Realwomen.co.nz

Okay, I'll be the first to write in this Thread. My 20 yr old daughter and I are going on holiday to Sydney for a few days over Easter. I have booked the hotel and travel over the net - we're staying in the heart of Sydney and plan to get around on the trains, trams (?) buses etc. Lots of shopping on the menu as well as sightseeing. Now my first question is: is there anything we just must not miss please? Second question: Is there any store in the centre of Sydney that caters for women's clothes larger than size 14, that is still fashionable please? (looking for a choice here, not just two items of clothing down the end of the rack). As we don't have much time (and my tall thin daughter will get fed up if I spend it all tracking down THE perfect store) I need to be able to head to just one or two places. Any suggestions please? By the way, I am starting to get SO excited about this. :idea:

Lee Donna, I guess it depends on what sort of things you like to see and do when you travel. Things we loved when in Sydney were visiting Manly beach, Taronga Park Zoo, the Sydney Tower, IMAX for 3D movies, Chinatown and the Chinese Gardens, the markets, you could go on forever. What we loved the most, however, was the ferries. We went on several just to get a different viewpoint of the city. You can buy tickets that give you so many days on the buses, trains and ferries for a set price. These were brill and are available in all sorts of places, including at the airport. Also available at the airport and other places are those booklets that tell you what's on in Sydney. Get lots of these because not only are they useful in telling you what's on offer but they have great discounts on things like the Sydney Tower etc. As for the big girl's shops there are loads but the big department stores are maybe the best if you can only go to a few. Have a wonderful holiday with your daughter. I love Sydney - in case you can't tell!

I always like to visit Chatswood when I go to Sydney - it seems to have everything there, in one street. I especially love the sushi from the mall up the top above the train station. Some pretty funky shoe shops and a couple of Department Stores, not to mention dozens of clothes shops. The Rocks Market in the weekend - a hot, buttered corn on the cob is a must. The Warringah Mall in Brookvale is pretty amazing (Godfathers restaurant next to it does a spectacular seafood fettucine!). Gosh, I'm suggesting a lot of food places, aren't I???? I would suggest going to a mall rather than shopping at George Street and Pitt Street in the City - they're geared up for the tourists and can be quite pricey. The buses and trains are pretty straight forward too (if you know where you want to go!). Have heaps of fun - as I mentioned in another thread, I'm off to San Francisco for Easter and plan to do some major shopping too!

Thanks AJ and Grace. You have given me some good ideas. I've visited Sydney quite a few times, but the last time was about 15 years ago. My daughter has never been there, so it is a bit of an introduction to a big city for her. Like a lot of young people, she does not like to admit that she is scared of things, but I think learning how to navigate around a strange city will boost her confidence. That's my secret plan anyway. The monorail, trams?, bus, trains are all on the list, as are the Rocks ( a bit of history), the Opera House, Darling Harbour, definitely the ferries, the Chinese Gardens, Paddington (even if only going through on a bus), Paddie's (?) Market.
Hey Grace, I hope you have a wonderful holiday too. Exciting times!

Hi Ladies, exciting times for those planning trips. I have been out to the airport several times lately, picking people up, and dropping people off . The airport seems to be so very busy these days. Each time I was out there, there were huge gueues of people and long delays. One of the things that I noticed which seemed to be contributing was the fact that they have become very, very strict re making sure that people are adhereing to the weight allowances. They were not giving anyone any leeway if they were even just a little over the limit. So, if they were at checkin and the bags were too heavy then the person would have to leave the checkin point to get NZ currency ( they were not accepting anything else) to pay their excess baggage fees They then had to go back to check in point to complete their checkins Lots were protesting and arguing because it does amount to quite a bit per kilo. I think the main reason they have started to become very strict about this, is that the heavier the load, the more fuel that is used, and of course with rising prices of fuel, the airlines are looking else where to recover some of these cost. I believe that the American Airlines have also changed from allowing 2 pieces of luggage per person now, with the restriction only on size, and they have now put a limit on the weight of each piece too. Some of them were just getting too heavy for handling staff to cope with.
When my son left after his recent holiday here, he was at the airport well within the recommended time frame - in fact he was early, but by the time he got checked in, they were starting to board the flight. It took 21/2 hours, just to get up to the counter! He was not overweight, but he said that nearly everyone around him was, and they were pinging everyone without exception, and also weighing the carry on bags. If they were more than the allowed 7 kgs, the excess was added on to the rest of the baggage weights, and in many cases is what pushed people over the limit. Passengers were stuffing around trying to off load some of the gear they were carrying, and it was justchaotic out there. So... be warned... if you are going to go somewhere and do a lot of shopping, make sure that you check the weight of your bags before you leave home, and if possible, travel very, very lightly, so that you have room to fill up the case with all your lovely purchases, and without exceeding the limits for the return trip home. Nothing takes the shine off a lovely holiday, than having to pay excess baggage fees. My daughter had flown back to her home the week before, and it was the same scenario, only they were one of the ones who were over, and had to pay dearly for the 3 kgs excess that they had. :cry: Kate

I see that you've got the hang of those smilies, Kate. Quelle horreur re the overweight baggage. So long as they don't start wanting to weigh me... :twisted:

Try www.bigcitychic.com.au. There is a list of branches in Australia, and I think there are a couple in Sydney.

Lee Donna, I hope you and your daughter had a lovely W/E in Sydney or should that be Seednee! Tell all! It's one of my favourite cities.