was a BIG star in the 1980s...and the crowd LOVED him.

The Sydney Botanic Gardens
The Botanic Gardens are really cool...and I'm not a big gardens kind of guy. The gardens are similar to the gardens at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, only much nicer and with no homeless people. Take a few hours to walk through the park and look at the various plants and birds. The highlights were seeing fruit bats which are the size of small foxes...yikes. We also saw several loriquets...which look like parrots.

Manly Beach
We visited a friend and her new baby at Manly Beach one afternoon. Manly is a 30 minute ferry ride from the Circular Quay and is well worth the trip. Manly is small beach town very similar to Santa Monica and the beach was gorgeous and clean. And of course, every American brand was present including Burger King (Hungry Jack), Starbucks and 7-11. We met Kristen at The Blue Water Cafe for lunch and then walked down to the beach for a nap. We were both impressed by the beach and the town...and some say this is the best beach in Sydney if one wants a low key beach experience

Bondi and Bronte Beach
Bondi and Bronte beaches, specifically Bondi, are the most famous beaches in Sydney. Getting there is easy via the bus system. Unfortunately the ferry system can't reach these beaches. Go to the Circular Quay and find the bus ticket kiosk and ask for the Bondi Beach Express. The bus will get you to the beach in a half hour...which is the fastest and least expensive way to get there.

Bondi beach is gorgeous, really wide and clean. Wow. The town is a bit touristy, but there are plenty of places to eat and have an ice cream. We recommend getting to the beach before 10:00am and have a late breakfast. After breakfast, walk the foot path over to Bronte Beach. During the summer months (Nov - Jan) there is generally a sculpture exhibit that lines the foot path. Dee Dee and I took an hour to walk the path stopping along the way to check out the sculptures. These sculptures were really great and worth the time. Don't forget to look at the great scenery in front of you. Wow, the views of the coastline are great! After walking the path to Bronte, come back to Bondi and take a nap on the beach. Be ware of the topless sunbathers.

If the waves are up, this may be a great place to learn to surf for the waves roll a long way in to shore. The water is surprisingly cooler than expected...but not as cold as Santa Cruz in California.

Toranga Zoo
Sigh...I was really apprehensive about going to a zoo while on vacation. What does a zoo in Australia have that the zoo in San Francisco does not? Well, everything. The Torango Zoo is spectacular and well worth the time. The zoo is world class and several friends who have lived in Sydney said this is a must do..and they were right! The zoo is very easy to get to...it's a 20 minute ferry ride away from the Quay. Be sure to buy the ferry/zoo entrance fee combination ticket at the ferry ticket window for $38. The combination ticket will save you $10 a ticket.

The zoo is very popular so get there first thing in the morning before the lines get too long and every school bus in Sydney arrives. There is so many exhibits to see, but we recommend seeing: the Platypus exhibit (cool!), the Koalas, the Kangaroos, the Gorillas and Chimpanzees...and the Lions, Tigers and Bears (oh my!). The Platypus exhibit was really great...and not something that can be seen in the US. Be sure to also see the bird show...wow!! The zoo has so many trained birds...including an Australian Condor with a 10 foot wingspan. Plan to spend at least 3-4 hours here..it's well worth it.

The Sydney Opera House
A visit to the Sydney Opera House is a must do when in Sydney. Taking a tour is possible, but the only way to get the most out of the experience is to see a performance. There are performances nightly from symphony to ballet to theater. Check for performance dates and book online through the Opera House website. Be sure to see a performance in the main hall. Dee Dee and I saw the Sydney symphony perform Rochmaninov and sat way up in the nose bleed seats. However, the acoustics inside are so great, we felt like we were in the front row.

Where to Eat
Our first night in The Rocks area we ate dinner at Pony, a trendy tappas style restaurant in The Rocks area. Tappas bars are all over The Rocks area. It's a very nice and trendy restaurant...with a lot of people wearing black. However, for the money, it was not all that great we felt. We could eat the same food on Santana Row in San Jose.

THE RESTAURANT to go to in The Rocks area is The Australian Heritage Hotel . This hotel is one of the oldest in the city, has great character and is know for its selection of Australian beers and pizza. The pizza to get is the duck..quack quack. Dee Dee and stopped in for a pint and quickly met a few Australians who were eager to help plan our next few days. We highly recommend going here to have the duck pizza and for a chance to meet the locals.

A GREAT breakfast place is Bill's on Liverpool St. This restaurant is off the beaten path in a neighborhood..but is well worth the effort to get there. Apparently the chef who created the restaurant is quite famous, has written cook books, etc (He's probably even been on Rachel Ray's show...gag). However, the restaurant inside is really cool (very Scandinavian) and the food is really great. I had the Meusli..hmmm...good! The menu puts a different twist to the basic breakfast items that makes the food interesting and unique.

Before visiting the Opera House to see the symphony we went to dinner at Cafe Sydney, which is on top of the Customs Building in the Circular Quay. The restaurant has a great view of the harbor. Be sure to make reservations a day or two in advance for the restaurant is popular. While dining, don't pay attention to the prices for they will depress you. Just enjoy the food, a glass of wine and the ambiance. I ordered the lamb and was blown away by how great it tasted. The meat did not taste gamey and melted in my mouth. We highly recommend coming to this restaurant for it was a great culinary experience.