Recently in Sydney Category

If you can't make it to Cape Town for the World Cup, there's no need to get your Adidas shorts in a twist. Whether you're a soccer lover or a fan of big boisterous crowds celebrating an international event, there are plenty of viewing options in the States and beyond. Some highlights:

Beijing: Paddy O'Shea's has the unique honor of being the city's only Irish-owned and Irish-managed Irish bar, and it plans to show the World Cup on plenty of screens throughout the bar's two floors. Stay at: The St. Regis Beijing.

Chicago: The city's three SmallBar locations are big of beer - and soccer, too. Opening half-an-hour before each match, played on new HD flatscreens, the bar is handing out prizes to loyal watchers: Check out 4 matches and get a comp beer; watch more than 60, and you'll net yourself a 2010 World Cup Jersey. Stay at: W Chicago Lakeshore.

London: The HMV Apollo has seen some big events - 38 Beatles gigs and David Bowie's final turn as Ziggy Stardust, to name a few - and will be showing all the matches live on a screen that's three times the width of a soccer goal. Stay at: Sheraton Park Tower, London.

Munich: The well-known nightclub P1 will show the matches in style on plenty of high-resolution screens. If the weather is good, you can experience the World Cup almost as the fans do - outdoors, on P1's roofed terrace. Stay at: Four Points By Sheraton Munich Olympiapark.

If you love a good view, you can't do much better than the observation deck of the Sydney Tower. At 1,001 feet, its the second-tallest structure in Australia, with 360-degree vistas that seem to go on forever. The tower was completed in 1981, emerging as the jewel in the crown of the Centrepoint complex, a collection of modern office buildings and shopping centers a decade in the making, and it quickly became one of Sydney's most popular attractions. The tower is divided into three main sections. An observation deck at 820 feet has a fully enclosed viewing platform, as well as a gift shop and several displays of technical information such as wind speed, direction, and sway amplitude. At 879 feet, the outdoor Skywalk is definitely not for the feint of heart, with trained guides leading groups to the platform and pointing out the features of the tower and the landscape beyond. And for those who prefer to kick back with a snack and simply enjoy the experience, there are two revolving restaurants, both perfect for toasting the sunset with a glass of Australian wine. A good day indeed. Starwood has three hotels in Sydney: the Sheraton on the Park, the Four Points by Sheraton, Darling Harbour, Sydney, and the Westin Sydney.

One of the most beautiful sights in Sydney is its spectacular harbor, which stretches 55 square kilometers from the Parramatta River to the Pacific Ocean and creates a breathtaking natural backdrop to the city. Among the best places to appreciate the scale of the harbor is from Fort Denison Island, a speck of an island north of the Royal Botanical Gardens with a history nearly as old as Sydney itself. It began as a penal colony in the 1700's, where hardened criminals were sentenced to work quarrying rock for mainland construction projects, and became a defensive fortress in 1857, designed to repel attack from Russian warships. Fortunately, it didn't see too much action, which means that the historic fort is now in excellent condition. Daily guided tours point out some of the fort's most interesting features, including its iconic Martello tower, the only one ever built in Australia, and the last one the British Empire ever built. Plus there's even a daily cannon firing! Elsewhere on the island is a museum dedicated to Australian history from the earliest Aborigines to the modern day, as well as Sydney's only island cafe. Take the tour, snap some photos, and then grab a table and a cool beverage with a one-of-a-kind view of the harbor and the city it spawned. The park is reachable from the mainland via a ferry that departs from Wharf 6 at Circular Quay, a short jaunt from the Westin Sydney.