Recently in Sydney Category

Peter Foreman is the Director of Sales & Marketing at Le Méridien Kuala Lumpur and thelobby.com's expert on Asia and Australia.

At 7:45 p.m. on Saturday, February 27th, Sydney's Oxford Street comes to a stand-still while it covers itself with all the feathers and glitter that it can find for the largest gay and lesbian parade in the world - The Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade. The parade is free to watch; you just need to arrive early enough to grab your street-side vantage point along with the hundreds of thousands Sydney-siders and international visitors who clamber for the best viewing spots along the parade route which starts at Hyde Park, just outside of Sheraton on the Park. Alternatively, seats are available at the BGF Glam Stand for A$136 (US$118), which not only gives you a more comfortable vantage point to view the colourful costumes and elaborate floats as they roll up Oxford Street towards Taylor Square, but also supports one of Australia's most important charitable organizations. The parade has been named by Conde Nast as one of the world's top ten street parades and is more than 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) in length with over 10,000 participants. Sheraton on the Park, The Westin Sydney and Four Points by Sheraton, Darling Harbour are all within walking distance of Sydney's Oxford Street. Happy Mardi Gras!

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WestinSydney2.jpgPeter Foreman is the Director of Sales & Marketing at Le Méridien Kuala Lumpur and thelobby.com's expert on Asia and Australia.

Café Sopra, a fresh-food produce store/café /restaurant in Sydney, is so delicious that I ate there twice on my recent vacation. An online review said that the food was so good that even a supermodel would order seconds!  Awarded "Favorite Mediterranean" by Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide and "Best Café" by Time Out Magazine, how could I resist? And the best part is there's more than 1 location as Cafe Sopra is part of the Fratelli Fresh stores at Waterloo and the ever so trendy inner-city suburb of Potts Point, Sydney.

While the front of the store offers rows and rows of fine Italian produce, the café is well hidden. A giant-size blackboard serves as the menu with daily specials and signature dishes being crossed off the board throughout the day as dishes are sold. The stuffed zucchini flowers (filled with four cheeses) were amazing; be sure to order at least two per person. The dishes are ideal for sharing and the waiters are happy to provide smaller plates to allow this. The only criticism of dining here is that they do not accept reservations.  So, either arrive early or be prepared to sit and wait for up to 20 minutes for your table, while enjoying a great bottle of Italian wine.
 
Both restaurants are open daily for lunch and dinner. Potts Point and Waterloo are a short taxi ride away from The Westin Sydney where I suggest you reserve one of 50 Heritage Rooms with soaring ceilings and antique windows. These rooms are located in Sydney's original General Post Office (GPO) and are linked to the more modern 31 story tower of the hotel.

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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.

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Qantas_Heritage2.jpgPeter Foreman is the Director of Sales & Marketing at Le Méridien Kuala Lumpur and thelobby.com's expert on Asia.

Time to kill while waiting for a domestic Qantas flight in Sydney?  The QANTAS Heritage Collection is a permanent exhibition which traces the QANTAS story from its beginning in Western Queensland, Australia in 1920.  The exhibition overlooks the airport and was established in 1990 with memorabilia donated by airline staff and passengers alike. Watch the changes in aviation fashion with an exhibition of different staff uniforms; Emilio Pucci designed the 'Flower Power' look in 1974, YSL created the 1985 - 1993 uniforms while Peter Morrisey designed the current uniforms which have been worn since 2003.  In 1969, pantyhose was introduced and skirt lengths were shortened. 
 
In 1954, HM Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh travelled from London to Australia in the Royal Compartment of a QANTAS plane. On display is the actual curtain which separated the crew and travelling royals, complete with "ER2" insignia. Also on view are the different china and cutlery depicting QANTAS evolving logos.  In 1994, the world's largest piece of modern art (a Boeing 747) took to the skies, entitled, Wunula Dreaming. The aircraft took 2,000 hours to paint and 484 liters of paint.  In 1979, QANTAS was the first airline to offer business class and in 1989, it set the record for the longest distance of a commercial jet from London to Sydney non-stop. It flew 18,001 KM's in just over 20 hours.  The aircraft was named Longreach signifying the long range of the flight and commemorating the early headquarters of the airline.
 
The Qantas Heritage Collection is located at Sydney Airport Terminal 3 (T3), opposite Gate 13.  Open Monday through Friday, Australia's largest hotel, Four Points by Sheraton, Darling Harbour Sydney as well as Sheraton on the Park and The Westin Sydney are all a twenty minute drive from this impressive collection.

[image via Qantas Heritage Collection]

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Airport Food: Sydney International

Monday December 7, 2009

qantasfirstlounge.jpgFlying to Australia from the States is an ordeal — hours in the air followed by the ultimate in jetlag — but a nourishing meal at the airport either once you land or before you take off from Sydney International Airport can go a long way toward easing the pain.

In Terminal 1, one of your fastest options is an outpost of British pan-asian chain Wagamama; it's also one of your cheapest in the morning with a AUS$10 breakfast special [PDF]. In Terminal 2, the meat pies at Harry's Cafe de Wheels will help settle your stomach (or at least hopefully not sit in it like a lead balloon.) Likewise, Pie Face in Terminal 1 offers a wide range of both sweet and savory options in a tender, flakey crust. Get a breath of fresh air and a beer before your flight on Volare's sun deck.

If you're lucky enough to have access to Qantas' First Lounge in the airline's Terminal 3 (pictured), a lovely meal by Australian celebrity chef Neil Perry awaits. But if not, his Rockpool Bar & Grill is but a few blocks from the Westin Sydney.

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sydneyfoodfestival.jpgSydney rose to the international stage with the 2000 Olympics, but it's been a world class city for a very long time. This October, it showcases its global chops with the Sydney International Food Festival, which replaces the popular Good Food Month sponsored by the Sydney Morning Herald.

Events are planned for every day in October, but the big kick-off is October 3 at the Growers' Market, where Chef Fergus Henderson of London's St. John and Australian chef and TV personality Luke Nguyen will talk barbecue, and at the Art & About art fair where a free barbecue helps spice things up.

The excitement really picks up the following weekend, with the World Chef Showcase, two full days of events bringing together over 30 chefs from around the world and Australia for demonstrations and discussions. Then, starting October 13, a night noodle market runs for two weeks in Hyde Park, across from the Sheraton on the Park, giving you a chance to sample specialties from across Asia.

If all the official goings-on aren't exciting enough for you, keep your eye out for off-festival events such as secret dinners and deals at local restaurants.

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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.

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The Good Food & Wine Show will dazzle Sydney with a dizzying array of gastronomic delights from July 3-5. This massive touring festival features food classes (cooking, cheese, wine, and more), demonstrations, a huge selection of gourmet food items, and, of course, endless amounts of eating and drinking. One certain highlight will be that all three days will feature demos by international celebrity chef and restaurateur Gordon Ramsay. While Ramsay's brilliantly brash personality famously inflames at other chefs on his television programs Kitchen Nightmares and The F Word, he is captivating as he demonstrates and discusses his true joy in life: Cooking.

The Good Food & Wine Show is conveniently located at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre. This is a very short drive from your room at the The Westin Sydney, making this an event that might be worth your time to attend for even more than one day. Tickets for general entry (which start at $20.50 for children and $27.50 for adults) as well as the specialized sessions such as Gordon Ramsay's appearance, the Cheese Masterclass, Riedel Decanter Bar, or the Riedel Masterclass may be ordered in advance through Australia's Ticketek by phone (13 28 49), online, or admission may be purchased at the door. The schedule is as follows: Friday, July 3 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with an "After-Dark" session from 5:30-9:30 p.m.; Saturday, July 4 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday, July 5 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

If you continue your travels through Australia, you can also catch the Good Food & Wine Show as it lands in Perth on July 31-August 2, or later in the year in Brisbane from November 6-8. It's hard to imagine two better reasons to travel than great eating and drinking, don't you think?

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Powerhouse Museum.jpgAustralia is a pretty big place with many grand monuments, but it's hard not to be wowed by the scale of Sydney's Powerhouse Museum of Science + Design. The country's largest museum, it contains nearly 400,000 objects related to everything from space exploration and mechanical engineering to gravity, light, and motion. But it's not its massive size that makes the museum unique as much as its deft blending of science and art. Historical exhibits such as the world's oldest operational rotative steam engine and "Locomotive No. 1," an 1854 locomotive that was the first to operate in New South Wales, share space with exhibits like Inspired! Design Across Time, which shows how science has influenced the decorative arts over the past three centuries. Budding researchers out there can even try their hands at several interactive experiments, such as a demonstration on the five senses that involves tasting the four different stages of chocolate. The pursuit of knowledge never tasted so good. Located at the southwest edge of Darling Harbor, the Powerhouse Museum is a short jaunt from the Four Points by Sheraton Darling Harbor, Sydney, Australia's largest hotel.

[image via The Sydney Traveler]

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Sydneyside Seafood

Friday March 6, 2009

Many Americans know Australian food through Crocodile Dundee and Outback Steakhouse. But that's sort of like assuming you know American food based on The Blues Brothers and McDonald's: the truth is there's some incredible food being served in Sydney and elsewhere in Australia that has nothing to do with oversized steaks and "shrimps on the barbie."

For one thing, Sydneysiders have access to some of the freshest seafood in the world, much of which arrives via the Sydney Fish Market, about a kilometer west of Four Points by Sheraton, Darling Harbor, which offers tours and cooking classes should you be interested. Or sample what's fresh at Doyle's.

The pinnacle of this bounty from the sea can be found at Tetsuya's — but unless you're able to book months in advance, you likely won't get a sample. Try instead for a reservation at Pier in Rose Bay, which offers a breathtaking view with its "Mod Oz" dishes of sustainably caught seafood. Or for something much more casual, Fish Face, a combination sushi/fish and chips joint with a BYO wine policy.

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