h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm coming up to sydney next week for a couple of days with two american guys - anyone have a list of things we should see while we're there? I don't remember the last time I went to sydney, so everything's as new to me as it will be to them - what shouldn't we miss?

ta muchly!

, you're actually deliberately going to Sydney? What a novel thought...

Take a few ferry rides and marvel at the harbour. Other than that, there's nothing much to see. You could always have an at the Steyne Hotel in Manly, I've been known to have one or three thousand there..... and the Ivanhoe.... and the Boatshed..... and the Lord Wolsely.... , etc, etc, etc....

As you are into the "hiking" business, while you're at Manly you could do the North Head walk and have a butchers at the harbour entrance.

There's a big bridge there somewhere, but it's just a whole pile of metal with no real aesthetic value.

What to do in Sydney? Have you looked at articles lately? Here is a non-exhaustive list you may consider

1. Go to Chinatown in the middle of the city for yum cha
2. Have a drink at the Lord Nelson in The Rocks. In fact, a stroll around there is practically compulsory
3. After your drink, stroll up to the Observatory for a lovely look out over the west side of the Harbour
4. Go see the seedy side of Sydney at Kings Cross (there are some great little restaurants in some of the side streets there, so have a wander)
5. Go to Bondi for a brisk dip if the weather is fair. If you are up during a weekend, there is the markets on the North side of the beach
6. Take a train up to Katoomba, about 2hr ride out of Sydney. There are some great little walks there around the Three Sisters
7. Go to the Art Gallery near the Domain, or the Museum on corner of College and William street, if you're into that sort of thing
8. There are also some great bars and restaurants along Cockle Bay Wharf now (over the road from the grossly commercial Darling Harbour)
9. Go for a walk around Circular Quay, take a look at the Bridge and Opera House (See whether you can spot which high rise we Sydney-siders vilify as the Toaster Building)
10. Take a ferry across from Circular Quay to Manly. Have fish and chips on the Manly courso as well as ice cream, and watch amusedly as you have to duck and weave to avoid the seagulls who know where their next meal is coming from.

There is lots more, but that's all from me.

Oh yeah, The Rocks!! As well as the Lord Nelson another nice little pub in The Rocks is the Mercantile.

And when you're in Bondi take your American friends for a feed of steak and ribs at the Hurricane. ,drool>

....

You could always drop in to the Sydney Market {just get the 'tram' from central} - Great place to have lunch and look at the pretty boats etc.. All the best fresh seafood too.

You may even spot a Pond_Rat while you're there - especially if you were to let him know about it before hand hehe

Thanks heaps for the suggestions - I've just sprained my ankle so any long walks are off the cards, but the markets etc sound like a great idea!

One place I never miss in Sydney is the Australia Hotel, above the Rocks, for a Scharer's lager. Yummo. Lovely beer, brewed in Picton.

Well *that* was an experience!

Got into Sydney at 7am, found the house we were staying at (in some absurd suburb with every British prefix and suffix in it - we decided it was actually called St Point Wollstonecroftfordshire) and crashed for the day, managed to get to the airport at 6 the next morning to meet yankee boy #2's flight, then walked from central to the harbour (via the giant chess set in hyde park)...jumped on a ferry, meandered round the opera house, had a beer at the soup kitchen pub (awesome place!), then crashed at about 8pm (we're all pikers, I know). Went out to Sydney uni the next day, did a tour of the gear stores in Kent St, tried to find Kings Cross but got waylaid at the playground in Wolloomooloo and then got scared in the big bad ganglands so went and caught a show at the opera house instead. Brekkie in Crows Nest the next day, then managed to miss our flight home (yay us ) - second time I've done that from Sydney - me and the airport just don't get on with each other!

So, all in all a good time in a city which is more or less just like a more confusing version of Melbourne. Thanks for all the ideas!!

Fantastic - sounds like you managed to cram quite a weekend in! Great to hear you had fun too!

8pm?

I'm sure i remember pubs being open later than that in Melb...