a few questions about Sydney--wifi, wine, and transport

[Meamat]

Pale ales are fairly popular these days and you're likely to find at least one local aussie pale ale on tap in most pubs. I can't stand the stuff, but hubby loves it. He's a fan of Coopers pale ale, Fat Yak, Matilda Bay, James Squires, you're likely to find at least one on tap in any major pub.

 

Other than beer... I like restaurants and pubs for sampling wines I wouldn't have found otherwise. There are some great Aussie ciders and, again, most bars will have one on tap (and a couple extra varieties behind the bar). Plenty of cocktails of course. From my limited experience, most spirits are more expensive here and are imported at a much higher rate than you'll see in the US, so spirit drinks and mixed drinks are pricier.

 

The time of year you're traveling, I'd be surprised to see many dolphins or whales. I've seen a few on the south coast in April and then in September-ish, but not as far north as early in the year as you'll be around I'm afraid. Could just be my experience, though, it's worth asking the experts in the area!

[Meamat]

Oh, and if you're into Thai food at all, your apartment hotel is incredibly close to Spice I Am. Really good Thai food and truly only about a minute or two walk from your apartment along Wentworth Avenue.

[Meamat]

Oh,and... (I promise, I'll stop now and go to bed...)

 

The Royal Albert hotel is only about 3 blocks south of Wyndham apartments... 5 mins walk at a leisurely pace. A little off the beaten track so it's less trendy and more local pub. Heaps of unique craft beers on tap and basic but decent pub food. If I were in the area and looking for a 'local' for a few days that would probably be the one.

[NoWhiners]

1. 
   

Not knowing wha it was I went looking. While the beer itself seems to hav originated in England it is claimed that the first use of the name was in the Sydney Gazette in 1829.

 

Now true or not, I'm not sure.

 

I'll tell DH, he can add it to his store of trivia!

[NoWhiners]

Those whales will be awfully tired if they go all the way to Alaska:eek:

 

They follow the EAC as in Nemo. They travel north along the coast from areas between Australia and Antarctica during our winter to Queensland then return during our Spring.

 

The only whales going to Alaska from here would be some 2 legged variety:D

 

LOL--I didn't even think of that. Much easier on the whales that way! Maybe i was thinking of the 2 legged ones, like in Las Vegas :D

[NoWhiners]

Pale ales are fairly popular these days and you're likely to find at least one local aussie pale ale on tap in most pubs. I can't stand the stuff, but hubby loves it. He's a fan of Coopers pale ale, Fat Yak, Matilda Bay, James Squires, you're likely to find at least one on tap in any major pub.

 

Other than beer... I like restaurants and pubs for sampling wines I wouldn't have found otherwise. There are some great Aussie ciders and, again, most bars will have one on tap (and a couple extra varieties behind the bar). Plenty of cocktails of course. From my limited experience, most spirits are more expensive here and are imported at a much higher rate than you'll see in the US, so spirit drinks and mixed drinks are pricier.

 

The time of year you're traveling, I'd be surprised to see many dolphins or whales. I've seen a few on the south coast in April and then in September-ish, but not as far north as early in the year as you'll be around I'm afraid. Could just be my experience, though, it's worth asking the experts in the area!

 

 

DH will enjoy this bit of news, thanks. I'll make a note of those for him to try.

 

I am more of a wine person but I like beer if it's hot and I'm outside, or with some casual food. We rarely drink mixed drinks, although on Caribbean cruises, I have been known to have a mai tai!

 

Well, we'll just hope that we get to see some, and if not, people watching will be quite fun.

 

Oh, and if you're into Thai food at all, your apartment hotel is incredibly close to Spice I Am. Really good Thai food and truly only about a minute or two walk from your apartment along Wentworth Avenue.

 

We could give that a try but our friends aren't very adventurous. I think they would enjoy buying fish and cooking it at home.

 

The Royal Albert hotel is only about 3 blocks south of Wyndham apartments... 5 mins walk at a leisurely pace. A little off the beaten track so it's less trendy and more local pub. Heaps of unique craft beers on tap and basic but decent pub food. If I were in the area and looking for a 'local' for a few days that would probably be the one.

 

This is a great tip, thanks. We'll give it a look.

[NoWhiners]

A few extra suggestions.

 

Whenever I go to Sydney I try to get to Yum Cha in the Marigold at Chinatown. Not been for a few years now but it always used to be good.

 

If your time share accommodation has a kitchen and you like seafood then a trip to the Sydney Fish Markets can be fun.

 

 

If you are going to travel around think about getting a local SIM for your phone. If going outside Sydney then the Telstra network has the better coverage. It means that you can use apps when around the place like Maps etc. Also a few local calls. For a few dollars it makes things a lot easier and your time is too short to spend it in Maccas.

 

We are going to make at least 1 trip to Chinatown, so we can check this out.

 

I believe we will have a kitchen and that would be a good way to relax some night, maybe after a tough day of sightseeing!!

 

We will have an international phone with us, so I think we will be OK. We will likely avoid Maccas, except to go in one and see how they compare to here in the US. There are interesting variations around the world. And we enjoyed them when we were in China and got a tad homesick (and tired of trying to figure out local menus).

 

Thanks

ML

Edited March 1, 2016 by NoWhiners

[MadWoofter]

Following on from Meamat (again :) ) IPAs are becoming more & more common. James Squires' 150 Lashes is pretty good and should be available on tap in most pubs, and if you can get a Little Creatures they're a great drop.

 

Some less common but great beers to try are 4 Pines Brewing Kolsch, Hawthorn Brewing IPA, and anything by Sydney Brewery, Murray's or Two Birds

 

In one of my previous posts I mentioned The Oak Barrel - they also specialise in craft beers and you can get any of the ones I mentioned from there (no I don't work for them, I just frequent them a lot :D )

[GUT2407]

Following on from Meamat (again :) ) IPAs are becoming more & more common. James Squires' 150 Lashes is pretty good and should be available on tap in most pubs, and if you can get a Little Creatures they're a great drop.

 

Some less common but great beers to try are 4 Pines Brewing Kolsch, Hawthorn Brewing IPA, and anything by Sydney Brewery, Murray's or Two Birds

 

In one of my previous posts I mentioned The Oak Barrel - they also specialise in craft beers and you can get any of the ones I mentioned from there (no I don't work for them, I just frequent them a lot :D )

 

Funnily enough I know a few if those, but had no idea that thy were IPAs.

[NoWhiners]

Following on from Meamat (again :) ) IPAs are becoming more & more common. James Squires' 150 Lashes is pretty good and should be available on tap in most pubs, and if you can get a Little Creatures they're a great drop.

 

Some less common but great beers to try are 4 Pines Brewing Kolsch, Hawthorn Brewing IPA, and anything by Sydney Brewery, Murray's or Two Birds

 

In one of my previous posts I mentioned The Oak Barrel - they also specialise in craft beers and you can get any of the ones I mentioned from there (no I don't work for them, I just frequent them a lot :D )

 

thanks for the additional suggestions. DH will be ecstatic to have so many new beers to try. I do remember your previous post but forgot to acknowledge it-thanks mate!

 

ML

[NoWhiners]

Funnily enough I know a few if those, but had no idea that thy were IPAs.

 

Gut

 

i think you have been online and posting for 12 hours--good onya! I read your other thread about your cruise, excellent. And you must be so proud of your daughter, good luck at the Supreme Court later this week (I hope have that right--it has been a few minutes since I last read that thread).

 

You are quickly becoming an expert in IPAs :D

 

ML

Edited March 2, 2016 by NoWhiners

[Cabansail]

Marigold Yum Cha

[Swissmiss6253]

My husband fully endorses all those beers. We also love Marigold for yum cha, Emperors Garden is good too if you don't want the long lines but not nearly as good as Marigold.

[possum52]

Read all about Maccas but will only use them if we are desperate!

 

I thought Aus$ was great until recently? Have read a lot about how expensive AUS/NZ were due to bad exchange rate. Maybe I had that wrong. Or our friends were confused :)

 

As far as tips, I don't know what to ask, so I am hoping some of you can educate a dopey American. Really, my basic questions have been answered but sometimes you stumble onto something special/different. For example, for you Sydney residents, what's your favorite pub? What do you order (besides beer and wine!)? Any particularly good pubs in CBD, near the Wyndham? I would like to find a nice pub we could call ours while we are there but this might be hard to do for a lot of reasons.

 

Thanks for the notes on those places. It is doubtful we would be out late at night but it is always nice to know the areas where we need to be more aware.

 

Thx

ML

 

ML, we stayed at the Wyndham a few years ago and ate at the pub (Crown?) on the corner of Goulburn and Elizabeth Streets a few times. We met an American family there who were also staying at the Wyndham who loved the pub's meals. Also walked down to China Town and had great meals in a couple of restaurants.

 

Hope you enjoy your visit to Australia,

 

Leigh

[cassamanda]

ML, we stayed at the Wyndham a few years ago and ate at the pub (Crown?) on the corner of Goulburn and Elizabeth Streets a few times. We met an American family there who were also staying at the Wyndham who loved the pub's meals. Also walked down to China Town and had great meals in a couple of restaurants.

 

Hope you enjoy your visit to Australia,

 

Leigh

 

The Crown is the one i mentioned earlier, very rustic. Slightly better is the Civic Hotel on the corner of Pitt St and Goulburn. Has good pub food.

Check them all out on a pub crawl:)

[GUT2407]

Marigold Yum Cha

 

A good option.

[GUT2407]

Gut

 

i think you have been online and posting for 12 hours--good onya! I read your other thread about your cruise, excellent. And you must be so proud of your daughter, good luck at the Supreme Court later this week (I hope have that right--it has been a few minutes since I last read that thread).

 

You are quickly becoming an expert in IPAs :D

 

ML

 

Gut has a bad back and is, at times restricted to bed for long periods, at those times a few forums CC among them saves him going insane with boredom (or perhaps I should say more insane) my record without sleep is 8 (yes eight) days.

 

Thank you for the kind comments. We are very proud of our baby, even without her degree. He Supreme Court admission was 4 December (so she has been a solicitor [attorney] now for 3 months) and contrary to everyone's expectations Gut didn't shed a tear, but Mrs Gut did, Gut did however almost forget to put his wig on and was more nervous that the first time he did a full court appeal in the same Court Room.

 

By way if explanation admissions are done in the formal Banco Court Room (on this occasion before 7 judges, though the number can vary, 3, 5 or 7) the most complex appeals tend to be in the same Court room before 7 judges.

[possum52]

The Crown is the one i mentioned earlier, very rustic. Slightly better is the Civic Hotel on the corner of Pitt St and Goulburn. Has good pub food.

Check them all out on a pub crawl:)

 

Sorry Cassamanda, looks as if I missed reading page 3 which I have now done.

 

 

Leigh

[NoWhiners]

Marigold Yum Cha

 

Made me hungry (again) looking at those pix. that keeps happening on this thread! We both love dim sum, so this is on the list. Thx.

 

My husband fully endorses all those beers. We also love Marigold for yum cha, Emperors Garden is good too if you don't want the long lines but not nearly as good as Marigold.

 

Just told DH about the beers and he is happy. I'll tell him about your DHs endorsement ;)

 

thx

ML

[NoWhiners]

The Crown is the one i mentioned earlier, very rustic. Slightly better is the Civic Hotel on the corner of Pitt St and Goulburn. Has good pub food.

Check them all out on a pub crawl:)

 

I am already working on this :D

 

Gut has a bad back and is, at times restricted to bed for long periods, at those times a few forums CC among them saves him going insane with boredom (or perhaps I should say more insane) my record without sleep is 8 (yes eight) days.

 

Thank you for the kind comments. We are very proud of our baby, even without her degree. He Supreme Court admission was 4 December (so she has been a solicitor [attorney] now for 3 months) and contrary to everyone's expectations Gut didn't shed a tear, but Mrs Gut did, Gut did however almost forget to put his wig on and was more nervous that the first time he did a full court appeal in the same Court Room.

 

By way if explanation admissions are done in the formal Banco Court Room (on this occasion before 7 judges, though the number can vary, 3, 5 or 7) the most complex appeals tend to be in the same Court room before 7 judges.

 

Sorry to hear about your bad back, I have back problems too so I understand. 8 days without sleep :eek: I hope you are up and about soon.

 

I guess I didn't pay attention to the dates, so your DD is already practising. Very brave of you not to cry, I hope Mrs Gut did enough for both of you!

 

ML

[GUT2407]

 

 

 

Sorry to hear about your bad back, I have back problems too so I understand. 8 days without sleep :eek: I hope you are up and about soon.

 

I guess I didn't pay attention to the dates, so your DD is already practising. Very brave of you not to cry, I hope Mrs Gut did enough for both of you!

 

ML

 

 

Just one or two down the cheek.

 

The 8 days was also influenced by some medications I was on.

 

But I can guarantee that when they talk about sleep deprivation as a torture it works great.

[Meamat]

As an aside... I had not tried Marigold Yum Cha but with this many recommendations I'll have to do it next time I'm in town!

[cassamanda]

Sorry Cassamanda, looks as if I missed reading page 3 which I have now done.

 

 

Leigh

 

No need to apologies.

 

ML

Also meant to say that there is a convenience store on the corner of the Wyndham. Expect dearer prices there. Better to just walk down Goulburn st a couple of very short blocks to Coles supermarket at World Square.

Could form part of the pub crawl:D

[NoWhiners]

No need to apologies.

 

ML

Also meant to say that there is a convenience store on the corner of the Wyndham. Expect dearer prices there. Better to just walk down Goulburn st a couple of very short blocks to Coles supermarket at World Square.

Could form part of the pub crawl:D

 

This is an excellent idea, thank you. On the list! Good to know that convenience stores are the same in both countries.

 

ML

[GUT2407]

This is an excellent idea, thank you. On the list! Good to know that convenience stores are the same in both countries.

 

ML

 

 

The two main Grocery Stores (Supermarkets) in Sydney are Coles and Woolworths (Woolies). Selling food stuff, fresh packet canned frozen, as well as other household type items, cleaning etc and some variety goods, small electric appliances limited clothes etc.