Sydney
No need to be concerned if you don't hear from me for a while, folks. I'm just busy packing up my life to move to my new most favoritest place ever: Sydney, Australia.
The reasons I love Sydney aren't that vastly different from other places I'm fond of, but there is something about Sydney that is more. It's indescribable. I've tried and failed to find the right words when attempting to explain this to friends, but I'm going to give it another shot for you today.
This magical city is vibrant and bustling with life. There is something to do, eat, try, look at, and experience everywhere you go and in all ways. There's an energy - an unmatched energy - all around. Like the kind of feeling you get when you close your eyes and soak in the summer sun; that feeling of being oh-so blissfully alive. You know, kind of like the feeling you get when stare at Chris Hemsworth. (He is a child of Australia, after all). I'm telling you, this place is incredible.
Oh, and let's not forget the words. Australia has the best real words! So much fun to say.
- Bondi
- Woolloomooloo
- Poowong
- Yarrumundi
- Coogee
- Dubbo
- Parramatta
- Poowong
- Yarrumundi
- Coogee
- Dubbo
- Parramatta
Things to Do and See in Sydney
Shop Until You Drop
Oh-my magnificent malls! Sydney has no shortage of what might just be the most amazing shopping ever. Locations like The Strand Arcade and the Queen Victoria Building offer not only a plethora of unique and time-honored favorites in the way of stores, but the buildings themselves are unbelievably cool.
Much like with my recent trip to Dubai, I hadn't planned on spending time at any malls because I have plenty back home, but these aren't your typical malls. The majority of stores, like at the Westfield mall, were new to me. Had I realized how awesome their offerings would be, I might have packed an extra empty bag just to be able to fully enjoy the experience. Honestly, gang, I'd go back to Sydney just to have one helluva shopping day, and that's literally something I never thought I'd say as a reason for traveling on a plane for a million hours.
Much like with my recent trip to Dubai, I hadn't planned on spending time at any malls because I have plenty back home, but these aren't your typical malls. The majority of stores, like at the Westfield mall, were new to me. Had I realized how awesome their offerings would be, I might have packed an extra empty bag just to be able to fully enjoy the experience. Honestly, gang, I'd go back to Sydney just to have one helluva shopping day, and that's literally something I never thought I'd say as a reason for traveling on a plane for a million hours.
I've seen many a version of Central Park but this one is the most creative. It's a garden oasis/sky scraper combo of awesomeness.
Newtown + Going on a Graffiti Scavenger Hunt
If you Google 'Things to do in Sydney,' Newtown will undoubtedly pop up. It's a little bit hippie, a little bit edgy, and has more of a college kid vibe going on. It boasts some pretty awesome street art, which was my main draw, but my pick for graffiti exploring would be the area all around, and including, Bondi beach.
There's a wall almost the length of the beach that provides artists an outlet to share their work with the world. It's a graffiti lovers paradise, with one masterpiece after another. On top of that, one of the most beautiful beaches/walking paths I've ever seen is right around the corner. It's a complete win in every way possible.
There's a wall almost the length of the beach that provides artists an outlet to share their work with the world. It's a graffiti lovers paradise, with one masterpiece after another. On top of that, one of the most beautiful beaches/walking paths I've ever seen is right around the corner. It's a complete win in every way possible.
Tip: Newtown is cool to check out, but if I only had a short amount of time to visit, I'd skip it.
The Rocks + the Saturday and Sunday Street Fair
Holy awesomeness everywhere. This old town area of Sydney hosts endless adorable shops in equally impressive historic buildings, a nearby-ness to everything, and many, many, many delicious places to eat. The Rocks is your one-stop shop to having more fun than you can probably handle.
Extra Special Bonus: There's a street fair every Saturday and Sunday that offers loads of goodies. You'll find local tea, honey, and wild concoctions of jam that work so well together your taste buds will think they're at a rave. There's more than just food, folks. Handcrafted goods like art, jewelry, clothing, and even Christmas ornaments all await your discovery.
Extra Special Bonus: There's a street fair every Saturday and Sunday that offers loads of goodies. You'll find local tea, honey, and wild concoctions of jam that work so well together your taste buds will think they're at a rave. There's more than just food, folks. Handcrafted goods like art, jewelry, clothing, and even Christmas ornaments all await your discovery.
Here are my favorite, must-see, do-not-even-think-about-missing-these shops:
Get Drenched: Listen, friends, this next part will literally change your life for the better. Pay close attention...
If you are into bath bombs, then you've got to visit this store and buy their bath melts. These little balls of magic must be made with fairy dust, kisses from angels, and probably even unicorn tears because there is nothing - I mean nothing - like this on the market. And as a bath enthusiast, I can absolutely guarantee my statement.
Usually, when you take a bath, you get a little dehydrated and dry simply because that's the nature of a bath. While there are plenty of bath bubbles and bath bombs and bath contraptions out there to make the experience glorious and luxurious, there is nothing like these babies. The oils from the melts release into the water and you come out soft and silky, as if you'd just lathered up with lotion. If angels didn't make these, then I honestly don't know how they exist.
Take note, fellow American traveling friends: I originally found these bath melts about five years ago in Zurich. I had no clue where they came from, but after using just one of them I knew I had to get a lifetime supply. So, I did my research and found out they're made by Bomb Cosmetics, which, tragically, has no distribution to the states. Trust me when I tell you I emailed them to try and find out what I needed to do to get them shipped here. For reals, I was like, "If I buy 500 of them, will you ship them to me? 800? Just take my 401k, already!!!" It didn't happen.
The point I'm trying to make is that you can't find these just any old place, so if you know you're going on a trip out of the country, go on their website and see if they have a store where you're going. If so, buy a million of them. You won't regret it. That's what I did with this trip, once I realized they were within my reach once again. You better believe my carry-on was brought along for the sole intention of filling it with these bath melts. I'm never running out again, so help me fairies and angels and unicorn tears.
Spirit Gallery: A must if you're looking for quality souvenirs or gifts to bring home. Spirit Gallery sells aboriginal art that is out of this world beautiful. The art work has stories that come along with it, so make sure you ask what story goes with your painting. It could be animals dreaming, aerial views of rivers and homes mapped out in dots, or kangaroos dreaming of escaping alligators. It's all there in beautiful paints and shapes and swirls.
Squidinki Gift Studio: The cutest mugs, towels, and arty creations for your souvenir and gift shopping pleasure.
This beautiful bridge, combined with the glorious water and the opera house, really made for killer views the entire trip. If you're daring and have plenty of time, you can do a walk across the bridge, but trust me when I say you have to be ready for it in advance. You can't just show up in flip flops and go walk along it. It's a fancy bridge, guys. Preparation is required.
It is cool to see in person, but because there are so many other things to see, you'll probably find yourself feeling like I did; still blown away by it, but even more blown away by everything else. It's hard when an iconic location is so famous because you already feel like you know it before you get there. This was one of those instances for us, at least.
Want to see a kick-ass sunset or marvel at views of the harbour bridge from a glorious green garden? Or hey, what about hanging out at an amusement park for some thrills? It's all here in Lavender Bay. Trust me when I tell you it's worth the boat ride over. The secret garden is really quite something and the walk along the shoreline with all the boats bobbing in the water is peaceful. Then, you walk right past the literal face of Luna Park, which is freakily awesome, too. It's a great way to spend an evening.
You know how you've always heard that Australia has magnificent beaches? True. All true. The water is an ice blue color, much like Chris Hemsworth's eyes, and the washboard abs, er, I mean whitewashed sand is equally glorious. The walk allows you to take it all in, beach by breathtaking beach.
It's honestly one of the coolest things you'll see and do in Sydney, so I'd suggest making it a priority.
It's honestly one of the coolest things you'll see and do in Sydney, so I'd suggest making it a priority.
Afternoon Tea
The amount of places in Sydney that offer afternoon tea still blows my mind. It's a tea lovers dream. We did two:
Shangri-La High Tea: One of the best gluten free tea experiences I've had, hands down. Normally, most of the items are delicious but there's also usually a couple that don't taste quite right. Not the case here! Every single sandwich and pastry was a bite of heaven. The tea offerings were also really quite good. If you're a tea person or you fancy a relaxing afternoon enjoying the company of friends or family, consider this as an option.
The Westin - Mad Hatter's Afternoon Tea Party: This trip was actually intended as our one year anniversary celebration, and since our wedding was "Wonderland" themed, this afternoon tea was a must. They did a great job customizing what they could to make sure I got to experience the fun of the mad hatter theme. Their scones could use a little help, but the tea was excellent; truly some of the best around.
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| Bath melts that change your life |
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| Underwood St. = Literal Art |
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| City Sights |
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| Queen Victoria Shopping |
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| The Strand Arcade |
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| Amazing views |
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| Graffiti awesomeness |
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| More graffiti awesomeness |
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| Bondi Beach |
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| Gorgeous views on the Bondi to Coogee walk |
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| Amazing tea time adventures |
Gluten Free Dining in Sydney
This restaurant is one very serious reason why I want to live in Sydney. The online menu doesn't do a great job (as of this date) showing you all the gluten free options, but they are vast. In fact, they'd just added/adjusted several menu items to be gluten free when I was there, which resulted in one of the most delicious dining experiences of my life. Tip: Try the duck pancakes, gluten free, of course. It ends up being more like a lettuce wrap, but it is still crazy good. Also, the pork ribs are WOW. Oh, and the duck soup!
We could be here all day...just go eat there, already!
We could be here all day...just go eat there, already!
This French bistro is worth a visit as well. Getting here is as much a treat as eating here. It's down an alley (a cute alley) filled with birdcage art.
A superb location with some pretty serious views if you get the right room, plus they offered a lot of on-site gluten free options. For instance, the breakfast buffet had a small gluten free toast/muffin section.
Breakfast extraordinaire right here, folks. Plus, very close to the hotel I mentioned, above, and right in the heart of all the shopping and sightseeing and fair experiencing.
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| DARE |
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| Mr. Wong's amazing chicken "pancakes" |
I'm counting the days until I can get back to this magical country and I don't have a trip planned. I'm just counting like a weirdo who hopes the universe magically plops me back into this Australian land of awesomeness.
Weirdly enough, I've heard that Sydney isn't even the best that Australia has to offer, which blows my mind. Is this true, Australia peeps? Because if Sydney is this impressive, I might not be able the handle "the best."
But, hey, I'm willing to try.
Society6 pics coming soon!
Weirdly enough, I've heard that Sydney isn't even the best that Australia has to offer, which blows my mind. Is this true, Australia peeps? Because if Sydney is this impressive, I might not be able the handle "the best."
But, hey, I'm willing to try.
Society6 pics coming soon!
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| Nerds on vacation |
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