The Best City in the World

New home

2009-05-26T17:45:00.000+10:00

I've moved! Please come visit me at my new WordPress home at:

http://bestcityintheworld.wordpress.com/

Trip the light fantastic

2009-05-25T16:48:00.020+10:00

Vivid Sydney
26th May - 14th June
vividsydney.com

A quick look at some of my favourite photos on Flickr proves that Sydney is a dream for the creative eye. With a balance of natural beauty and iconic man-made structures, artists capture the very best of the city and the result is an instant masterpiece. So when the team behind Vivid Sydney decided to turn Australia's greatest muse into a dynamic canvas for a festival of music, light and ideas our collective breath was taken away.

Despite a hectic schedule of word class events, Sydney is yet to experience anything like Vivid Sydney. The largest festival of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, it includes:

Luminous The inaugural annual event (curated by Brian Eno) with performances by Ladytron, Lee "Scratch" Perry and Rachid Taha. While well known as a record producer, Brian Eno is also generating excitement with his program of light installations including Lighting the Sails and 77 Million Paintings. Read more ...

Smart Light Sydney Charged with the purpose of creating magic through light across Sydney, Smart Light will also present innovative approaches to energy conservation. Don't think greenwashing - instead imagine the most amazing light creations illuminating the Sydney Harbour precinct. Read more ...

Creative Sydney The promisingly provocative schedule of events designed to discover and showcase Sydney's future creative talents. 100 Creative Catalysts have been named to recognise existing contributions and will be leading discussions around strategies for success, change and world domination. Read more ...

Fire Water The Rocks will host a three night event of sculptures, music, lanterns, flame grilled food - all while a 19th century convict ship burns in Campbells Cove. Read more ...

Vivid Sydney promises to be a spectacular experience for Sydneysiders - follow me on Twitter for the latest updates (including all the photos I can possibly take!) to share the experience!

Sydney Soundtrack
Trip the light fantastic to Cut Copy: Lights and Music

The Sydneysider Diary

2009-05-22T12:34:00.007+10:00

Top picks for what’s on in Sydney this weekend:

Markets

A	Balmain	217-223 Darling Street	Saturday
B	Rozelle	Cnr Darling St & Victoria Rd	Saturday
C	Glebe	183 Glebe Point Road	Saturday
D	The Rocks	Playfair & George Streets	Saturday & Sunday
E	Kirribilli	Bradfield Park	Saturday
F	Paddington	395 Oxford St	Saturday
G	Bondi	Campbell Parade	Sunday

Going Out

Friday
Purple Sneakers	Abercrombie Hotel	7pm
Red Riders	Annandale Hotel	8pm
Mum Tennis	World Bar	9pm
Bel Air The Villians	Candy’s Apartment	10pm
Ritual Astronomy Class	Queens Wharf Brewery, Newcastle	10pm
Saturday
Bangers & Mash Teez	The Cross
Pussycat Dolls Lady GaGa	Sydney Acer Arena	7.30pm
NUF Tyson	Oxford Art Factory	8pm
Red Card Comedy	Roxbury Hotel	8pm
Phonic This/is	Arthouse Hotel	9pm
The Club Club	Chinese Laundry	9pm

Festivals

Newtown Flicks Short Film Festival

Sydney Writer’s Festival

Sydney Italian Festival

Greek Festival of Sydney

Sydney Soundtrack
Get yourself pumped for the weekend with this hot track from Red Riders: Slide in Next to Me

Sydney goes Italian

2009-05-19T17:48:00.004+10:00

Sydney Italian Festival
19th May – 8th June 2009
www.sydneyitalianfestival.com.au

When a Sydneysider thinks of Italy they think of leather, Lamborghini, linguine and Leichhardt. Not content with merely a slice of little Italy, the Sydney hotspot is leading the celebrations and painting the town red, white and green this week for the 2009 Sydney Italian Festival.

Italian restaurants across Sydney are offering inspired dining experiences for the duration of the Festival and the calendar boasts a diverse mix of events with food & wine, art & culture, film & fashion.

What I love about this Festival is how you can choose to immerse yourself in workshops exploring the finer details of Italian culture or simply indulge in the very best it has to offer. One of the most enticing events is Weekend Italiano A Tavola, a weekend of interactive workshops including gnocchi making, coffee, art, language skills and yoga.

Visit the Sydney Italian Festival site and conveniently add events of interest to your planner – a smart way to ensure you get to experience as much as possible. My planner currently includes the Italian antipasto tasting plate at GPO Sydney; the Italian Connection Rally; Viva Leichhardt Short Film Festival and the Casa Barilla Masterclass, just to name a few.

Sydney Soundtrack
Unleash your inner Italian Stallion to the sexy sounds of Angus & Julia Stone: Bella

Sydney Style

2009-05-18T09:45:00.001+10:00

It was handbags at dawn this weekend for Fashion Weekend Sydney, dubbed the ultimate fashion event. Considering the weekend offers Australian designer clothes at discounts of up to 70% - the title is well earned. With catwalk shows, beauty booths, Chambord cocktails and rack after rack of discounted threads from some of the nation's hottest designers, fashionistas got down to the serious business of shopping.

I have to admit, the organisers of Fashion Weekend have set a difficult precedent. I'm now expecting the same shopping experience wherever I go - complimentary professional hair styling; toilets transformed by flowers, candles and Dermalogica products; quick onsite make over and manicures; and photo booths that make you look worthy of a Marie Claire cover.

Hot designers
Camilla (as seen on Beyonce, Elizabeth Hurley, Fergie); Fleur Wood (as seen on Kate Hudson, Miranda Otto); Sass & Bide (as seen on Kylie Minogue, Nicole Richie, Miranda Kerr); Shakuchachi (as seen on Sydney girls with style!)

Best buys
Natasha boots down from $550 to $150 (via @juzzycullen)
9 pieces of Splendid for $180 and a Manning Cartel dress for $50 (via @ecobabetweets)
skinny sass & bide jeans for $120 (via @dailyaddict)
15% off at Viva La Frock (via @sydney_sider)

Viva La Frock and Sydney Sider are giving you the opportunity to save 15% on your next purchase from www.VivaLaFrock.com.au (shipping to AU, UK, US, NZ & Singapore). DM sydney_sider on Twitter for details!

Sydney Soundtrack
Shop til you drop to this fantastic tune from Little Birdy: Summarize

Once in a lifetime trip to Sydney

2009-05-11T18:24:00.001+10:00

Do you fancy a once-in-a-lifetime all expenses paid trip to Sydney, Australia?

If so, we’re looking for 2 active and outgoing people, aged 18-30, from the UK or Ireland who are ready for a fun filled seven days in Sydney.

So what’s the catch? You’ll be filmed and photographed as you experience all the fantastic sights, surf, culture, eating, drinking and excitement that Sydney and the surrounding areas have to offer. You’ll also be featured in video diaries of your time in Sydney and contribute to a blog detailing the highlights of your trip.

This amazing trip includes all flights, accommodation, travel, food, drink and entrance fees to various attractions.

You must be from the UK and/or Ireland and aged between the ages of 18-30 at the time of travel and you must be available to travel between 21 June and 4 July 2009.

Please visit http://facebook.sydney.com for more details and to register your interest.