December 13th and 14th 2010 - ANZ Stadium - Sydney

[mrnathan15]

yeah, it's a fountain now. very cool. after bits and piece of the atlanta olympics, the sydney games are my first vivid memories of watching sport at all. i mean, i'd seen stuff before, but sydney sticks in my mind.

the park is great. all of the light towers are dedicated to previous games, there's a memorial to the munich games, a big audio/visual display right next to anz stadium (in almost a direct line between the stadium and the train station, you can't miss it). and like i said, almost every event was held in that one area, except for triathlon and such.

it's a shame you can't do it because there's an event on, but the stadium tour is also really, really cool. you get to walk on the one remaining part of the athletics track!






god i miss sydney.

What they still have a piece of athletics track layed down? But yeah I love stadium tours, been fascinated by stadiums etc since I was little . I'll have to do the Sydney one one day!

 

[coolian2]

What they still have a piece of athletics track layed down? But yeah I love stadium tours, been fascinated by stadiums etc since I was little . I'll have to do the Sydney one one day!

it's in the players tunnel on what would be the 50 metre line.

i'm a huge stadium fan too, glad i'm not the only one on the site!

 

[mrnathan15]

it's in the players tunnel on what would be the 50 metre line.

i'm a huge stadium fan too, glad i'm not the only one on the site!

Nice! Yeah it's pretty awesome to have an excuse to go to these great stadiums, and for that excuse to be U2!

That's something I didn't know about ANZ stadium as well, that they had some really special memorabilia in the players tunnel!

 

[coolian2]

Nice! Yeah it's pretty awesome to have an excuse to go to these great stadiums, and for that excuse to be U2!

That's something I didn't know about ANZ stadium as well, that they had some really special memorabilia in the players tunnel!

absolutely. i must admit that probably two thirds of my excitement at seeing u2 in chicago last year was just going to soldier field!

that memorabilia is really cool! i slowed the tour down when i was there in 2004 looking at everything. nrl grand final shirts to stuff from the only nfl game there. it's a crying shame it isn't a regularly accessible museum.

if you get a chance, go the the sydney football stadium/cricket ground tour. if it's as good as it was in 2004, you'll love it. i nearly needed to be dragged out of the scg museum.

 

[mrnathan15]

haha that's great! you really seem to love sport!, it's hard not to

And I didn't get the chance to get out to the SCG area precinct when I was in Sydney 4 years back, so I'm hoping I'll get a look this time...I won't have the family dragging to taronga zoo instead this time!

ps thanks for teaching me all this stuff, like I never realised there was an nfl game thing at ANZ, I have a lot of catching up to do on this stuff!

 

[cobl04]

how'd you go in exams nath

 

[mrnathan15]

how'd you go in exams nath

I'm going alright I think, got 2 more to go next week (PE and Business)

Went ok in English and Maths though so I'm happy about them, thanks for asking!

Find myself going to school every day though to 'study' still, as it's so boring without school! The whole experience is actually kind of fun though!

 

[HBK-79]

I've finally worked out my hotel plans. I'm staying at the Marque Hotel Sydney right across from Central Station in the CBD.

I'm flying in on the morning of the 12th and leave on the morning of the 16th. As soon as I get off the plane and check in to the hotel, I'm going to head straight for the Olympic Park to check out the stadium.

 

[cobl04]

i loved the English exam.

 

[mrnathan15]

It was quite the event!

And this hotel business is starting to become super annoying for me, but good to see you're all sorted HBK! I'm such an unorganised person

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

god i miss sydney.

 

[HBK-79]

god i miss sydney.

Isn't easy and cheap to fly from NZ to Sydney?

 

[Earnie Shavers]

For anyone who hasn't yet booked Sydney accomodation, and looking at doing a hostel, you're mad if you don't give this one a shot. 5-star hotel location and views at hostel prices. Perfect for transport, perfect for tourist things, perfect for good food and pubs, and the hotel U2 generally use is a block away, if you're the (franky, nutty) hang around outside hotels type.

Sydney Harbour Hostel - YHA Australia

 

[mrnathan15]

So earliest train leaves central for Olympic park at about 5.15 am according to my (probably wrong) research? I figure for the last one I'm going to (14th) i'm just going to go all out and try and get as close as I can to the main stage, even though I'll probably fail epically . But I have to do this all day GA thing at one point, hey!

 

[Purplereign]

For anyone who hasn't yet booked Sydney accomodation, and looking at doing a hostel, you're mad if you don't give this one a shot. 5-star hotel location and views at hostel prices. Perfect for transport, perfect for tourist things, perfect for good food and pubs, and the hotel U2 generally use is a block away, if you're the (franky, nutty) hang around outside hotels type.

Sydney Harbour Hostel - YHA Australia

I drove past that the other day and am tempted to stay there myself, just because it's so damn cheap and the curiosity factor is enormous ~ I am pretty sure that this used to be housing commission / government owned housing that has been refurbed and put to more commercially viable use.

(as an aside, I hope that those who used to live here have been relocated to newer, nicer environs)


and coolian and mrnathan ~ crazy how it takes a visitor to teach you something new about your own city ~ I had no idea that you could do tours of the Olympic Village and all the stadiums there ~ the kids have told me to book them in for the Christmas holidays; so thanks for the heads up

 

[HBK-79]

For anyone who hasn't yet booked Sydney accomodation, and looking at doing a hostel, you're mad if you don't give this one a shot. 5-star hotel location and views at hostel prices. Perfect for transport, perfect for tourist things, perfect for good food and pubs, and the hotel U2 generally use is a block away, if you're the (franky, nutty) hang around outside hotels type.

Sydney Harbour Hostel - YHA Australia

What's the difference between a hostel and a hotel?

Does a hostel like this one have single rooms with private bathrooms (just like a regular hotel)?

According to the website, a hostel has shared rooms.

 

[cobl04]

hotel you get your own room, hostel it's shared between a number of people, i assume that's the difference anyway.

go the hostel, meet some new people!

 

[mrnathan15]

For anyone who hasn't yet booked Sydney accomodation, and looking at doing a hostel, you're mad if you don't give this one a shot. 5-star hotel location and views at hostel prices. Perfect for transport, perfect for tourist things, perfect for good food and pubs, and the hotel U2 generally use is a block away, if you're the (franky, nutty) hang around outside hotels type.

With regards to the band hotel is Australia like America and Europe in terms of massive fan gatherings outside the hotels on show day (like what yous see on u2.com etc). I'm not going to be stalking the band or anything like that but if there's exciting things like that going on it would be cool to go for a look i guess...I'm guessing it's not really like that here though?

 

[Earnie Shavers]

Plenty of (most) hostels have private rooms, with your own bathroom. And yes, also offer dormitory style accommodation. Sometimes maybe four to a room, sometimes up to about 16. But the real difference is just that they are no frills, hence cheaper. Significantly cheaper. Good, new hostels are as ‘nice’ and comfortable as hotels – just basic, the bare essentials in terms of features, services and amenities, hence giving them the ability to keep their prices down. Aimed at both the budget traveller who can’t pay for more, and the active traveller who doesn’t care for the extras.

A room at a good hostel will be nice and comfortable, you’ll just notice that there’s likely no TV (although some will have one), no mini bar, no slippers and gown etc – it will literally just be a room with a bed, table, wardrobe. And they don’t offer most of the services a hotel offers - there’s no one to call at 3am for a Thai massage and a cheeky crème brule. If you are going to be out all the time, and really only making use of the bed and shower anyway, then why pay three times more for, essentially, all the extras that you’re not going to use?

And as suggested above, the bonus is that they generally attract a younger clientele. 90% would be under 30 at any hostel and they will all have at the very least a communal/living area where you can't help but meet new people, while plenty of newer ones will actually have their own bar. For a young, solo traveller, they’re great for meeting people.

But there is a sort of generation gap with hostels. They were formally often pretty crappy. Cheap in the worst way. Over the past 15 or so years though, there's sort of been a revolution in the hostel world. Most are now clean, comfortable, really good. But some of the 'old world' hostels definitely still exist, so it's worth checking reviews.

 

[HBK-79]

Thanks, Ernie. I'll try to remember that next if/when I travel abroad.

I spent 1000 Euros for a hotel close by the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Not doing that ever again.

 

[HBK-79]

Only one more month!

For me, that is. I don't know what day it is in Australia right now.

 

[mrnathan15]

Hey bit random here but you know how Oprah's doing her opera house show the same days as the u2 shows (?) , do any Sydney residents/ anyone know if there is going to be heaps of blocked off areas near the botanical gardens and the opera house? I wanted to go for a sight see along these areas but may have to take a raincheck?

 

[HBK-79]

^Oh good point. I don't want my one and only trip to Sydneytown to be ruined by Oprah!

 

[Purplereign]

^^ and ^

cruddy timing . . .if there are restrictions (and I'd say it would be safe to bet YES) there will be a tonne of notifications on the City of Sydney council and transport info line websites so it would be a good idea to check those out when you arrive. You would most likely be able to enter the Botanical Gardens from the Art Museum end but I don't like your chances of getting within cooee of the Opera House on those days

Sydney Event Highlight | What's On - City Of Sydney

(bizarrely the link above is the only one on the website that is working for me this morning )

I'd be tempted to contact the botanical gardens directly to find out

Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain - Botanic Gardens Trust - Sydney, Australia

 

[mrnathan15]

Oh well thanks Purplereign! It's not like that area is the only thing to see in Sydney though so I will wander around some other place . But yeah it is pretty bad timing for the people who haven't been to Sydney before, it's such a nice area!

Thanks though peoples!

 

[Purplereign]

My recommendations? . . . get the Rivercat in to Sydney Harbour (can't remember where you said you were staying but the Rivercat from Parramatta into the City is awesome) and as touristy as it is . . . if you can swing a Bridgeclimb do it ~ I've lived here for nearly 30 years (sheesh ~ o.l.d ) but climbing the bridge last year was one of the absolute high points of my life . . . just breathtaking!

And you are right ~ there is a helluva lot more to this place than the Opera House and the Harbour, stunning though they may be . . . Taronga Zoo is a must (and you can swing some fabbity views of the Harbour from there too ~ the giraffes have the best views in Sydney!) . . . Brett Whiteleys Art Studio is glorious, Bondi, touristy as it is is always worth a lookie just for the people watching alone and if you can find time to visit Haberfield it has some of the best coffee in the world

 

[cobl04]

also take a slight detour and do a lap of Mt Panorama

 

[mrnathan15]

Great Advice purplereign! I was lucky enough back in 2006 to climb the harbour bridge it was very fun! I also did the ferry trip to taronga which I wouldn't mind doing again, as well as going to Bondi, as last time we stopped there for like 2 minutes

And at this stage I'm kind of thinking of staying at star city but i'm not too sure of that. I guess it's kind of in a relatively close location to central station (well, not too far away), but I'm not sure

*kicks self for waiting >2 months after buying tickets to book hotels*

 

[Earnie Shavers]

I don't know anything about the Oprah shows, but if they are being filmed IN the Opera House, there should be no restrictions at all. If they're being shot where they sometimes have outdoor events on the Opera House steps, then a lot of that forecourt area will be closed, but you'll either still be able to get through there at times when they're not actually filming, or at worst, just have to take a slight detour through the top of the Botanical Gardens. Either way, I really, really, really doubt there'd be any dramatic restrictions or closure of the area.

I didn't realise this was on at the same time - guess Bono and/or Jay Z would be pretty good bets for guests?

 

[HBK-79]

Hey everyone. I went on Tripadvisor and asked the Aussies there about any restrictions on public access to the opera house.

They told me that Oprah's show will be taped OUTSIDE the opera house in the forecourt. So the entire front of the opera house (starting at where Macquarie St. ends) will be closed off that entire week. That means you won't be able to walk up the front steps and do other usual tourist things.

One Sydney resident said:

Firstly - rule out 14th December if possible.


There will be no public access to Sydney Opera House on 14th December.
From the 8th – 16th December there will be no public access to the forecourt, however there will be access to the OH around the west, north and east sides of the building.

All I can say is .