First time ever traveling abroad from the US. Family was always too poor or didn't have the time when I was younger, always wanted to visit. Was going to get my passport in Jan and start looking at flights/hotels for June or July. Since it's "winter" (60f lol), I've read a lot of things are cheaper.I've got Darling Harbor, The Rocks, Newtown, Taronga Zoo, the Tower Eye, Paddy's Market, the Queen Victoria Building, the Blue Mountains, Watsons Bay, the Royal Botanic Garden and Barangaroo Reserve, and a few museums and beaches spread over 2 weeks.Anything else I should visit or that I should know about etiquette, transportation, people, etc?
>>2740489Car rental seems pretty cheap. $414 USD for 14 days.
>>2740489Sydney in winter is best. If it's sunny throughout your stay then the locations you've picked are perfect. Since Watsons Bay's on your list. I recommend starting at Rose Bay (get there by ferry from Circular Quay for a photogenic ride). From there to Watsons Bay is a route maintained by the national park service and it's beautiful the way through. From the Gap to Macquarie Lighthouse is a grand view of the Pacific Ocean. Between there and Bondi is rather boring unless, but you'll end up in Bondi so that's another item of your list. If you and your family's going to be taking photos with your phones, be sure to have enough fully charged power banks. With your GPS on, a single phone will be hitting 33% by the time you hit Hornby Lighthouse
>>2740489The only pit fall I see on that list is Blue Mountains. If you're going by train, avoid weekends as the T1 western and Blue Mountains line frequently gets shut for maintenance. If you're going by car, then the drive on M4 motorway is at least 2hrs one way and boring as shit. In terms of yield, it's only one item off your list, but it's going to expend an entire day. If you're really going down that direction, you might want to add other locations in the region to make it worth while. The Blue Mountains is truly beautiful though
>>2740489>Darling HarborTourist trap shithole. The Chinese gardens there are ok though, but it's a while since I've been to those gardens. >The RocksIt's ok, go on a weekend they used to have nice markets there selling crafts and old shit.>NewtownNothing special. It used to be gritty, alternative, a bit bohemian and edgy in the 80s and 90s. These days it's just another over gentrified area full of leftists and gays, a shadow of it's hey days, like most of Sydney.>Taronga ZooIt's a decent zoo with some nice views, good for photos. >the Tower EyeWhy is every landmark being named "Eye" these days? I know it by it's original name of Centrepoint Tower, it's the tallest building in Sydney. It's good for views, on a cloudy, rainy, foggy day it's disappointing, but on a clear day it's great.>Paddy's MarketDon't waste your time. It's a market full of Chinese run stalls selling cheap plastic crap and fake shit from China. Take a walk around nearby Chinatown, most of which is concentrated around Dixon St. Go to the basement foodcourt in Dixon House on the corner of Dixon St and Little St. It has loads of Asian vendors that sell some good food, Cantonese, Fujian, Thai, Indonesian, Malaysian, hand made noodles, fresh dumplings all there. During lunch time it gets very crowded though and can be hard to find seats.>Queen Victoria BuildingQVB is ok for a look, it's mostly full of boutique and designer stores but the building itself is nice. You might like the HobbyCo store in there which sells some collectables and many hobby related things. If you want a traditional high tea with finger sandwiches, canapes, petit fours and scones with jam and cream along with your choice of tea then try the Victoria Tea Rooms (picrel) inside the QVB, it's pricey but very nice in a big elegant room.
>>2740489>>2743833>the Blue MountainsBlue mountains are not hige mountains like you would have in North America but it is a vast and nice national park. The Scenic Skyway is worth it. >Watsons BayYeah, it's ok. Go and see the Gap it's a nice spot and a bit of popular suicide location, it has a bit of a tragic history. While you're there you can find the old anchor and monument to the Dunbar, a ship that was wrecked on the rocks there in 1857. You can buy good fish and chips on the pier at Watsons Bay from Doyles. The Sydney fish market at Pyrmont is also good if you want fish and chips and seafood. >the Royal Botanic GardenIt's nice, harbour side and close to the Opera House so you'll get some good photos and it's a comfy place to stroll around. You can also take a walk from Botanical Gardens up Macquarie St which will take you past some historic buildings and monuments, including the Parliament House of NSW. At the top of Macquarie St you will arrive at Hyde Park which is a nice park to walk around, a few monuments in there including the Archibald Fountain and the Sydney War Memorial. From Hyde park you you can easily visit St Marys cathedral and the Australian Museum.>Barangaroo ReserveI've only been there once but it was ok.>a few museums and beaches spread over 2 weeks.Go to Circular Quay and catch the ferry boat to Manly. The ferry will take you across the harbour and right past the Opera House, Fort Denison and other places so it's a nice ride. From the pier in Manly cross the road and walk along the pedestrian corso at and it will take you up to the South Styne Beach (picrel), not the little beach next to the ferry pier but the much bigger beach about 10 mins walk away. A lot of tourists go to Bondi Beach but I think South Styne at Manly is much better.
>>2740489>>2743842>etiquetteAustralia, like Canada, is a majority anglo country with a protestant British culture. So generally speaking what would be considered polite/respectful behaviour in Canada and USA would generally be appropriate in Australia. When you cross the street get used to looking to the right as traffic flows in the opposite direction here. On crowded buses and trains give your seat up for old people, pregnant women or someone who is obviously disabled.>transportationSydney has trains, buses, light rail (picrel), ferries and river cats along with taxis and uber. You will need to get an Opal Card and you can buy them at convenience stores or train stations, load some credit on it and use the card to tap on the card reader when you get on and off public transport. Ferries will take you across the harbour as I mentioned in my previous post. River Cats are catamaran boats that go from Sydney harbour along the rivers to various suburbs. Light rail is basically a tram line that moves around the downtown area and also links with other transport. Buses go all over the place. https://transportnsw.info/trip#/trip is a good website to plan trips and get info, there is also a NSW transport app for your smart phone. >peopleLots of Chinese and Indians. Sydney is a lot like Vancouver. It's a harbour side city, modern, expensive, multicultural. There are some homeless people, methheads and schizos, but mostly people mind their own business, are reasonably polite and friendly and Sydney is generally safe. Use precautions like you would in any city. >June or July.IMO Sydney is not as good in the winter. It rains a lot, sky is often grey and the days are short as the sun starts to go down at 4pm and by 5pm its totally dark. Spring (September to November) and Summer (December to February) are the best times in Sydney since the city has a strong outdoor/beach culture. Bring warm clothes, bring a rain poncho, bring some comfy enclosed walking shoes.
>>2740489fuck off, we don't like americans here. Go to israel instead you fkn seppo
>>2743833>>2743842>>2743847I appreciate you taking the time to do a writeup. I reckon I'll wait until December for the better weather and to have more daylight, hopefully I'll be able to get decent prices on flights and hotel. I was probably going to meet up with a few old transfer student friends of mine, but is there anywhere you suggest to be a good place to meet and socialize with people?>>2743969okay
>>2740489What the fuck is the tower eye. This isn't London. Go to Symbio
>>2740489Check out the artillery posts from WW2 along the harbour north head. Nice to see the history of Sydney that isn't the typical stuff.
>>2745310They still have all the canons along Wollongong
>>2745423Based. In Sydney it's just empty shelters and usually fenced off tunnels.
>>2744650>is there anywhere you suggest to be a good place to meet and socialize with people?Really depends where you're staying.
>>2740489Last time I was there, there was a nice German beer hall in the Rocks.
>>2745758Lowenbrau. Long gone. Probably an UGG boot shop for the usual suspects now
>>2745758>>2746150>Probably an UGG boot shop for the usual suspects nowIt's still a German restaurant/beer hall. The old Lowenbrau is gone, it was taken over by new owners and they did some remodelling and renamed it Munich Brauhaus. https://munichbrauhaus.com.au/locations/sydney/
aren't they still under lockdown?
